MOSCOW, Idaho--  Idaho soccer begins the 2025 slate with UC Riverside Thursday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. on the pitch at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. The game is the season opener for two programs in different situations. The Vandals are coming off of their third consecutive trip to the Big Sky title match while Riverside is coming off of a 2-13-4 season that culminated in a leadership change.
 
ABOUT IDAHO
Four starters return for the Vandals, including leading scorer Annika Farley and starting goalkeeper Paula Flores along with veteran forward Karli Yoshida-Williams and midfielder Sara Rodgers. Eleven letterwinners returned, but Idaho brought in six transfers and nine freshmen to bolster the roster this season.
The Vandals have won double-digit games in each of the last four seasons and have made the Big Sky Championship match three years in a row, falling in a shootout in two of the three years while advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2023.
Farley, Rodgers, Yoshida-Williams and KV Miller combined for 14 of Idaho's 35 goals last season. On the defensive side, Flores recorded eight shutouts.
 
ABOUT RIVERSIDE
Riverside welcomes new head coach Mike Dibbini to the fold. The Highlanders bring back 15 players, but added 13 players to the rosters, including a pair of Idaho State transfers. Dibbini comes from Kansas State where he coached for nine seasons, compiling a 38-98-21 record. He coached for two seasons at Cal Poly Pomona before going to Kansas State. His overall career NCAA record is 59-11-27. Returners Julianna Hernandez, Sanaa Guyness and Kyleigh Sekulich all scored one goal each for Riverside last season.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Idaho graduate midfielder Annika Farley was named to the All-Big Sky Preseason team and the United Soccer Coaches Midfielder Watch List released before the season began.
Farley, a returning First-Team All-Big Sky honoree led Idaho with five goals and 13 points on the season after starting in every game for the Vandals.
 
A team captain for 2025, she helped the Vandal defense record eight shutouts on the year while contributing on the offensive end of the field.
Junior Izzy Thoma was named to the Preseason All-Big Sky team as a Defender. She played in all 20 games a season ago.
 
PRESEASON COACHES POLL
As a team, the Vandals were picked third behind preseason favorite Montana and No. 2 Eastern Washington. Idaho is the only team to make the Big Sky Championship match each of the last three seasons.
 
SUPER SCHEDULE
The Vandals play an outstanding schedule this season, which includes a trip to Big Ten Washington, an East Coast swing at UMass Lowell and Stonehill College and home non-conference games against Washington State, South Dakota, UTEP and Boise State.