POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State soccer fell to UNLV 1-0 in Las Vegas Sunday afternoon.
The Bengals and Rebels played a close match all 90 minutes of the contest. At halftime the two teams were tied 0-0 with 7 shots each.
In the second half, the Bengals continued to press recording another four shots and holding off the Rebel advance. In the 73rd minute, the Rebels were able to get one past the Bengal defense and put the ball in the back of the net for a 1-0 lead
ISU continued to press but was unable to score an equalizer and the match ended with the UNLV victory.
Coach Downey's Thoughts
"We're doing a lot of things right, but it's the couple of things that we aren't clicking on that are costing us positive results. We need to be better inside the penalty boxes. Ultimately, we need to figure out how to put the ball in the net.
We had 21 shots this weekend with 14 on goal; 2/3 of our shots we are making the opponents' goalkeepers make a save. A really encouraging statistic that says we're doing something right to get the ball in dangerous scoring areas, but we've got to improve our "finishing", which is different than "shooting."
I can't take anything away from our team's efforts. I'm not walking off the field saying we had more to give, and as a coach that's a good feeling. It's easier to stomach defeat when you know your team left it all out there.
In saying all that, we've had a tough road stretch, and we're excited to be back at home to face another quality opponent in Gonzaga this weekend. The team is excited to perform in front of our home crowd. We're all looking forward to seeing Davis Field stands packed, and we're going to do our best to put on a good performance for our fans! A loud home crowd may be what this team needs to help push us over the line... they could be the missing ingredient we've been needing!"
Aside from the goal,
Kelsey Jargstorf had a strong match in goal, gathering up a career-high eight saves in the net.
Ashlee Brentlinger,
Deborah Pond and
Zoe Dejardin all had two shots a piece in the match
Looking Ahead
For the first time in almost a month, the Bengals are returning home to Davis Field. Sunday, Sept. 18, Idaho State welcomes Gonzaga to Davis field for the final non-conference match of the season. Kick off is set for 1:00 PM
