The Idaho Vandals women’s soccer team, coming off a 2-1 victory over California State University, Northridge, looked to get a huge win in the Battle of the Palouse against the Washington State Cougars.
The Vandals and Cougars were locked in a physical battle all night, with each team committing double-digit fouls, including seven yellow cards between the two teams. Ultimately, the Cougars earned the hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Vandals, winning their second straight game of the season.
Despite the loss, head coach Jeremy Clevenger was proud of his team and loved the fight they put up throughout the 90-minute contest.
“I’m proud of this group,” Clevenger said. “I think we went toe-to-toe, and we responded after giving up a soft goal. I told the team that this is a performance we can build on and get ready for conference.”
The Vandals and Cougars have a long history of playing each other. In the 14 previous matchups, the Cougars had won all but one, and the Vandals were hoping to break the streak.
The Cougars controlled the game from the first whistle in front of an almost packed house with the tempo.
In the 29th minute, redshirt sophomore midfielder Reagan Kotschau sent in a corner. Through a pile of bodies and a scramble for the ball, redshirt senior defender/midfielder Jenna Studer put the ball across the line, and the Cougars led 1-0.
The Cougars continued to put the Vandals under pressure, but the Vandals’ compact defense and the excellent goalkeeper play of redshirt freshman Paula Flores, who had four saves in the first half, kept the Cougars’ lead to 1-0 heading to the halftime break.
In the 52nd minute, sophomore senior midfielder Annika Farley drove the ball down the right wing before shooting it across the 18-yard box.
After a poor header clearance from the Cougars’ defender went up in the air, graduate midfielder Margo Schoesler won her duel with another Cougar defender and saw a lane to shoot. She fired a one-touch shot that rocketed off her foot and passed by the outstretched arms of senior goalkeeper Nadia Cooper to tie the game for the Vandals.
After three consecutive corner kicks, the Cougars got the breakthrough they needed and had worked hard. In a scramble for the ball, fifth-year midfielder Julianna Duckett poked the ball across the line and gave the Cougars the lead again with less than 20 minutes remaining.
The Cougars would close out the Vandals in the final 20 minutes and defeat them 2-1, giving them their second consecutive win and advancing their record to 2-1 on the season.
The Vandals battled all night and were tested by the Cougars’ physicality and relentless offense, but nobody felt the heat like Flores.
Playing in her fourth collegiate start in a hostile environment, Flores made ten saves for the Vandals, was the backbone of their defense, and kept the Vandals in the game.
“What a night for her! In a loud and tough environment, I thought she did awesome,” Clevenger said. “She stood up and saved and did everything she needed. I’m proud of her.”
The Cougars dominated the Vandals’ offense the entire night, only getting one shot off during the game. “I saw an open pathway to the back post; I just went for it because we hadn’t taken many shots at goal,” Schoesler said. “Luckily, I did because it turned out pretty good.”
“My immediate thought, after (I scored) (was), oh, my God, did that just go in,” Schoesler said. “And that we were back in the game.”
With the offense not providing much relief, the Vandal defense was under pressure all night. They faced 24 shots, including 15 corner kicks, as senior center back Cassidy Elicker reflected on the defense’s performance throughout the game.
“We were working really hard on our one-on-ones,” Elicker said. “They’re a very technical team, and they cut it back a lot and ripped shots, so we had to deal with that and be tight to our players. Once we tightened up, we were able to win those and build out.”
The Vandals will be at home for the first time this season on Thursday, Aug. 29. They will face IU Indianapolis at 7 p.m. as they look to get back in the win column.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].