MOSCOW, Idaho – The Vandals begin regular season play on Thursday, August 17th at 6:00 p.m. against Seattle University. They will continue the weekend with another foe from across the border with the University of Washington on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The games will be streamed on ESPN+.
ABOUT IDAHO: Idaho soccer returns after making an appearance in the Big Sky Tournament final. The Vandals missed out on an NCAA berth after falling short in PKs against Northern Arizona. Idaho finished the season with a 12-3-3 record overall and 6-2 in conference play. The 2022 squad etched their name into the Idaho record books with eight new all-time bests. As a team, the Vandals posted their highest win percentage of 0.750 thanks to 13 shutouts, 10 of which were consecutive. The back line allowed only 12 goals all season with an average of 0.67 goals against and 0.61 (12/198) opponent shot percentage.
Kira Witte led the brick wall defense tallying every shutout for the Vandals and recording a 0.857 (72/84) save percentage.
The Vandals led the Big Sky in numerous statistical feats, including corner kicks per game (4.44), goals against average (.067), save percentage (0.857), shot accuracy (0.458), shutout percentage (0.722), and win percentage (0.750). Four of those categories also finished the regular season ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA.
ABOUT SEATTLE U: The Redhawks ended the 2022 season with an 11-6-3 overall record and an 8-1-2 record in the WAC. Seattle U made it to the WAC Conference final against New Mexico State, where the Redhawks lost 1-0.
The last time Idaho and Seattle U faced off, the Redhawks left Moscow with a 3-0 win on September 6, 2019. Since the first meeting on September 5, 2008, the Redhawks lead the series 11-2-1. The last four meetings ended in favor of Seattle with a goal differential of one in each game. The Vandals look to earn their first home win against the Redhawks on Thursday night.
ABOUT WASHINGTON: Washington finished the 2022 season with a 10-6-3 overall record and a 4-6-1 record in the Pac-12. With a deep level of talent in the Pac-12, the Huskies faced three ranked teams (No. 14 Stanford, No. 18 USC, and No. 1 UCLA) contributing to half of their conference losses. Washington finished the season with a 3-2 win in Pullman against Washington State. Before conference play began, Washington boasted an undefeated record of 6-0-2 placing them at No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, giving them their highest ranking since the 2004 season.
Washington and Idaho have only clashed once in the past on September 9, 2001. The Huskies defeated the Vandals 4-0 in Seattle.
KEY RETURNERS: The Vandals will look very similar to last year as they return 10 of the most consistent starters. The bench depth also remains the same with 22 letter winners returning and only five lost plus the addition of eight freshmen. Seven of the eight Vandals that earned All-Conference honors will return as well.
As mentioned earlier, the NCAA shutout leader,
Kira Witte returns to lead the defense from goal. All-Conference nominees
Cassidy Elicker,
Alyssa Peters, and
Rebekah Reyes return to the back line as well.
Maya Hamilton will also return to the back line after starting every game in her junior season. Peters not only makes an impact on defense but also led the team with five assists last season.
In the midfield, All-Conference nominees
Jayd Sprague and
Margo Schoesler return. Sprague started 17 games for the Vandals while Schoesler started 15. Schoesler had a successful season notching three game-winning goals, ranked third all-time at Idaho, first in the conference, and 79th in the NCAA.
Annika Farley returns to make an impact in the midfield as well after starting 15 games for the Vandals last season.
Up top, All-Conference nominee
Maddy Lasher looks to lead the offensive drive. Lasher led the team with 12 points on the season with four goals and four assists. She is joined by senior,
Jadyn Hanks who made 15 starts for Idaho last season and recorded three goals.
IN OTHER NEWS: On Wednesday morning, the Vandals were honored with the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award following a 3.57 cumulative GPA during the 2022-23 school year. The honor was awarded to teams that posted a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Idaho was one of the 494 teams that earned the distinction.
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