After splitting their California road trip, the Vandals will travel to the Lone Star State to face the University of Texas, El Paso in their final non-conference game of the season. The Miners come into this game 1-6-1.
The Vandals defeated Cal State Northridge 5-1 on Sept. 7 before losing 1-0 to UCSB on Sept. 10. They now sit at 4-2-1 on the season.
The Vandals have been solid at times, but inconsistent on offense this season. Some of the offensive struggles are due to the absence of their 2022 leading scorer, and team captain, senior forward Maddy Lasher. Lasher has missed seven out of eight games this season.
Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger is hoping that Lasher isn’t out much longer. “We will know more this week,” he said. “We’re hoping to get her back soon.”
In Lasher’s absence, the Vandals have turned to their depth to put the ball in the back of the net. Seven different players have found the back of the net, and three players have multiple goals.
Senior midfielder Hannah Alfaro and Junior midfielder Annika Farley lead the Vandals with two goals and one assist. Senior forward Jadyn Hanks has also given the Vandals two goals on the season.
Outside back Alyssa Peters has been one of Idaho’s most important players. She leads the team with four assists and has been crucial on defense.
Due to her usually being the one to pass the ball, Alfaro isn’t seen in the scoring column often. However, all her hard work was rewarded with her first multigoal game of her career. Clevenger heaped her praises during a press conference on Monday, saying, “Hannah has been playing awesome when we can get her the ball.”
The Idaho midfield, which started shaky, has started to come together. Now that their chemistry is built, the Vandals look to be a dominant team come conference play. After the Vandals return from El Paso, they will host Weber State for their conference opener on Sept. 20 at 6 p.m.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10