Idaho closes out Vandal alumni and NIC during Moms’ Weekend
Idaho soccer closed out its final full game of the spring season with a 2-0 win against North Idaho College.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Junior forward Reagan Quigley fights with a NIC player for the ball during Idaho’s 2-0 victory against NIC Sunday at the SprinTurf. Idaho closes the Spring this weekend with a 7-on-7 tournament at Gonzaga.
With a sunny weekend over Moms’ Weekend, the Vandals won their two final full games of the spring season. Saturday, the team faced off against past Vandals in the alumni game. They handled the elder Vandals with ease, taking the game 5-0.
Sunday brought a tighter matchup for the Vandals against the in-state opponent, North Idaho College. Idaho jumped out fast in the first half with a strike from the top of the 18-yard box by freshman Chloe Bell, giving the Vandals a 1-0 lead.
Bell then added an assist in the second half to the score sheet, finding freshman Kaitlyn Joy for an easy shot to the side of the net.
“The spring has been a little bit up and down for her (Bell), to be honest,” Idaho coach Derek Pittman said. “She was sick early on in the spring and so we have only seen her kinda come back to her full form in the last few weeks. I thought she was buzzing around and creating a lot of problems today, which is what she does.”
The Vandals ended the game outshooting North Idaho 22-2. Sophomore Kavita Battan looked deadly up front, finding her way in behind the defense on several occasions and barely missing multiple opportunities on net.
Nathan Romans | Argonaut
Sophomore forward Kavita Battan fights with a North Idaho College during Idaho’s 2-0 victory against NIC Sunday at the SprinTurf.
Sophomore goalkeeper Torell Stewart sat in the net all game and had a handful of saves on the afternoon behind a promising defense with freshman Josilyn Daggs looking at a new role in the right back after playing the fall in the attacking positions.
Idaho will take a trip up to Spokane next weekend to play in a 7-on-7 tournament at Gonzaga to close out their spring season of play. The team finished its full-game spring record at 4-1-1, even with a few tweaks in position for some of the players.
“It has been a great spring,” Pittman said. “We have really challenged them to step up and raise their own standards and raise their levels. They have done that, not only in the weight room and our fitness levels, but also in our style of play. We have tried to improve ourselves and our ability to possess when needed, but also be able to still attack and use our pace and athleticism up front to get behind teams.”
Ryan Pavel can be reached at [email protected]