Coming off a 1-0 defeat, the Idaho Vandals looked to respond in their second spring game. Behind an offensive explosion, the Vandals dominated Central Washington University 3-0, gaining their first victory of the season.
“It was a fun game today. I’m glad we got three goals on the board. I thought we were sloppy in the first half, so I challenged the team at halftime to be sharper in the second half. That’s what we did, and I was thrilled with how we played in the second half. It was just a fun game for us,” Head Coach Jeremy Clevenger said.
With many of the Idaho starters in street clothes, the Vandals took the field against the Wildcats, and from the first whistle, they looked in control. Idaho played at its tempo, connected passes and established possession early in the game. However, the Vandals could not break through on the scoresheet.
After dominating for 44 minutes, the Vandals capitalized. Junior forward Sienna Gonzales had been close to scoring all game long. Just one minute before halftime, , a ball bounced to her. She cut inside and fired a shot past the diving Wildcats goalkeeper, giving the Vandals the 1-0 lead and their first goal of the spring season.
The Vandals finished the half with a huge momentum boost that sprang them into halftime. Six minutes into the second half, they doubled their lead.
With the offensive game much improved, in the 51st minute, Idaho sent a cross to the box. After a few deflections, the ball fell to sophomore forward Karli Yoshida-Williams. Yoshida-Williams powered the shot past the goalkeeper, and the Vandals led 2-0.
After the second goal, the Vandal’s fluid attack began to settle in, and the Wildcats had no answer for them. With the Wildcats ready to break, the Vandals busted the game open in the 64th minute. Incoming freshman Delaney Barbee, who had stretched the Wildcat’s defense all night, was itching to get on the scoresheet.
The Wildcats turned the ball over around midfield. Senior forward Jadyn Hanks stole the ball and raced down the middle of the field. Barbee ran stride for stride. Hanks played the ball just in front of Barbee. Barbee tracked it down and got it into the final third. Barbee beat her defender and fired a shot that went over the goalkeeper’s head and into the top left corner to put the nail in the Wildcat’s coffin, giving the Vandals a 3-0 lead. The Vandals easily defeated the Wildcats and got their first win of the spring season.
The Vandals’ young group of players showed a lot of poise and talent, especially early enrollee Barbee.
“Delaney had a great game. She should be in high school right now, and for her to come in and in this environment and play well and get a goal, it was awesome,” Clevenger said.
Other young players such as Sara Rodgers, Izzy Thoma and Emma James showed their stripes in the game..
“A lot of young kids got minutes, and I was proud of them,” Clevenger said. They’re going to be the next wave. We’ve been very fortunate with our class of upperclassmen, but having the young kids be that next wave and see that the talent is excellent is great for the program for years to come.”
The Vandals head on the road for the first time this spring this weekend. They will first face Seattle Pacific University on April 20 at 5 p.m. Then, they will stay in Seattle the following day and take on the University of Washington at noon.
“Tough road trip with two good teams, and playing back-to-back is always tough,” Clevenger said. “I just want us to continue this performance, work on the things we’ve been trying to focus on and get better. The important thing about the spring is just trying to get better.”
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected]