The end of the line is near — every game is crucial with the postseason right around the corner.
Idaho soccer is finishing out its regular season, playing the final two games on the road against Southern Utah and Northern Arizona.
“I hope and expect that we just play our best soccer,” Idaho Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger said. “We have a chance to win the conference and do a special thing, but at the end of the day, I just want us to go in and do our thing.”
Idaho had a successful conference season thus far, sitting at 5-1-1 and in third place in the Big Sky rankings.
Idaho’s strong defense didn’t allow a goal when playing at home this season, which helped the team reach their first 5-0 home conference record in program history.
The Vandals are also on a three-game win streak, with the latest win coming against the top-ranked team in the conference, Weber State for the senior day game, where they celebrated the winningest senior class in program history. The class collectively has 40 wins with two games to play in the regular season.
Senior goalkeeper Makayla Presgrave also won Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week. The honor comes after two shutouts and a season- high eight saves against Idaho State, including three against Weber State.
“[The seniors] know how to win championships, they’ve been there before, and they’ve done it. Having that experience is invaluable for us. They are really going to calm us down in those key moments,” Clevenger said. “I think with the group that we have with their experience, it’s definitely an advantage going into this weekend.”
Idaho now controls its own destiny for post-season play. If Idaho wins its last two games, the team will once again win the Big Sky regular season title and be the No. 1 seed with a first-round bye in the Big Sky tournament.
First, Idaho will face off against Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds have had a tough year, being 1-5-1 and ninth in the Big Sky.
“Southern Utah is a team that has some good attackers,” Clevenger said going into Friday’s game. “They’ve given up a few goals this year which I think we can take advantage of.”
When the two programs met last season in Cedar City, Idaho fell 1-3 with now junior forward Myah Merino scoring the lone goal for the Vandals that day.
Heading into its final home stand, Southern Utah sees itself finishing strong as it has improved throughout the season. Thunderbirds posse a top offensive weapon — senior MaKenzie Lawrence, the leading scorer in the conference, who has seven goals. The Thunderbirds are also leading the conference in saves, but have yet to have a shutout.
“Obviously we’ll want to finish strong next week at home. I think we are starting to see a little more offense than we have in the past and that will give us a good chance to get that done,” Southern Utah Head Coach Fred Thompson said.
Next will be Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks are second in the Big Sky entering the final weekend, with a 5-0-2 record.
“NAU has been solid all year,” Clevenger said. “They only have three losses on the year, been very stingy defensively. It is going to be a tough battle with two good teams going at each other.”
When the two programs met last season for the Big Sky opener, Idaho fell in overtime 1-2, with now junior midfielder Taylor Brust scoring her first career goal to give Idaho it’s only goal on the day.
Northern Arizona’s defense has been playing great this season, leading the league in goals allowed and shutouts.
“Our team is playing well, and at the end of the day defense wins championships,” NAU Head Coach Andre Luciano said.
Idaho plays Southern Utah at 3 p.m. Friday in Cedar City, Utah and Northern Arizona at 12 p.m. Sunday in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected].