Soccer is back at the Kibbie Dome for the first of two consecutive weekends. After picking up their first win on Sunday, the Vandals are carrying momentum into some tough matchups.
But Idaho is now entering a nice homestand — playing its next four games in Moscow over the next two weeks.
“Last year we were on the road a lot,” Idaho Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger said. “This year, we are at home, we get to play in front of our fans, get to be in our environment. We love playing in the Kibbie Dome, so we are going to use this to our advantage.”
With matches against Oregon Tech – a potentially problematic road bump and Mississippi State – the first SEC opponent Idaho has ever played, the team must step up its game. Clevenger said the offense as a group needs to show up to give them a win.
“The defense always comes first. I was happy with the shutout on Sunday, and the defense played well,” Clevenger said. “But that offense is always the second piece, and I think we are starting to understand different partnerships, and I think it will only get better as we continue to go forward.”
Jeremy Clevenger coaching in the annual Silver and Gold game -Idaho Athletics
Sophomore Maddie Haas, who was the only player to score on opening weekend for the Vandals, said the team is starting to get on the same page when it comes to finding the back of the net more consistently.
“It’s really starting to click, it’s a lot of fun,” Haas said. “That first couple weeks is all about trying to work together, trying to figure out the new people on the team and trying to figure out how to play with each other.”
After the quick road trip to Bakersfield, Haas said finishing on the offensive side of the field is the main thing this team willbe working on during practices leading up to Oregon Tech.
Haas said the team does a great job of winning the ball defensively and transitioning into the attack, but that they need to make quicker decisions and work on finding shots when they have the opportunities.
Oregon Tech, who is still looking for its first win of the year. Comes from the Cascade Collegiate Conference — whose members also include The College of Idaho and Rocky Mountain College — went an impressive 11-4-3, 8-3-1 in conference play.
The game could be a potential upset in the making if the Vandals are not prepared come Friday.
Maddie Haas – Idaho Athletics
Next, Idaho will host Mississippi State on Sunday in the dome.
Despite not being one of the best teams in the SEC, the Bulldogs will be a tough challenge, with an explosive offense and looking to pick up early wins before the start of a tough conference schedule.
The Bulldogs are also coming off of an NCAA tournament appearance, finishing last year with a 9-7-2 record, 2-6-2 in conference play. They are also returning with their two top scorers from last season — a great challenge for this Idaho defense.
Idaho will play Oregon Tech 5 p.m. Friday a and Mississippi State 3 p.m. Sunday in the Kibbie Dome.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kellogg_zack