As Idaho came off a heartbreaking and controversial loss to Northern Arizona, they were looking to reclaim first place against first-place Portland State.
Portland State came into the game with a 5-5-4 record overall, but 4-0-1 in conference play. Idaho came in 9-2-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
The game was full of emotions as the Vandals entered a new gear and put pressure on Portland State. The pressure paid off as junior Alyssa Peters sent in a picture-perfect cross to the back post where sophomore midfielder Jayd Sprague got her head on the ball and drilled it into the bottom left corner for the opening goal.
Portland State had the edge at the end of the half with three shots to only two for the Vandals. However, one of those Vandals’ shots found the back of the net.
The Vandals looked to extend their lead early in the second half, and they were quickly able to do so. Junior midfielder Margo Schoelser intercepted the ball at midfield, dribbled past two defenders, got the ball on her right foot and fired a rocket to give Idaho the 2-0 lead with 35 minutes remaining. When it looked like the night couldn’t get better for Idaho, Portland State made another mistake and Idaho got the ball back. Junior forward Maddy Lasher took the ball down the right touchline then rifled it into the net to give the Vandals the 3-0 lead and the first-place spot in the conference.
It looked as though Kira Vitte would break the record for shutouts in a season, but Portland State had a different idea. Senior forward Olivia Stone had no pressure on her as she curled a beautiful shot into the top right corner to make the score 3-1.
The game ended with Portland State outshooting the Vandals 7-5, but both teams had three shots on goal. It was a very physical game with a total of 28 fouls committed: 20 on Idaho, eight on Portland State. The Vandals showed who they were as they handled the emotion of a big game and got over their scoring woes to regain their spot atop the Big Sky Conference.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected]