MOSCOW, Idaho – The final weekend of the spring season is here, with Idaho soccer set to take on North Idaho College on Saturday at 12 p.m. in the Kibbie Dome.  The Vandals close out the season against themselves on Sunday at 12 p.m., with the Idaho alumni making their way back to town.
 
Last weekend, the Vandals took to Boise for a pair of contests.  The first, against Boise State, went the Bronco's way, but head coach Derek Pittman was able to take a lot from the loss.
 
"The result against Boise State wasn't exactly what we wanted, but I was happy with the way we bounced back against Northwest Nazarene, at least in the first half," Pittman said.  "There was a lot to take away from it.  We had some objectives going into it; to try to be better in defending and the creativity that we were having in going to goal.  And there were moments and spurts of that, but at the end of the day it wasn't enough of that consistency.  And that's what we're aiming for going into this weekend.  We're looking forward to learning from those experiences and those games and the minutes that a lot of people got, from the two games."
 
Pittman changed things up for game two against Northwest Nazarene, bringing soon-to-be senior Kelly Dopke into an interesting role as coach.
 
"Coming out of the Boise State game we weren't happy with the performance, but we also weren't happy with the effort," said Pittman.  "One of our core values is heart and hustle: it's all about attitude.  So I went to Kelly, she's going to be a senior captain and someone that exemplifies the right attitude and the right effort each and every time she steps across the line in training and in games, and I told her 'who do you want to play with?  Who do you think is going to put max effort in that position?'  So for her to be able to sit down and think through that, it gives her an opportunity for leadership and an opportunity really encourage the team.  It gave her the opportunity to show who we really are, and that's what we were expecting, not only from her leadership, but from the players that lined up next to her."
 
And the Vandals got it.  Idaho defeated Northwest Nazarene, 2-1, behind a pair of goals from Morgan Crosby.
 
Now, with two games left, Pittman knows exactly what he's looking for on Saturday.
 
"Consistency.  We need to be sharper defensively, in how we press and how we organize ourselves.  But we also need to be more ruthless in front of goal.  We waste too many chances too often.  So the challenge to our players has been to be more dynamic and more ruthless in front of goal and putting away as many goals as possible.  Against our two opponents this weekend, NIC and our alums, we should have every opportunity to do that."
 
The Vandals also get to have a little fun this weekend, with the annual awards banquet scheduled for Friday evening.
 
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.