As another academic year starts, there’s a new aroma in the Moscow air. With new coaches, added transfers and first-year signings, the world of Vandal sports is sure to be different this year.
The first game of the fall season will be in the Kibbie Dome, but it won’t be football. Women’s soccer will play their first home game Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. against Nevada. This will be the ninth time the Vandals faceoff against the Wolfpack. Idaho leads the series 6-3, winning 1-0 in Reno last season. The Vandals had an overall record of 10-6-2 last season, losing in the first round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament.
After an offseason full of new hires, transfers and signings, Vandal fans have high hopes for this year’s football team. It’ll be the first under head coach Jason Eck. Although the Vandals don’t play in the Kibbie Dome until they play Duke on Sept. 17, they’ll take the eight-mile drive to Pullman to take on Washington State Sept. 3. It has been six years since the football version of the Battle of the Palouse has taken place when the Vandals lost 56-6. The Cougars led the series 72-16-3, with Idaho last winning in 1999. Tickets are still available for the historic rivalry game and can be purchased online. The Vandals finished 4-7 last season, finishing ninth in the conference.
The doors of Memorial Gym will open for Volleyball on Sept. 22 when the Vandals take on Sacramento State. The Hornets beat the Vandals in their one matchup last year 3-2. Volleyball was another sport that Vandal Athletics focused on heavily in the offseason. Transfer students, signings and the hiring of volleyball coaching great Chris Gonzalez will surely boost the Vandals this season. They finished 5-20 last year.
This is a huge year for Vandal Athletics. The “Eck Era” is beginning in football. Gonzalez comes to Idaho with a track record of greatness a mile long. Women’s soccer head coach Jeremy Clevenger was named Big Sky Coach of the Year for the Spring 2021 season, proving that his leadership, and the team’s skills, can lead to success. Current students, alumni and other Vandal fans will want to pack the Kibbie Dome and Memorial Gym this Fall as the tone of Vandal Athletics starts to change. Schedules and tickets for every sporting event can be found at govandals.com
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected]