RUSTON, La. - It didn't happen until the last second - literally - but Jenn Hull's game-winner with 16 ticks remaining in double-overtime was all Idaho's soccer team needed to take down Louisiana Tech and open Western Athletic Conference play 1-0 for the first time in school history.
As has become the trend when Idaho (8-4, 1-0 WAC) and Louisiana Tech (11-1-1, 0-1 WAC) play, the game went into extra periods, but unlike the previous three matches, all of which ended as ties, the Vandal women prevailed by a 1-0 margin.
"LA Tech is a very much improved team," Idaho head coach Pete Showler said. "They were very physical, very busy and made it hard for us to settle on the ball. They did a very good job of disrupting our game and made our job really hard, but we stuck to the task and we never gave up."
With time running out, and a fourth-consecutive draw seeming almost imminent, sophomore defender Des Hull sent a long forward pass to junior forward Jenn Hull, who squeezed through the Tech back line and fired off a shot, which deflected off the keeper, then she cleaned up her own rebound to end the game.
"The game could have gone either way, but we stuck with it, battled hard and got something at the end," Showler said. "The excitement when the ball crossed the line and whistle blew was unbelievable."
The Idaho women started the season with the theme "Tradition Starts Here" and the team has responded accurately. The team started the season 7-4, including a 4-0 home record in those games, both of which are bests. The team's eight wins are already the most since 2001. On Friday, the Vandal women added another page by winning its conference opener for the first time in school history, which broke an 11-year winless streak league openers.
"It's nice to get that first one under the belt and see what we can build from there," Showler said. "It's a huge confidence-builder, but it's just one step and there are eight more to go."
Sophomore goalkeeper Liz Boyden posted her second-consecutive shutout, this time against the nation's most productive offense. Tech had entered the game averaging an NCAA-best 4.08 goals per game, but Boyden saved 10 shots and the Idaho back line held strong.
As if a 1-0 double-overtime finish didn't already seem like a close game, the statistics only confirm it. Tech outshot Idaho 20-13 overall, but only led by a 10-9 margin in shots on goal. Corner kicks were 7-6 in favor of the Techsters, while saves were 10-8 in Idaho's favor. Idaho was whistled for 13 fouls, compared to six for Tech, and each team had one yellow card.
Showler said one thing that really impressed him about the Vandal women on Friday was that, despite setbacks, the team "just kept plugging on" and kept working.
"I looked in their eyes in the huddle at the end of regulation and they were all full of energy," Showler said. "They were buzzing."
Idaho hopes to keep that buzz going into Sunday, when the Vandals head into Las Cruces, N.M., for their first match against a New Mexico State program that is 5-5-0 in its inaugural year. The Aggies host Boise State on Friday evening in their WAC opener before welcoming the Vandals at 12 p.m. (PST) on Sunday.
