MOSCOW ? A pair of familiar names led the Idaho soccer team to a 2-0 mauling of Portland State Thursday as Jen Hull scored the quickest Vandal goal ever and Anna Sandman tallied her third shutout in four tries in the team's home opener.
“I'm so pleased for the girls,” Head coach Pete Showler said. “That's what the hard work counts for.”
The Vandals came out of the starting blocks like a rocket, as Hayley Henry's quick pass to Jen Hull set up the game's first goal just 19 seconds in. She added her second goal at the 54:22 mark off a nice leading pass by Aimee Goss. Just four games in, Hull already has five goals on the season, which is tied for eighth on the Idaho single-season list.
The Vandals controlled the ball at both ends of the field for the entire game to earn their first home victory in almost exactly two years. The last home win was a 2-1 decision on Sep. 9, 2005 against Northern Colorado. The team's 3-1 start is the best for a Vandal soccer team since the 1999 squad started its season 4-0-1.
Anna Sandman earned her third shutout of the season to move into a tie for fourth on the Idaho single-season list in that category, but this time the Vandal defense made it very easy. Sandman only needed six saves to earn the win.
“Anna's handling and confidence right now is great,” Showler said. “She's been pushed all the way in practice by Caylee (Ketchum) and Michelle (Jordan) and that competition in practice is keeping her very sharp and focused.”
Vandal defenders, led by team captain Kelsey Manning and true freshman Jennifer Eugenio, tightened the screws on the Viking forwards and kept scoring threats to a minimum, especially in the second half. The Vandal defense only allowed three shots in the second half to protect the lead. Every time a Portland State forward got the ball, a Vandal defender was right there to challenge.
“The five players who played in defense today stepped up and did exactly what we needed them to,” Showler said. “They passed players on, communicated very well and won balls in the air. To keep a clean sheet in three out of four games is just tremendous.
“It's all down to their hard work. The communication is better and the leadership from Kelsey in there is great.”
Showler was also complimentary of the midfielders, saying that they closed down the ball very quickly, did a great job of maintaining possession and did a very good job of setting up scoring opportunities for the forwards.
Idaho had been outshot by an average of 19.0-9.7 in its first three games, but came out roaring and kept the pressure on all afternoon. The team held a 25-10 lead in total shots with 14 on goal to Portland State's six.
Hull led the way in shots for the third straight game, firing seven total shots with six on goal. Freshman Erika Teixeira had four great shots, all on goal, while junior Nicole McAllister had four with one on goal. Overall, 10 different Vandal players had a shot and six different players had shots on goal. Henry got her second assist of the season, while Goss got her first. Hull got her second career game-winner.
Sandman brings her goals against average for the season down to 0.50 with a .938 save percentage (30 saves in 32 chances). She leads the WAC in each category. Her save percentage is tied for 18th-best in the NCAA. Hull's 1.25 goals per game this season tie her for 11th in the NCAA, while her 2.5 points per game put per in a tie for 21st nationally.
Showler had said on Monday that the team needed to attack the goal more and that he wanted the offense to produce around 20 shots. He's glad the team answered his challenge and said that the new goal will be to keep getting better and to keep up the intensity.
“I love being proven wrong,” Showler said. “If the girls keep proving me wrong, that's going to be great.
“ The challenge is that we've got to step up again on Sunday.”
The Vandal women hope to keep up their winning ways on Sunday at home against Cal State-Bakersfield in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. The match kicks off at 1 p.m. at Guy Wicks Field.
