Oct. 29, 2005
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Needing a win to advance to next week's Big Sky Conference Tournament, Idaho State came up just short, falling 2-1 to Northern Arizona Saturday on a rain-drenched Davis Field.
The loss knocks the Bengals out of next week's tournament and gives the fourth and final seed to Eastern Washington. ISU ends its season with a 4-12-1 overall record, 1-4-1 in Big Sky play. The win pushes Northern Arizona's record to 9-10-0 overall, 4-2-0 in league play.
"I'm proud of the way our team played today," said ISU head coach Mark Salisbury. "We gave up an early goal and didn't get down on ourselves. We fought and battled to the very end."
Northern Arizona was first to get on the scoreboard when Lisa Van Gorder received a corner kick in the middle of the box from teammate Shelby Gould for the score at the 15:58 mark. The goal gave NAU the early 1-0 advantage.
Idaho State then evened things up in the second period when Chantal Kim received a long mid-field pass from Jana Davis. Kim controlled the ball and got a shot past NAU keeper Darin Kleinsmith for the goal to tie the score at 1-1. The goal is Kim's third of the season--a team-best for the Bengals this season.
NAU's Stefanie Smith put in the game-winner as she dribbled up the right side of the box and past an ISU defender before putting the in the net. The goal secured the 2-1 win for the Lumberjacks.
"We were resilient throughout the entire game," Salisbury said. "We controlled the ball for the majority of the game and gave ourselves many opportunities to score. I told the team how proud I was of their effort today."
Kim led the Bengals with three shots, two on goal. Kalie McGuire had two shots with one on goal, while four other Bengals had at least one shot. The Bengals won the overall shots battle 9-7. ISU also had the edge in corner kicks, collecting six to NAU's one.
The game also marked the end of a career for seniors Ashli Kimenker, Esther Toronto, Carlie Tobiason, and Stephanie Anderson. The four were honored in a ceremony prior to the game.
