Idaho women’s soccer faced off against the Boise State Broncos and fell in the final minutes to drop the match by a score of 1-2.
The match between the two rivals had the air of a playoff elimination game rather than a spring exhibition game. The Vandals and Broncos have always had a history of playing physical, and the matchup on Sunday all but reassured that.
“As far as a spring game goes, I thought it was as close as we will ever get to a fall match.” Idaho Head Coach Derek Pittman. “I thought that [Boise State] played well and caused us some problems”
That match started off quick and kept the same pace for the entire match. Redshirt sophomore Kayla Watanabe scored an early goal to put the Vandals up early in the match off some improved passing and attack plan by the team, which has been a focal point for much of the spring season. Idaho lead at the end of the first half by a score of 1-0.
“I think that we are playing a lot better. We switched up the formation and are in a good situation right now and are taking good steps forward, played pretty well overall,” Watanabe said. “I definitely think that we are more possession oriented now, so with that there are more spaces open on the line and in the middle for us to attack.”
But just minutes after the start of the second half, Boise State’s Raimee Sherle netted the equalizer, bringing the score back to 1-1.
For the rest of the second half, both programs had difficulty finding open shots, mostly in part to the high intensity that both sides played at, fighting for every loose ball and contesting every bass and shot.
With minutes remaining in the second half, Boise State’s Eva Herrera was able to connect with the ball and score what would end up being the game winning goal, lifting the Broncos to a 2-1 win late in the game. Idaho has lost all three of their spring games due to goals being scored late.
“I thought there were a lot of really good things. At times, we played some really good soccer, we defender very well against a sharp Boise State team, but we definitely got punished for some errors that we made,” Pittman said. “We did good at times and struggled at others, definitely a lot to learn from this game.”
Idaho will play Boise State 11 a.m. Saturday, April 21st in Boise, Idaho.
“I’m excited and I’m ready for revenge,” said Watanabe.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected]