The Vandals return to Moscow for a three-game homestand after their stretch on the road. Idaho enters the weekend with a 2-1-1 record and will first face neighboring Washington State in the Battle of the Palouse. The Cougars currently hold a record of 0-1-0. The rivalry match is set for Thursday, August 28, at 7:00 p.m. PT.

ABOUT IDAHO
Goalkeeper Paula Flores is not only leading the Vandals but also making her mark nationally, tied for the most shutouts in the country and ranking second in minutes played. Meanwhile, the Vandal offense boasts the second-best shot accuracy in the conference, making more than half of its attempts.

Four starters return for the Vandals, including leading scorer Farley and Flores along with veteran forward Karli Yoshida-Williams and midfielder Sara Rodgers. Eleven letterwinners return, 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.

WASHINGTON STATE
Washington State is entering their second year in the WCC after going 8-5-6 last season. The Cougars are under head coach Todd Shulenberger, entering his 11th year in the program.

Washington State has had one match so far this season, where they faced defeat against Utah State (0-1), an NCAA Tournament team last season. 

PRESEASON BIG SKY 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.

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. 

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. 

FABULOUS FLORES
Vandal goalkeeper Paula Flores was among the best in the Big Sky. She recorded eight shutouts on the season, second in the Big Sky. She allowed just 21 goals in 20 games, for a goal-against average of 1.038, third in the Big Sky and first among full-season starters. She opened the 2025 season with a shutout against UC Riverside. 

TRANSFERS INTO MOSCOW
Six new Vandals came via the transfer portal this winter. Kya Parke (CS Fullerton), Amalia Fonua (Jackson State), Deanna Montero (Washington), Georgia Whitehead (WSU), Karina Da Silva (Washington) and Calli Chiarelli (SIU Edwardsville) all transferred in ahead of the spring semester. All players were available in the spring for conditioning and spring games. 

Whitehead scored the first goal of the season for the Vandals. 

UP NEXT
The Vandals continue their homestand hosting two more matches in the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. They will face South Dakota on Sunday Aug. 31 at 1:00 p.m. PT.

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