ISU Soccer Hosts Utah Valley and Westminster College in Exhibition Games this Week

Game Notes | Live Stats vs. UVU | Live Stats vs. WC

POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State soccer team returned from Costa Rica undefeated and looks to keep a clean record in preseason play as they take on Utah Valley and Westminster College. The Bengals take the pitch at Davis Field for the first time at 1 p.m. Monday and 2 p.m. Friday in their final matches before regular-season play.

Recent Play

Idaho State showed a balanced offensive attack and stingy defense in Costa Rica, netting 15 goals and tallying 14 assists while allowing just two goals and six shots on goal. Twelve different players scored at least one goal with 13 players earning an assist during the three-game span; in all, 16 players scored at least one point.

Makena Bambei and Esmeralda Nunez led ISU in scoring with three goals apiece; Nunez secured a hat trick against Moravia with two second-half goals. Bambei tallied a team-best nine points, adding three assists to her stat line.

Bengal Breakdown

Idaho State's offense retains its top-three contributors from a season ago in Bambei, Michaela Didericksen and Brooke Kortekaas; the trio accounted for 75 percent of the goal scoring after each netted three-plus shots in 2017. Bambei, who was named to the Big Sky Conference Second Team, recorded a team-high 11 points a season ago.

Tristen Spooner and Paige Smith also rejoin ISU after starting all 18 games last season. ISU had seven goal scorers last year and five return for the 2018 season.

Allison Gibson is prepared to lead Idaho State for her 13th year after bringing back former assistant coach Stephanie Beall. These two exhibitions will feature unlimited substitutions, giving the Bengals a chance to see who will fill the roles of the five departed starters. Big Sky coaches predicted a 10th-place finish for Idaho State.

Scouting Utah Valley

The Monday kick off pits ISU against a tough WAC opponent in Utah Valley. The Wolverines secured the WAC Championship and played in the NCAA Tournament under first-year Head Coach Chris Lemay, exiting with a loss to No. 1 Stanford in the first round. Utah Valley returns eight starters and 12 letter winners from the 2017 championship squad. ISU defeated Utah Valley 2-1 in preseason play a season ago.

Utah Valley's Hannah Bruce, Amber Tripp and Brooklyn Nielsen earned All-WAC preseason honors in August. Bruce guided the defense to five shutouts last season and added five assists in the offensive zone. Tripp was the 2017 WAC Freshman of the Year after scoring five goals and three assists for 13 points. Nielsen, a junior netminder, turned in three shutouts last season with a .635 save percentage.

Five players on UVU's squad reached double digits in points last season. Top scorers Breanna DeWaal and Breanna McCarter will have tough acts to follow as they scored nine and seven goals respectively in 2017.

Scouting Westminster College

Westminster returns a wealth of experience to its roster including 21 letter winners and 12th-year Head Coach Tony LeBlanc. The team finished 8-8-1 in 2017, scoring 24 goals and allowing 31.

WC features a balanced offensive attack. Fifteen players recorded a point last year with all but one of them scoring at least one goal. Ellie Echevario and Libby Dearden rejoin WC after scoring three goals each in 2017. Echevario, a freshman last season, scored her three goals with just seven shots on the season, six of which were on goal.

Here is the breakdown the teams based on 2017 statistics.

Follow Live

Both games will feature live stats and be broadcast by Lucas Gebhart on 91.1 FM KISU. The Westminster game will also feature a live broadcast on Watch Big Sky TV.
 

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