SPOKANE, Wash. – The Vandals' historic season came to an end on Saturday night following a 1-0 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to eighth-seeded Gonzaga.
Idaho battled their hearts out on a chilly night in Spokane against host, Gonzaga. Going in as the underdog, the Vandals were content being out-possessed and out-shot by the Zags in the 90 minutes of play. Gonzaga fired off 16 shots, with five on goal meanwhile the Vandals ended with five shots and two on goal.
The Vandals limited the No. 5 scoring offense in the nation to only one goal off a set piece and none in the run of play. The defense was solid as they faced multiple close chances from the Zags but fought to keep it out of the back of the net. Cassidy Elicker, Alyssa Peters, and Rebekah Reyes played all 90, stifling one of the top offensive teams in the nation.
In the 15th minute, the Zags scored their lone goal converting on free kick from right outside the 18-yard box. Gonzaga's Marissa Garcia stepped up to take the shot. With her left foot, she bent it over Idaho's wall of five. Kira Witte was able to catch a glimpse of the shot at the last second, getting her hands on it but not enough to keep it out of the goal.
Idaho was limited to only one shot on goal that came in the 28th minute from Annika Farley. Maddy Lasher won the ball in the midfield and with some trickery, faked out her defender and started a transition play for the Vandals. She found Farley wide on the right side. Seeing the keeper out of position, Farley sent the ball deep into the 18-yard box in hopes of chipping the keeper or potentially finding another Vandal. Gonzaga's keeper reached her full extent and was able to collect the shot.
Gonzaga came out fiercely in the second half firing off four shots within the first 10 minutes. They were not content with their single-goal lead and were looking for more. In the 56th minute, the Zags had their closest opportunity of the half hitting the top crossbar after a cross was sent in from the end line.
Despite Gonzaga's ball possession and relentless pursuit of another goal, the Vandals did not let up. Idaho was pushing and creating chances in the box when a stray ball popped up and flew in the direction of Margo Schoesler. Schoesler redirected the floater on net, missing the goal by mere inches.
As the final 10 minutes ticked on, the Vandals left it all out on the field trying to find the equalizer. At the end of the day, the loss is nothing to hang their heads on. Idaho reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in history and held a top-20 team to only one goal. The Vandals will return with almost the same strength next year plus the additions of the 2024 signing class.
