Flashback to last Sunday when the Idaho Vandals lifted their first-ever Big Sky conference tournament title and first NCAA tournament berth. The excitement was in the air as they headed into the Big Dance. The Vandals found out they were facing Gonzaga University in Spokane, and the team and fans could not be more excited.
However, Idaho’s historic season ended at the feet of the Bulldogs as Gonzaga won 1-0 in front of a record-breaking crowd at Luger Field.
The Vandals, 12-4-2, headed across the border to face Gonzaga, who finished the regular season 13-3-2. Gonzaga came in boasting the country’s fifth-best scoring offense, making them a tough opponent for the Vandals.
On a windy Saturday night in front of 1,800 screaming fans, Gonzaga came out firing. The Bulldogs established possession early and made the Vandals uncomfortable in the opening 14 minutes, and then they were given a golden chance to open the scoring.
Senior midfielder Chelsea Le drove the ball at the Vandal’s backline. Senior midfielder Jayd Sprague tried to stop her, but she stuck out her foot, missed the ball, and fouled Le, setting up a free kick for the Bulldogs from 19 yards away.
In the 16th minute, Junior forward Marissa Garcia stepped up and lined the ball where she wanted it. She approached the ball and fired it to the roof of the net. Sophomore Kira Witte was able to get a touch on the ball but could not keep it out of the back of the net as the Bulldogs went up 1-0.
The Bulldogs did not let up, and after defending for 25 minutes, the Vandals finally got their first real chance at a goal. Senior forward Maddy Lasher received a pass from senior midfielder Margo Schoesler.
Lasher made an amazing turn, beating two defenders, she then played the ball wide right to junior midfielder Annika Farley. Farley crossed the ball into the box, but it fell into the arms of junior goalkeeper Lauren Towne.
Idaho was outshot by Gonzaga 5-1 in the first half with the Bulldogs having two shots on frame to the Vandals had just the lone shot on frame.
The Bulldogs, smelling the blood in the water, came out fiercely to start the second half, taking four shots in the first ten minutes. The Vandals were holding strong defensively and were waiting for the one chance to tie the game up, and that chance finally came.
In the 72nd minute, Farley received the ball off a throw-in, and she drove hard at the Bulldogs defense. Farley laid the ball off to senior midfielder Hannah Alfaro, Alfaro beat her defender and crossed the ball into the box. A Bulldog defender mishit the ball, and the ball went directly up into the air and in the vicinity of Schoesler.
Schoesler ripped the shot on a full volley and riffled it past the defenders. However, the ball curved around the post by mere centimeters. The Vandals, centimeters away from tying the game, kept pushing for the equalizer, but the Bulldogs got control again and held onto the 1-0 lead, ending the Vandals historic season.
Garcia described the moment she scored the game-winning goal during a press conference, saying, “I practice those in practice. I felt confident in myself, and I was working on them, once I hit the shot, it was amazing.”
Even with the loss, coach Jeremy Clevenger was proud of his team saying, “Great performance from our players for us to come in here and only give up a goal on a set piece was pretty impressive. From our defense to our shape, we had opportunities at the end to get it, but at the end of the day I’m proud of our performance.”
Chances were hard to come by for the Vandals, but the Schoesler chance was a huge moment, “I saw that the ball was going to land kind of close to me, and I knew that if I took a touch, there’s a chance because the field was pretty slick that my touch could get away, so I decided to rip one first time on the volley,” Schoesler laughed and continued
“Luckily, it stayed down, and I didn’t embarrass myself by skying it clear over the top, but just a little bit more inside, and it could have been a new game.”
For the Vandals, the goal was always to get to the NCAA tournament, and now that they’ve achieved it, the future for this team and program is brighter than ever. With most of their pieces returning next year, the Vandals have much to be excited about next year.
The Vandals may not be done, with good news as key midfielder Alfaro hinted at the possibility of returning for her last year of eligibility next year.
“I think for me I don’t know what the future holds for me, yet I think there is a possibility of a return. I’m not ready to give this up yet,” she said.
The Vandals’ season ended not the way they wanted, but the team defied all odds, broke through every barrier in their path, reached their end goal at the end of the season, and made history in the process.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected] or on X @JaydenBarfuss10