The last few years have been a renaissance for Idaho soccer.
Going from a team that finished at the bottom of the barrel in the Big West and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) to now being a powerhouse in the Big Sky with their tough, signature defense, the Vandals found success in their new conference.
But two teams that always had Idaho’s number are Seattle University and UC Santa Barbara, as most meetings before recent years would be best
described as beat downs.
Here is a brief history of the rivalries and teams before this weekend’s matchups.
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Seattle U:
The first meeting between these two programs came on Sept. 5, 2008, where the Redhawks came away with a 1-0 win over the Vandals in the Kibbie Dome.
This started a run where Idaho picked up loss after loss for eight years.
It wasn’t until 2016 where the Vandals finally picked up in a win in the series on the road and picked up their second in 2018.
The overall record between the two programs is 2-10-1 — Idaho never won in the Kibbie Dome.
Before the recent rebirth of the program, Seattle U would just pick up win after win, the most dominant point coming in 2012 and 2013, losing 1-5, 0-3, 1-3, 1-6 while in the WAC.
This team has not slowed down either, coming off of their fourth WAC tournament championship since 2013, earning them another NCAA tournament appearance.
The Redhawks are returning their top two goal scorers from last season, senior forward Jessie Ray and junior forward Leahi Manthei.
They are also 1-0 against the Big Sky this season, picking up a win on September 1 against Portland State.
The retooling Idaho squad has another tough test, but some vocal leadership is stepping up among the newcomers during the tough non-conference schedule.
“The first person that comes to mind is Emmy Moore,” Idaho Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger said. “She is a true freshman starting at center back, one of the most influential positions on the team. She has been a vocal leader right off the bat.”
UC Santa Barbara:
There is a similar story to how the Gauchos have found success against the Vandals.
This rivalry goes all the way back to the Big West Days in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and there is still a clear team to have an upper hand throughout the past couple of decades.
“We have a ton of respect for Santa Barbara,” Clevenger said. “They’re a good team and they have been good for a while. We are excited to play a team at home who has that kind of pedigree.”
UCSB leads the all-time series, at 7-1-1 against the Vandals, the lone win coming in 2000.
The Gauchos are coming off their first Big West championship gameappearance since their back to back titles in 2008 and 2009.
There is also the head coaching battle, with Clevenger in his second season at Idaho while
Freshman midfielder Jenna Efraimson takes the ball downfield Friday agaisnt Oregon Tech in the Kibbie Dome.
Paul Strumpf is in his 21st year leading the Gauchos. Two coaches in different points in their careers, there will also be an interesting mental game who can gain the upper hand with the game plan.
The Vandals and Gauchos don’t meet often but expect a slugfest with two solid teams with depth top to bottom and both competing for their conference titles.
With the defense expected to play a large part in picking up wins this weekend, there are always areas to improve in before these tough matchups.
“We have been trying to work on one v. one defending,” Idaho freshman defender Jenna Efraimson said. “Because that’s how it usually happens for them to score, but also our attacking plays. In order to win games, you need to score goals.”
Idaho hosts Seattle U 7 p.m. Friday and UC Santa Barbara 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kellogg_zack.