LAS CRUCES, N.M. - After jumping out to an early 2-0 lead 22 minutes in, outshooting New Mexico State 20-7 and holding a strong possession advantage, it would seem that Idaho should have won handily, but three goals in a 12-minute span spelled disaster for the Vandals defense.
"I'm very, very disappointed," Idaho coach Pete Showler said. "There are lessons to be learned from that type of performance. We were in control of the game and we let it slip."
After a strong opening 45 minutes in which Idaho (8-5, 1-1 Western Athletic Conference) outshot NMSU (7-5, 2-0 WAC) by a 7-1 margin and scored two early goals, it appeared that the Vandals would cruise to a second-straight conference win, but the Aggies opened the second half with a different plan.
Idaho stumbled out of the gate in the second and gave up three quick goals in 12-minute period from 51:48 to 63:25 and just like that, a promising 2-0 lead was a 3-2 deficit. Idaho managed 13 more shots in the second half, seven of which were on target and one more that bounced off the crossbar, but none found the net.
Freshman Chelsea Small got things going for Idaho at the 18:24 mark with an unassisted goal from the middle of the box, then junior Jenn Hull added her second goal of the weekend just four minutes later at the 22:37 mark. Freshman Lauren Layton threw it in to freshman Jill Flockhart, who sent it to Hull for the score. Both were credited with an assist on the goal.
For the game, the stats were overwhelmingly in Idaho's favor. The Vandals held a 20-7 advantage in overall shots and an 11-4 advantage in shots on goal. Idaho also had eight corner kicks, all in the second half, while NMSU had seven.
The three goals allowed were the most for Idaho since its season opener at #21 Washington State. The Vandals hadn't allowed more than one goal in its previous 11 games. Entering the game, Idaho also had allowed just five second-half goals all year.
It was a disappointing ending to positive road trip that started with a 1-0 double-overtime win at Louisiana Tech on Friday.
"We've got to learn from this game and we've got to know that we have to finish games off," Showler said. "The nice thing is, we're at home next weekend, but the girls need to respond and bounce back from this performance."
The Vandals will look to rebound in the upcoming week, as the team hosts two WAC contests at home. First up will be Nevada on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by Utah State on Sunday at 1 a.m.
