The Vandals’ revenge tour was completed on Sunday afternoon as they defeated the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 2-1 to claim the first Big Sky Conference tournament championship victory in program history.
After a semifinal win over Portland State, the Vandals faced defending Big Sky champions NAU, looking to win their first-ever title. On a windy day in Flagstaff, Arizona, the game began as fast as expected. Senior forward Jadyn Hanks fired off two quick shots, but both were saved by junior goalkeeper Trinity Corcoran.
The Vandals stayed on the front foot but were missing the final product. However, a substitution changed all that. Senior striker Maddy Lasher came into the game and made an instant impact.
In the 28th minute, the Vandals won a corner on the left side, and senior outside back Alyssa Peters trotted over to the flag. Peters sent in a cross to the six-yard box. Senior midfielder Jayd Sprague made great contact with her head, but the ball went off the crossbar and straight up in the air.
In the scramble for the ball, Lasher timed her jump to perfection and headed the ball into the back of the net to give the Vandals the 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, with some fortune, the Lumberjacks equalized.
In the 38th minute, junior midfielder Joey Lujan hit a ball from way out for an easy catch for sophomore goalkeeper Kira Witte. However, when she went up to catch the ball, it rolled off her hands into the net and the Lumberjacks pulled level.
The tie, however, would not last long as the Vandals took the lead right back. In the 39th minute, or 28 seconds later to be exact, senior midfielder Hannah Alfaro won the ball for the Vandals just outside the 18-yard box.
The loose ball found the feet of redshirt freshman Naomi Alvarez. She took it and struck a powerful shot to the near post and right by Corcoran for the 2-1 lead. The Vandals would see out the final six minutes and take a 2-1 lead into the break.
The first half was riddled with shots from both teams as Idaho had eight shots, seven of those on target, forcing five saves from Corcoran. NAU had nine shots, only one shot on frame. Idaho, now 45 minutes away from a championship, came out with a championship mindset.
Throughout the 45 minutes, both teams challenged the goalkeepers and kept it interesting, but Idaho’s elite defense was on full display. The countdown began for the Vandals, and after the final whistle rang out in Flagstaff, the Vandals’ bench and coaches exploded onto the field to greet the teams as the Vandals had knocked off the home team and defending champion NAU.
The second half was as exciting as the first, with both teams rattling off multiple shots again. The Vandals added eight shots and five on frame. NAU boasted seven shots but zero on frame. The Vandals defense held the Lumberjacks to a season-low two shots on frame the entire 90 minutes.
With the win, the Vandals completed a wonderful regular season and conference tournament. They finished with a 12-4-2 (5-2-1) record and lifted their first Big Sky tournament trophy in program history.
The Vandals also clinched a spot in the 2023 NCAA women’s college tournament. Coach Jeremy Clevenger and the Vandals finished another spectacular conference season and now have the long-awaited conference championship to show for it.
The Vandals also had individual success with seven players earning Big Sky conference tournament honors. Junior center back Rebekah Reyes played every minute of the tournament and had extra responsibility with starting center back Cassidy Elicker out for the tournament with an injury.
Reyes impressed enough to be given Big Sky tournament MVP. Lasher, Peters, Alvarez, Witte, Alfaro and Sprague also earned Big Sky tournament honors.
Idaho will now wait and see where they will play next. The NCAA tournament selection show is Nov. 6, at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10
Barbara Flathers
NICE reporting!!!