MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A stellar performance from Kavita Battan was enough to force overtime on Sunday, but the Vandals (3-4-0) eventually fell to Memphis (4-1-1), 4-3, in the second extra period.
“Hats off to Memphis, they're a very talented group of players,” said head coach Derek Pittman. “They gave us fits in the opening 15-20 minutes and we had to make some changes on the fly to be able to slow them down. I'm extremely proud of our players for fighting back and clawing our way back into it to give ourselves the opportunity to get a positive result.”
Battan is the first Vandal to score multiple goals in a game since Erica Hart had two against New Mexico State in 2012.
“Kavita has continued to grow her confidence all season,” said Pittman. “It's good to see that on the field. She has the skillset, we see it every day in practice, but it has just been about getting her confidence up. Today she did an excellent job with that and was dangerous the entire time.”
Memphis wasted no time, scoring in the second minute. The Tigers put together an extended string of passes, ending with Marie Levasseur scoring. Memphis doubled its lead in the eighth minute.
Idaho cut the lead to 2-1 in the 18th minute on a volley by Kayla Watanabe. Battan lifted in a ball over the backline to Watanabe, who volleyed a shot past the keeper for her third goal of 2015.
Battan then tied the game at two just six minutes later. She picked up the ball off a deflection at the top of the box and fired it into the top corner.
Memphis struck back just over two minutes later, with Valerie Sanderson scoring her second of the game.
Watanabe and Battan connected again in the 54th minute, this time reversed. Watanabe sent in a pass to Battan, who cut past the defender and buried the shot into the back of the net, leveling the score at 3-3 and forcing overtime.
Elizabeth Woerner provided the game-winner for Memphis in the 102nd minute, following up on a free kick that came back off the post.
Memphis outshot Idaho 21-9 on the day, but the Vandals controlled the majority of the second half. The Idaho offense got out to a slow start, but responded well.
“We have weapons up top that can score goals and when we're organized defensively we frustrate teams,” Pittman said. “Once we figured out what Memphis was doing and we made our adjustments we started limiting their opportunities and their chances and that got us back in the game.”
The Vandals saw this game as a great opportunity to challenge themselves, with Big Sky play just two weeks away.
“It helped bond this team together even closer,” said Pittman. “To be able to crawl back into it and put ourselves in a position to get a result, I'm extremely proud of the athletes today. We grew up a lot today. It will pay dividends for us this season.”
The Vandals return home to face South Dakota and Seattle U. next weekend at Guy Wicks Field. Check back with GoVandals.com for more information as games get closer.
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho soccer by following the team on Twitter and Instagram, @VandalsSoccer, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals Women's Soccer.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.
