The Idaho Vandals come into conference play with an unbeaten and shutout streak of six games, and will face the 1-7 Weber State Wildcats on Thursday at 5 p.m.
The Vandals are looking for their sixth total and first conference win. Weber State comes into the game with a not great start, only scoring 4 goals so far this season. They are a young team with 11 out of 28 players on the roster being freshman.
The Vandals have had a hot start as they come in 5-1-2 off a hard-fought draw against North Dakota State. The Vandals however have an injury concern as leading scorer and starting junior forward Maddy Lasher, did not play against NDSU.
Another injury the Vandals are dealing with is junior midfielder Margo Schoelsler. Schoelsler got injured vs NDSU, coming off in the 10th minute, but entering back into the game. This could be a concern as she is a starting outside midfielder with great poise that plays hard.
Although the Vandals come in hot, never underestimate home field advantage. Weber is a talented, young team that could cause problems for the Vandals.
The midfield play will be a key piece to this game. Idaho has a solid midfield, but they are going to have to show up against this scrappy Weber State team. Conference play will be challenging and brutal, so getting off to a good start will be crucial if the Vandals want to make a run at the Big Sky Conference Championship.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JaydenBarfuss10