Bengal Soccer Host Minot State to Open the 2014 Season

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POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State begins the regular season with a home match against Division II Minot State Friday, Aug. 15 at 4 p.m. at Davis Field.  ISU scoring record-holder and 2012 Big Sky Player of the Year Amanda Ellsworth is back to lead the Bengal attack. 2012 Big Sky Tournament MVP and 2013 all-conference second-team member Sheridan Hapsic is again between the posts for ISU.

Big Sky honorable mention players Whitney Peterson and Allyssa Kenney also return to the pitch for the Bengals.

Head Coach Allison Gibson enters her ninth season as the winningest coach in Idaho State history with a career record of 59-70-19.

LAST MATCH: ISU TOPS WESTMINSTER 3-1 IN EXHIBITION ACTION
Freshman forward Maria Sanchez tallied an assist and two goals in the first 17 minutes of Idaho State's exhibition match against Westminster College (Utah) to lead the Bengals to a 3-1 win.
 
The action began when Sanchez found fellow East Idaho product Katherine Roberts on a corner kick in the 10th minute. Roberts emerged from a group and put the ball just past the Griffin goalkeeper to give Idaho State the 1-0 lead.
 
In the 16th minute, a free kick by Mikaela Carrillo found Sanchez in the box. She put the ball into the right corner for her first goal in an Idaho State uniform.
 
Sanchez wasn't done. Just 90 seconds later she found herself with the ball in the middle of the box and a defender in between her and the goal. Sanchez made space and struck the ball past the defender and the goalkeeper for her second goal of the game.
 
The Griffins got on the board early in the second half when a cross from Nicole Carter found Heidi Lorschider in great position. She sent the shot just out of the reach of Sheridan Hapsic's outstretched hands.

BIG SKY PRESEASON POLL: BENGALS PICKED SIXTH
ISU was picked to finish sixth in the Preseason Big Sky Coaches Poll released  by the conference.
 
The Bengals finished fifth in the 2013 Big Sky rankings, one spot outside the Big Sky Tournament. This season the tournament includes the top six teams in the conference.
 
Portland State edged out Weber State as the top pick in the conference. Both teams received five first place votes but PSU had 93 total points to Weber's 92 in the poll.
 
Northern Arizona received a lone first-place vote and is picked to finish third in the poll. Northern Colorado was picked to finish fourth and Montana was picked fifth.
 
Sacramento State was picked seventh, Southern Utah eighth, Big Sky newcomer Idaho was picked ninth, Eastern Washington was picked 10th and North Dakota 11th.
 
ABOUT MINOT STATE
Minot State went 7-8-3 last season and lost in the first round of the NSIC Tournament. The Beavers lost their all-time leading scorer in Zoe Fisher to graduation but return Chloe Melton, who tied Fisher for the team lead in goals last season, at the forward position. Starting in between the post is Gemma Biasetto,  in 2013, she had a goal against average of 1.45 goals per game and recorded three shutouts.

Jason Spain enters his fifth season as head coach for the Beavers. He has a carries a 42-27-9 record into the year.

Minot State started the season with an exhibition match against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday.