The Idaho soccer team is set to take on a new challenge this weekend as they progress through the regular season.
Idaho will travel to Missoula, Montana to play in the Montana Invite, where it will face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the Vermont Catamounts.
The Vandals picked up their first win of the season under Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger with a 3-1 win over Grambling State and look to add two more wins to the tally board.
First Idaho will take on North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks are coming into the tournament with a 2-0 record to start off the season, winning its first two games by three and then four goals, respectively.
Junior defender Natalie Fischer takes the ball downfield during Friday’s game against Grambling State University in the Kibbie Dome.
This will be the fifth meeting between the two schools, where Idaho is currently undefeated, winning the past four. But with North Dakota leaving for the Summit Conference, this could be the last meeting for some time.
Clevenger does have a connection with North Dakota Head Coach Chris Logan, as the two coached alongside each other at the University of Northern Iowa in 2016.
“I know the coaching staff pretty well, it’ll be a fun little rivalry and some talking before the game,” Clevenger said. “It’s just another game for us… we are looking forward to getting better every day.”
Current North Dakota associate head coach, Josh Davis, was the associate head coach for Idaho from 2016 to 2017, severing for two seasons with the program.
The Vandals will also be taking on the Vermont Catamounts from the America East conference. The Catamounts are still looking for their first win of the season, drawing in their first game and dropping their next two matchups in dramatic fashion.
This will also be Vermont’s second tournament in two weeks. Vermont will be led by Brooke Jenkins and Angie Salvi, who were two Catamount players named to the TD Bank Classic All-Tournament Team.
Idaho plays against North Dakota at the Montana Invite 1:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31 in Missoula, Montana followed by Vermont at 9 a.m. Sunday (Sept. 2) in Missoula, Mont.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected]