Coming off of a spring season that saw the Vandal soccer team net 14 goals in seven games, only three shy of their 2013 total, the Vandals now know exactly what to expect in their return to the Big Sky as the 2014 fall schedule was officially released on June 3.
Although the Big Sky schedule was relatively rock solid before Derek Pittman was hired, he had some freedom in the non-conference scheduling, which is for the most part comprised of all regional opponents.
“Any time we can stay regional and keep our rivalries relatively close to the northwest is always good for our parents and fans that are fortunate enough to travel to watch us,” Pittman said
The team opens up at Seattle U — the team that the Vandals saw three times at the end of last season — on August 22 and then they will come back to Moscow to host Texas Christian in their home opener, on August 24. After the home opener a huge non-conference opponent comes to town in the Boise State Broncos on August 29.
“Any time we can play here at home with our fans and environment it’s going to be an advantage and we want to do our best to make sure that Guy Wicks Field is a place that is difficult for any opponent to come to town and the fact that it’s Boise State it’s exciting,” Pittman said. “It’s a rivalry that both I and the Boise State staff want to continue –they had a really good year last year so it will be a good test.”
Although the Vandals got a glimpse of what to expect from their in-state rivals this spring the early season non-conference affair will be a good test for the young Vandals, Pittman said. But he isn’t looking past the TCU Horned Frogs who are always a competitive Big XII team and it should be another good test for them, Pittman said.
Among the more intriguing games for the Vandals is Gonzaga — Pittman’s former team. The Bulldogs are a perennial West Coast Conference power that Pittman, through his relationship with the Gonzaga coaching staff, was able to schedule as an opponent, and although Pittman left Gonzaga to take the Vandal head coaching job this past winter he looks at it like any other game.
“We were very fortunate that the Big Sky fell the way that it did, other than Sacramento State and Portland State towards the end of the season. I would say that our conference schedule is relatively favorable in regards to travel,” Pittman said.
Although for the most part the Vandals will stay in the northwest this season, Pittman was able to line up a few trips outside of the region.
“I always want to take a decent trip out of conference and the trip to Arizona is a way for us to get out of town a little bit and test ourselves on the road so we’re excited about that trip, but even the trips against St. Mary’s and Seattle U. It’s definitely going to be an opportunity to test ourselves,” Pittman said. “We finish up at Illinois State–which is a non-conference game that we wanted to pick up so that we don’t have 10 to 12 days off before the Big Sky tournament.”
In total the Vandals will play nine of the 20 games on the schedule at home, and should the Vandals win the Big Sky regular season title they would also get to host the Big Sky Tournament.
“I am really excited about the Big Sky, there’s been a lot of parity from top to bottom, there have been five different conference winners over the last five seasons,” Pittman said. I feel like we will be able to get in there and hopefully make some waves and find our way into the conference tournament, and if that happens anything is possible.”
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]