On Easter Sunday the University of Idaho soccer had their last game of the season against the Eastern Washington Eagles. The team ended the season 5-5 going 5-3 in the Big Sky Conference season.
Friday’s match showed the Vandals could handle the Eagles, with the Vandals taking a 2-0 victory. Both teams made four shots on goal, and the Vandals made one goal in each half while the Eagles failed to break through the home team’s defenses. The Vandals took the first two shots, but the Eagles took the next seven.
However, as shown by the final score line, the Vandals stood strong against the Eagles’ offense when they eventually scored a goal 35 minutes in. The Vandals translated this advantage into the second half, where they scored a goal just 10 minutes in.
The Vandals played their defense effectively, preventing and blocking out every goal attempt made against them for the rest of the game.
Outstanding players for the Vandals include redshirt senior forward Myah Merino, freshman forward Maddy Lasher, junior midfielder Maddie Haas and senior midfielder Kaysie Bruce. Merino made four shots, two shots on goal and one goal. Lasher made one shot, one shot on goal and one goal for the Vandals. Haas and Bruce both had one shot.
Sunday’s match had a vastly different outcome for the Vandals, resulting in a parallel 0-2 loss against the Eagles. Eastern Washington scored one goal each half, similar to Idaho’s performance in the previous match.
The Vandals began the match similar before, quickly making three shots against the Eagles, including two shots on goal. However, the Eagles turned around the momentum quickly, getting some shots off and making a goal at the 16-minute mark. The Eagles then progressed to continue with the pressure, but the Vandals played a strong defense by blocking every shot for the rest of the half.
While the Vandals blocked out any further goals in the first half, the momentum of the match was still in favor of the Eagles, who continued the pressure in the second half. This pressure whittled away at the Vandals defenses until the Eagles made a goal six minutes before the end of the game, securing a 2-0 win for themselves.
The players who shone in Friday’s match made a repeat showing in this match, with Merino making three shots and one shot on goal, alongside graduate student midfielder Taylor Brust with three shots and two shots on goal. While the Vandals did lose a five-game win streak, they still ended up with a positive score line for the BSC games.
This may be the end of the regular season for the Vandals, but that doesn’t mean the work is done. They still might have a shot at the Big Sky Championships.
According to a press release from Idaho Athletics, the team will spend their bye week watching other matches. If Eastern Washington loses at least one match in its showdown at the University of Montana, Idaho will have a chance at the championships.
This article has been updated to reflect that Eastern Washington University will play the University of Montana.
Dylan Shepler can be reached at [email protected]