POCATELLO, Idaho ? True freshman Jennifer Hull knocked through a pair of goals and sophomore goalkeeper Anna Sandman extended her shutout streak to 180 minutes as the Idaho soccer team down Southern Utah 2-0 at the Governor's Cup in Pocatello, Idaho, on Friday.
“It wasn't our best performance, but we won and that's the main thing,” Head coach Pete Showler said. “We won and we kept a clean sheet, so I'm very happy about that.”
It took Hull just under two minutes to get the Vandals on the board, as she scored an unassisted goal at the 1:49 mark, then added another score in the second half off an Ali Buswell assist at the 57:49 mark. The goals are Hull's second and third of the season.
On both of Hull's scores, she beat defenders and “slotted the ball in past the keeper, cool as a cucumber,” according to Showler.
The Vandals turned on the offense against Southern Utah, firing off 13 shots, 9 of which were on goal. In last week's win over Gonzaga, the team only mustered 6 total shots. Hull led the way with five shots, all of which were on goal. Junior Nicole McAllister and freshman Jo Byrne both took two shots, while freshmen Erika Teixeira and Jennifer Eugenio, junior Britta Rustad and senior Dana Windley all took one apiece.
Showler said that the defense is one reason why the team is getting better offensive production. With the defense playing another solid game, the offensive players feel more comfortable being aggressive around the goal.
“It shows the confidence in the girls. When we're getting shots, we're taking good shots,” Showler said.
“I'm very pleased, but I think we can get more production from more shots,” Showler said. “Nine shots on goal out of 13 shots is a tremendous percentage, but I'd really like to have around 20 shots.”
Sandman, who earned WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for last week's effort, was solid in the goal for a second straight game as she held the Thunderbirds scoreless for 90 minutes and turned away 6 shots on goal to give her 14 saves on the season. Sandman's back-to-back shutouts are the first since the team beat Cal St. Northridge and Pacific 1-0 and 2-0, respectively, in the 2001 season.
Showler credited his defenders just as much as Sandman for the shutout, saying that most of Southern Utah's shots came from at least 20 feet away from the goal.
“They were strong athletes and they pressured the ball quickly. It made the game a little scrappy, but the defense was solid as a rock,” Showler said. “They were organized and very tough. I'm very happy we didn't surrender a goal.”
After getting off to a slow start last week against Gonzaga, the Vandals controlled the ball for much of the first half, allowing just four shots and no corner kicks.
While the Thunderbirds held the edge in total shots, 14-13, Idaho had 9 shots on goal to Southern Utah's 7. Southern Utah also held the advantage in corner kicks, with three to Idaho's two, but in the end, the difference was Hull's two goals and Sandman's saves.
With one win under their belt for the weekend, the Vandals look ahead to a matchup against Idaho State on Sunday. Idaho State took a 3-0 decision in last year's contest, but the Vandals hope to reverse their fortunes and go 2-0 in the Governor's Cup standings.
