FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – For the first time in program history, the Idaho soccer team won the Big Sky Championship and will advance to the NCAA tournament. The Vandals defeated the host team, Northern Arizona 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.
In the Vandals' third championship appearance since joining the Big Sky in 2014, Idaho finally found gold. Maddy Lasher scored her second goal of the season in the 28th minute to give the Vandals their first lead. Naomi Alvarez scored her second career goal to seal the win in the 39th minute.
On a very windy day in Flagstaff, the Vandals fought against gusts of 15 mph to score two goals in the first half. In the 21st minute, Northern Arizona was searching for a goal, hitting the top crossbar.
Lasher came onto the field and made an immediate impact, scoring the go-ahead go for Idaho in just over a minute of playtime. The play started with a corner on the left side as Alyssa Peters stepped up to serve it in. Jayd Sprague initiated contact first, getting her head on it and redirecting it to the goal. The shot bounced off the top crossbar in between Lasher and the Lumberjacks' goalkeeper. Lasher got her head on the ball before the keeper could react and the Vandals earned their first lead of the game.
10 minutes later, NAU responded with a goal from distance. Joey Lujan had time in space in the midfield and sent a shot from deep towards the net. With the help of the wind and the sun, the shot found its way past Kira Witte in goal.
Idaho was not phased at all as they stepped up to kickoff following the Lumberjacks' equalizer. The Vandals served the kickoff long and NAU had a mis-clearance which led to Hannah Alfaro with the ball at her feet outside the 18-yard box. Alfaro poked the ball past the NAU defenders into the stride of Alvarez. Alvarez one-touch shot it near post, beating the keeper just 28 seconds after NAU's equalizer.
The second half was a grind, as the Vandals attempted to keep the ball out of their half as much as possible. With the wind at their backs, they were able to send clearances deep into NAU's side. Idaho continued to press, firing off eight shots, most from distance. The Lumberjacks refused to give up and had a shot go just wide of the goal after a scramble in the box.
Alas, the time and effort that the Vandals have put in the season paid off when the final whistle blew. Idaho stormed the field, and the team celebrated the historic win.
All-Tournament Honors – Rebekah Reyes stepped into a very large role this weekend when her center-back partner, Cassidy Elicker had to sit out due to injury. The junior played every minute of both games and helped Witte earn a shutout in the semifinals. Reyes' efforts were recognized as she earned the title of Big Sky Tournament MVP.
Alyssa Peters, Kira Witte, Jayd Sprague, Naomi Alvarez, Maddy Lasher, and Hannah Alfaro also earned All-Tournament honors. Peters and Witte worked together on the back line to ensure both wins on the weekend. The pair played every minute of the tournament.
Sprague was as solid as it could get in the midfield, owning every 50/50 ball and dominating in the air.
Alvarez, Lasher, and Alfaro all scored one goal apiece. Alfaro's penalty kick proved to be the game-winner against Portland State on Friday afternoon. All three came up in huge moments for Idaho despite not being prolific goal scorers.
Excellence Under Clevenger – In just his sixth season coaching the Vandals, head coach Jeremy Clevenger has led Idaho to back-to-back Big Sky Tournament Championships and their first-ever program title. This season, he became the winningest coach in program history, hitting 51 wins. Now, at 53 wins, Clevenger will lead Idaho to their very first NCAA first-round match.
Selection Show – The Vandals will learn who they play/where tomorrow (Monday 11/6) at 1:00 PM PST. The show will be aired on NCAA.com. 31 teams have earned the automatic bid following their respective conference championships. 33 teams will be watching hoping to hear their name called during the show.
