As the Idaho women’s soccer team began conference play on the road against Weber State, the Vandals had to bring it.
The Vandals came into conference play with a record of 5-1-2 and a six-game shutout streak. Weber State comes in with a record of 1-7 and a three-game losing streak.
Weber State is a very young team with 11 freshmen, but never underestimate a team at home. The game began like the Weber State show as they had four shots, three of which were on goal, in the first 10 minutes.
The Wildcats kept it scoreless until the 23rd minute when a cross from junior defender Maya Hamilton connected with the head of sophomore midfielder Annika Farley. Farley’s header deflected off the Weber State goalkeeper right into the path of junior midfielder Savannah Foster for an easy tap in goal to make the score 1-0.
That was Foster’s second goal of the season, and really the only offense the Vandals had as they were outshot in both halves. They were outshot 8-6 in the first half and 10-2 in the second half.
If it was not for freshman goalkeeper Kira Witte, the best in the NCAA, posting 10 saves and her seventh consecutive shutout, who knows how this game could have ended up. Nevertheless, the Vandals got the 1-0 win, and their first conference victory without junior striker Maddy Lasher and junior Midfielder/winger Margo Schoesler playing.
Lasher was out for her second consecutive game due to an unspecified injury, and Schoesler was out as she got injured in the last game against North Dakota State. Not having those two key pieces hurt, it did not break the Vandals as they now move to 6-1-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
The Vandals proved they have the depth to go a long way with bench players stepping up on the road in a big game shows the grit of the players coach Jeremy Clevenger recruited to come to Idaho.
The Vandals are back at home to face the Idaho State Bengals in the Battle of the Domes on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JaydenBarfuss10