Now two weeks into conference season, Idaho soccer is still searching for its first conference win.
The Vandals (0-2-1, BSC 3-9-1) are looking to break out of their slump after dropping to Eastern Washington last Sunday 3-1, playing for the second straight week on the road.
“We are at a point where we played well but haven’t gotten the results we typically wanted,” said Idaho Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger. “But now our backs are against the wall and we got to fight, and I think this team is capable of fighting and still doing some positive things this year.”
With the conference season now approaching its halfway point, Idaho is now at a pivotal point in what this season will become as the team heads to Ogden and Pocatello.
The headline going into this weekend is the rivalry game against Idaho State (0-3-1, BSC 1-11-2).
Labeled as the “Idaho Central Credit Union Battle of the Domes,” the last two seasons have provided trademark wins for the Vandals.
This rivalry is measured not only with soccer, but through football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball.
Each time the schools meet, points are awarded to the winner of the games and matches, and whoever has the most wins or highest point totals at the end of the year receive the Battle of the Domes trophy.
In 2017, Idaho came back from down a goal to win the game in the second half from former team captain Olivia Baggerly.
In 2018, the Vandals and Bengals went back and forth, going into overtime scoreless. Senior forward Myah Merino got the ball off the breakaway and netted the game winning goal to help the Vandals finish as the second seed in the Big Sky tournament.
Idaho Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger coaching Taylor Brust on the sideline on August 14, 2018 against Central Washington. Leslie Kiebert | Argonaut
“It’s a rivalry game and those games are always hard fought, as we saw last year,” Clevenger said. “Going to (Pocatello), it’s a tough environment…and its going to be a fun game. It’s a matchup that I think we can do some interesting things and expose but none the less, we know its going to be a hard fought game on both sides.”
With the midpoint of the conference season here, Clevenger knows the Vandals are running out of time for a season turnaround.
“We are at that point where we have no time to waste,” Clevenger said.
But before the rivalry can be renewed, Idaho will have to travel to Ogden to face Weber State (1-2-1, BSC 2-9-1).
The Wildcats are off to a slow start to the conference season but were able to pick up a win against Portland State on Big Sky opening weekend.
Idaho’s defense had been stout for most of the season but has taken a step back after losing defenders senior Natalie Fischer (groin) and freshman Jenna Efraimson (concussion), both playing the left defensive back position.
With Fischer expected to be back in the lineup, the defense looks to return to form in Ogden.
Offensively, assistant coach Nicole Randall wants to continue the growth of Idaho’s attack, which has scored five goals in five games.
“We struggled to score goals there for a few weeks and that’s something we have really been emphasizing at practice,” Randall said. “The girls are picking it up and they are really buying into the ideas we are giving them. You can see them learn and getting better every day and I think that it really going to help us for the rest of the season.”
Idaho faces Weber State 6 p.m. Friday and Idaho State 12 p.m. Sunday in Ogden and Pocatello.
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kellogg_zack.