SPOKANE, Wash. - The University of Idaho women's soccer team once again found themselves on the losing end of a match, this time a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
The loss is the sixth-consecutive for the Vandals, dropping their record to 2-8-0 for the season. Gonzaga improved to 7-2-1 with the victory.
"The score doesn't reflect it, but I feel this is the best performance our team has put up so far and I am very proud of the girls," Idaho head coach Pete Showler said. "I am not happy we lost, but this game was a much more positive performance and will help leading into conference play. All four goals scored in this game were quality goals and our players competed very well."
Idaho was once again outshot by a significant margin, garnering just five attempts to Gonzaga's 13. Of those five shots, only Jenny Springer's score in the 83rd minute was on goal.
Gonzaga built a 2-0 lead at halftime and eventually took a 3-0 advantage with another goal in the 50th minute. Springer knocked in her team-high fourth goal of the season from 30-yards out on an assist from Hayley Henry. The assist was the first of Henry's career.
Idaho goalkeeper Lindsay Smith grabbed seven saves in the game, giving her 263 career saves and tying her for the school record. Smith was forced to leave the game in the 81st minute after being kicked in the face.
"Lindsay got kicked in the face but she will be alright. She suffered a bloody nose and a fat lip and didn't actually need to come out, but it gave us a chance to give her some rest and to get Michelle Jordan some game experience," Showler said.
Idaho will next return home to face Eastern Washington University Sunday. The game begins at 1 p.m. and will be played at Guy Wicks Field.
