POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State (1-5) fell to South Dakota State (5-4) in a 2-0 loss in front of 206 fans at Davis Field Thursday night. The Bengals outshot the Jackrabbits 21-18 and collected four more shots on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net.
"Overall our effort and energy just wasn't as good as it should have been," said Head Coach
Allison Gibson. "However, that being said, we had a ton of shots off, we had a ton of shots on goal, we had opportunities to put the game away. But like I told them, when that effort and energy doesn't back that up from the first whistle, that's the way the ball bounces."
Brooke Kortekaas and
Esmeralda Nunez led the Bengals on offense with two shots on goal each. Kortekaas led the team in shots with six and Nunez added four.
Christina Krieger and
Delaney Johnston each recorded three shots. The duo combined for three shots on goal and
Makena Bambei tallied two shots, both on goal.
Laule'a Akana-Phillips played the entire game in goal for Idaho State and faced 18 shots. She made three saves and allowed two goals.
"I think
Brittany Garrett playing the back for us and again with Laule'a in goal, I think they've done so much for us," Gibson said. "Across the board I think the offense we did generate, our numbers were good. We're continuing to give up way too many goals and it starts with the offense not keeping the ball up top so that's just something I think we'll spend a lot of time working on tomorrow."
The Bengals dominated the shot total in the first half with 16 attempts to SDSU's 10. The Jackrabbits' goalkeeper Maggie Smither was forced to make eight of her nine saves in the first. South Dakota State had four corners in the first half, but mustered just three shots on goal. Akana-Phillips recorded her second-shutout half of play to start the game.
The game remained tied for 57 minutes with SDSU collecting the first four shots of the second half. Leah Manuleleua, the leading scorer for South Dakota State, made an immediate impact. The junior collected a shot early in the half and moments later beat ISU's defender on the left side of the field. She crossed the ball to the top of the goal box where Karlee Manding fired a shot into the right side of the goal to give SDSU the lead.
The teams traded shots for nearly 30 minutes before South Dakota State extended its lead. Manding crossed in transition and found Bianca Madonia at the top of the 18-yard box. The senior put a high shot over the head of Akana-Phillips, and the ball spun into the net to give the Jackrabbits a 2-0 advantage with just 11 minutes remaining.
The Bengals were able to shoot several times to close the game, but failed to put any shots on goal past the 61st minute of play.
The Jackrabbits were paced by Manding who recorded a goal and an assist with two shots. Madonia also scored for SDSU and had three shots. Manuleleua collected an assist and one shot.
Smither recorded her fourth shutout of the year while making nine saves.
Idaho State travels to play Boise State in the state's capital Sunday, Sept. 16.
"The difference between good and great is consistency, and that's what we have to find this week and in the next couple days," Gibson said.
