The Idaho women’s soccer team was back at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome, looking for another win after getting a hard-fought victory over IU Indianapolis the last time their cleats hit the Kibbie Dome turf.
Behind a brace by graduate midfielder Margo Schoesler, including a 72nd-minute game-winning bicycle kick-like goal to get her fifth goal in four games and get the Vandals a 2-1 victory.
“I was not aiming for the goal at all Schoesler laughed.” “I was trying to keep the ball in the box, and hopefully someone else would get a tap in. It was a good feeling because it put us back in the lead. So, we could do our job and shut the game.”
A minute before the goal, redshirt sophomore Naomi Alvarez won a corner kick on the right wing. Graduate outside back, Alyssa Peters trotted over to the right corner flag to take the corner. Peters put her arm up and placed the ball in the box.
Senior midfielder Annika Farley won the ball, and it deflected back off her head. Schoesler, with her back, turned, scooped the ball over her head, and it went skying over the goalkeeper’s head and into the back of the net to give the Vandals the lead back.
Schoesler glided past defenders until she got to her sweet spot, and from around 20 yards out, Schoesler fired a shot that went just off the hands of the UCSD goalkeeper and into the goal to give the Vandals the lead.
Idaho, through some substitutions and tired legs, let UCSD back in the game, and the Tritons began to grow momentum and ended the first half on the front foot heading into the locker room.
A fired-up Jeremy Clevenger was especially animated at the end of the first half; however, the message was not received in the locker room. The Tritons equalized the game in the 48th minute, just three minutes into the half.
The Tritons passed around the Vandals and, after a perfectly weighted through ball, found the feet of senior midfielder Courtney Hilliard.
Hilliard outpaced the Idaho defense and sent a low-driven cross to the back post, where junior midfielder Lindsey Park was waiting to place the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Paula Flores to equalize the game.
The Tritons’ goal was the second straight game in which an opponent scored on the Vandals in the first five minutes of the second half.
“It’s something we have to fix,” Clevenger said. “It hasn’t cost us in the win column, but it’s something we can improve on.”
The Vandals, behind the brilliance of Schoesler and a formation change, were able to grind out the Tritons and move to 4-2 on the season.
Schoesler has been a massive part of the Vandals winning ways, scoring in her last four games and doing all the little things not seen on a stat sheet.
“She’s on a roll. She does so much for us,” Clevenger said. “She is on a tear right now scoring goals. It’s pretty special; she’s been a big part of what we do, and I’m happy about her success so far.”
Schoesler took a humble approach to her recent success. “I can’t take any credit for any of the goals,” she said. “Yes, I finished them, but I couldn’t have done it without all of us playing as a unit. I give all the credit to everyone on the field with me.”
The Vandals now travel six hours down the road to Boise to take on in-state rival the Boise State Broncos, whom they last faced on Aug. 23, 2019, in a 1-0 win for the Broncos.
When the Vandals hit the field on Sunday, they will look to extend their win streak to three and rekindle a dying rivalry.
“The Boise State game is exciting for all of us. We haven’t gotten to play them since I’ve been here,” Schoesler said. “The whole team is giddy to go compete with a true rival. It will be a grind (and) a game where everybody is working together and fighting for the person next to them. It’s going to be exciting.”
The Vandals and Broncos kick off on Sunday, Sept. 8, at noon from Boas Soccer Complex.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].