ISU Bengal

Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Alastair Nee - # 15 Annamarie Hofstetter is barraged by defenders in their match against Air Force on Sunday.

Media Credit: Alastair Nee # 5 Kilee Quigley fights for the ball against a tough Air Force team.

Media Credit: Alastair Nee Bengal soccer fans show up to support their team against Air Force despite the dreary weather.

A tweny minute lighting delay along with drizzles of cold rain, Idaho wind, and dark clouds overhead couldn't stop the faithful ISU Soccer fans from coming out to watch the ISU soccer team in the final game of the Idaho State Classic Tournament. Nor could it stop the ISU Bengals from improving their record to 4-3-1 after defeating Air Force 1-0 in what turned out to be a hard fought defensive battle for most of the game.
Although the rain, the wind and the clouds lightened up in the second half, lightning did manage to strike on the field once late in the game, when Natalie Graham sent the ball straight to the middle of the net, flying past the Air Force Falcon keeper, Erin Wallace. The score came on a penalty kick with only 13:27 left in regulation. Jenny Ford, who passed the ball to Graham, who was taken down inside the goal, set up the penalty kick. Of Jenny Ford, Coach Gibson said, "Jenny did a great job coming off the bench giving us a spark." The goal led the Bengals to a 1-0 victory over Air Force. Graham also led the Bengals with 6 shots, 2 on goal.
With only a little over 13 minutes left in the game the pressure was on the Falcons to score quickly, but the swarming, determined defense of the Bengals, which had been strong throughout the game like it has been throughout the season, became even stronger. The Bengals defended their lead and took the win and the tournament for perhaps the most exciting event at ISU this weekend.
There was one scary moment when all eyes where turned to ISU keeper Maren Eves, who was just named Big Sky Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week, when she collided with an Air Force Falcon player late in the first half, causing her to "roll her ankle" according to Eves. Although Eves limped for most of the game she stayed in through its entirety despite the injury and made four incredible saves leading to her second shutout of the season. Eves commented on the game, "I was happy with how the game turned out and thought that the team played good. The Governor's cup was a stepping stone, and this tournament is a stepping stone to get us to our ultimate goal of winning the Big Sky and advancing into the second round of the NCAA tournament." Coach Gibson also commented on Eves play, "She made some great saves and kept Air Force out of the net", "Maren fought off the injuries and played really hard for us today."
The cold, wet, cement bleachers made it even easier for fans to jump up on their feet for all of the ISU shots as the Bengals out shot the Air Force Falcons 14-7, and 7-4 on goal. The game was filled with energy, action and physical play as there were many amazing shots, sweet passes, and even players falling hard to the ground which entertained the crowd and kept the fans on the edge of their seats throughout the cold and blustery September Sunday afternoon at Davis Field.
Four Idaho State Players were given the honor of being on the All Tournament team: Senior Natalie Graham, who has scored a game winning goal in each of her four seasons at Idaho State, Sophomore Jana Boehler, Senior Jill Christofferson, and Freshman Karissa Henage.
With the win over San Jose State on Friday and the win today over Air Force, the Bengals wrap up and claim the Idaho State Classic tournament. They will now head out to face Gonzaga on September 28th and will not return home until October 18 where they will host Northern Arizona University.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools