ISU Bengal

Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Alisha Hatch

Media Credit: Alisha Hatch

Fans trickled into the stands at Davis Field, Friday, to catch their first glimpse of what the ISU women's soccer team has to offer this year. Ten of the girls that carried the team to victory at the Big Sky tournament last year have moved on, and ten new girls join the ranks. With nine new freshman and one junior college transfer, Friday's exhibition game against Utah Valley University was a chance for ISU's coaching staff to experiment with positions and get a feel for the team chemistry. ISU's head coach Allison Gibson said her team was eager to get the season started and "…really excited to play someone other than themselves."
This first match was a chance for the ISU girls to come through and prove themselves as a new team. Their goal was to show their fans, coaches, and even each other that they've got enough talent and tenacity to bring home another Big Sky Championship banner again this year.
Most of the starters for the game were returning players, however one major change was at the keeper position. This season senior, Maren Eves will replace Lindsey Gensler (who has used her eligibility). The first half of this match didn't give Eves much of a chance to show off, as ISU dominated the field for the entire forty-five minutes. It was one unlucky goal that managed to slip by in the first half, just 'out of Eves' hands', so to speak. Former ISU keeper Shannon Boyle was in attendance and watched her former teammate, Eves, from the stands and noted that Eves has "clearly stepped into her position." Boyle also believes she has gained the confidence to be more aggressive than ever before.
The first half ended at a discouraging 0 - 1 UVU lead, but things were about to pick up for the ISU's girls. Junior Jenny Ford, one of ISU's fastest players, took off from midfield breezing by defenders to the goal to put the ball past UVU's keeper. Although Ford is not unfamiliar with scoring goals, this goal was a bit unsual because on Friday Ford was not in her usual position as a forward but was placed on the back line as a defender. This was another of one of ISU's lineup changes, but Ford handled the defense well, showing no signs of inexperience, while also scoring ISU's first goal and bolstering the team's confidence. The goal pumped ISU's girls up and Anamarie Hofstetter stole another beautiful goal shortly after Ford's.
Also during the second half, the newcomers got to test out the waters of experience, and the coaches got to see them under a little game-play pressure. The girls hid their jitters well, showing no evidence that for many of them, this was their first collegiate game. Karissa Henage showed complete control in the defense, and the offensive players fought with absolute determination. Freshman Taylor Powell, assisted by Freshman Lauren Ryan, secured ISU's win in the last minutes of the game, bringing the score to a 3 - 1.
Old and new players, the team works beautifully together. "The older girls are really supportive," Freshman Lauren Hough said. "There are no negative feelings at all." Freshman Karissa Henage agreed, saying that being on the field with the girls she's been practicing with was really comforting and helped her play her best. The team, so far, has revealed no weaknesses, and they look like they may be headed toward another Big Sky title, something that has become quite frequent to the program.

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