After taking time off from the end of the fall season, Idaho soccer is back.
The Vandals took a short road trip across the border to Pullman to take on Washington State in a game that did not have stats or announcers, but was simply a game for both sides to showcase and test their talents.
Here at the takeaways from the Vandals first outing of the new year.
Strong start
Coming into Martin Stadium, Idaho seemed to pick up right where it left off, with a solid defense and goalie play that helped Idaho get an early goal. Washington State is a solid team. The Vandals came in prepared and got things started off on the right foot, a sign head coach Jeremy Clevenger is building this team and continues to successfully implement his philosophy.
The game of two halves
Despite the strong start to play and going into halftime with a 1-0 lead, the second half was a different story. Credit can be given to the Cougars and the game plan they came out of the locker with, but Idaho just couldn’t seem to get things going — forwards rarely touching the ball and only able to get a couple shots off towards the Washington State net.
Clearing the ball
One thing that stood out during the second half was the lack of quality clearances of the ball from the Idaho defense. The ball more times than not, was given right back to the Cougars, who would go on an attack and the cycle would continue. This could also be because of the cold weather and the rain that was coming down on the field. But it was an often-overlooked issue the Vandals should be able to quickly address.
Advancing the offense
The second half just seemed like a different Idaho team. When the defense would get a stop, the back line and midfield just couldn’t seem to find their forwards, seniors Myah Merino and Juliana Detar, and get the offensive momentum rolling like in the first half. Ball movement was be solid, able to get the ball back and move it around. But when the time came to find the open seams or get a through ball past the Cougar defense, they just wouldn’t materialize. But, this can once again be affected by the less than ideal playing conditions.
All in all, despite the 1-3 loss, there were plenty of positives to take away from this game. Losing a large class of seniors from the fall season who all played at a high level, the younger players appeared to be working in the system and looked as if they weren’t missing a beat.
This is an exciting time for Idaho soccer, with four more spring games on the schedule and the team looking to improve with each outing.
Idaho plays Gonzaga at 1 p.m. Saturday in Spokane, Washington.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected], [email protected] and on twitter @kellogg_zack.