At 5-6, it wasn’t the finish they’d hoped for, but in that moment, the seeds of something bigger were already being planted. Change was in the air, and between the white lines, the Vandals knew they weren’t just looking at the end of a season; they were staring down at the beginning of a new era.
With their quiet determination, the Vandals transformed into a powerhouse. Their record of 51-25-10, three consecutive Big Sky Championship appearances, and a place in the NCAA tournament last season are a testament to their unwavering determination. Their journey is one to be proud of and will be remembered for years to come.
Graduate midfielder and team captain Margo Schoesler summed up her illustrious Vandal career and the team’s four-year historic run.
“A roller coaster,” Schoesler said. “Lots of really high highs and low lows, but overall, an experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.” It was always what we had hoped for, but having it become a reality was surreal.”
After an abysmal 5-12-2 2019 campaign, head coach Jeremy Clevenger landed the recruiting class that changed the landscape of Vandal soccer. In the recruiting class were the eventual captains Schoesler and forward Maddy Lasher. Schoesler and Lasher, being club teammates with the Spokane Sounders, brought chemistry to the black and gold.
Along with the electric duo, midfielder Hannah Alfaro-Black, outside back Alyssa Peters, forward Jadyn Hanks, outside back Maya Hamilton and many more exciting freshmen joined the Vandals.
The 2020 shortened season was challenging but the Vandals, led by junior midfielder Savannah Foster, pushed ahead and went 5-6 on the season. Even with the subpar record, the Vandals built the steppingstones to a brighter future.
The Vandals signed a pair of center backs, Cassidy Elicker and Rebekah Reyes, in the offseason to help bolster the backline and prepare them for the 2021 season.
Behind a combination of youthful energy and experience, the Vandals finished the season 10-6-2 before falling to the Weber State Wildcats in the Big Sky tournament 3-0.
The Vandals turned a corner after the 2021 season, and heading into fall 2022, they landed goalkeeper Kira Witte and transfer midfielder Jayd Sprague to bolster their team as they looked to continue the momentum from the previous season.
The 2022 season went better than anyone expected. The Vandals rolled to a 12-3-3 record, boasted 13 shutouts, and had the best backline in the Big Sky. A huge part of this was the play of the center-back duo Elicker and Reyes in their first full season, starting side by side.
“Starting our sophomore year, when we finally got to play together,” Elicker said. “We worked hard to keep our spots that year. our success led to that. I feel we connected well, and we trust each other so much on and off the field, and that showed, and that’s why Jeremy kept us back together.”
The Vandals, with their lockdown defense, advanced to their first-ever Big Sky championship game. They took on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, and after a hard-fought game, the Vandals fell on penalty kicks, leaving Greely Colorado devasted and hungry to bring a trophy back to Moscow.
The Vandals’ championship loss fueled the upcoming season, and from start to finish, they were on a mission to capture what they had lost the year before.
As their desire showed, the results were not coming in the ways they wanted, and after a tough start to conference play, there was doubt that the Vandals could get back to the championship game.
The Vandals got going and finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak, which gave them the second seed in the Big Sky tournament and momentum as they hunted for a championship.
Behind a penalty kick goal by Hannah Alfaro-Black, the Vandals advanced to the championship game for a second consecutive time against NAU.
This time around, the Vandals would not be denied. After goals by Lasher and redshirt sophomore Naomi Alvarez, the Vandals defeated the Lumberjacks 2-1 and got their first-ever championship, a feeling that was four years coming for the group of Vandal seniors.
“Winning the Big Sky championship, especially for us seniors, who went through a lot together,” Lasher said. “We all came in during the COVID year, and to see us finish it and win that trophy proved that all of our hard work throughout those four years paid off.”
Lasher, who opened the scoring for the Vandals in the championships, dealt with injuries throughout the season and was out for most of it, but she helped her team in the biggest moment of their careers.
“Being out most of the year, I was super eager the entire year,” Lasher said. “It felt good personally that I could finally give the team something, so to be able to score the go-ahead goal, I felt fulfilled.”
The Vandals captured their goal and achieved another one as they headed to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, an achievement that was a favorite moment of the team and especially of Elicker.
Elicker got injured on senior night against NAU and could not play in the Big Sky tournament came into the NCAA tournament excited and ready to play
“Playing in the NCAA Tournament, along with the championship, I think was my favorite moment because it was the first time Idaho has ever been to the NCAA tournament, so I think that was exciting for all of us.”
The excitement was at an all-time high as they headed to Spokane to take on Gonzaga. After a hard-fought game, the Vandals fell 1-0 to Gonzaga and ended their historic season.
After their best season in program history, the Vandals’ quest for back-to-back championships was underway. With a new goalkeeper, redshirt freshman Paula Flores, and two new starters, the Vandals looked like favorites to win back-to-back championships.
The Vandals finished the season with an almost identical record of 12-5-3 but were defeated in penalty kicks by Sacramento State in the Big Sky championship.
Many of the Vandals’ careers came to an end, what they left behind was something better than between the white lines.
“The biggest thing that we’ve done as a group, my class, is make sure that we always have strived to create a sisterhood within the team,” Schoesler said. “It’s like having siblings: You don’t always have to like each other, but you always love each other.”
“That’s been our main thing, and what I hope carries on an Idaho soccer is that you might have your differences with certain people sometimes, but at the end of the day, you still have to have their back,” Schoesler said.
For the final time, the Vandals walked off the field in Missoula, Montana, falling short of back-to-back championships and another NCAA tournament appearance.
The Vandals may not have the glory of another championship trophy, but their journey from a 5-6 team failing to win and a team full of potential blossomed into a powerhouse that, through hard work, determination, and fight, wrote their own story. In the final chapter they left their legacy of what playing for the Idaho Vandals means, a legacy to be carried on for years to come.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected]