The Weber State University women’s soccer team kicked off their Big Sky conference campaign with a 2–1 home win against Eastern Washington University on Sept. 25 and a 3–1 home victory over the University of Idaho on Sept. 28.
Weber State vs. Eastern Washington
With the “W” shining in the mountains over Wildcat Field, Weber triumphed over the Eagles with a two-goal game from junior defender/forward Lily Blum and three saves from freshman goalkeeper Lauren Butorac. EWU senior goalkeeper made six saves to keep her side in the fight, regardless of the loss.
Weber got off to a flying start in the first half when Blum rose highest in the box to meet freshman defender Cadence Packer’s deep cross from the left side of the pitch and placed the ball in the bottom right corner with a glancing header.
Afterward, the Wildcats “showed moments of good soccer” but “looked sluggish for a lot of the game,” said Weber State coach Kyle Christensen.
Despite this, Blum found the net again in the second half and scored what proved to be the decisive goal for Weber. Senior forward Sayler Schlosser twisted and turned on the right wing before clipping in a cross to the back post for Blum, who once again leaped through the air to finish on the half-volley.
Blum expounded on what made her performance possible after the final whistle and gave her thoughts on how the team can continue to grow.
“We had a lot of chances through getting the ball wide and down the line,” Blum said. “I think one of the biggest things is pressing: making sure we make it extremely hard for the other team to keep the ball and pass the ball and basically do anything.”
With just under 15 minutes to play, freshman midfielder Noelle Raczykowski gave EWU a sliver of hope by prodding the ball into the net from close range. Ultimately, it was not enough to overcome Weber State.
Christensen criticized the Wildcats’ “lulls in energy” throughout the match but acknowledged the positives of the victory.
“We just lacked a little sharpness,” Christensen said. “We talked about scoring early and scoring multiple. Overall, I thought we scored early, but then it was just kind of a foot-off-the-pedal type situation, and we didn’t get the next one as soon as I would have liked. Even when it was 2–0, we should have been hunting better for that third goal. But, these are things we’ll learn from and have to improve to get results in the future.”
Weber State vs. Idaho
Weber won their second conference game at Wildcat Field as midfielders Brynlee Meyerhoffer and Tenzi Knowles joined Schlosser on the scoresheet to down Idaho.
Meyerhoffer opened the scoring for Weber in minute 15 following a corner kick, receiving defender Isabella Sackett’s pass with an evasive touch before slotting the ball into the bottom right corner.
Early in the second half, Knowles doubled Weber’s advantage with a finish on the rebound. Schlosser’s shot from outside the area was saved in the center of the goal, but Vandal goalkeeper Paula Flores could not stop the ball from falling to Knowles, who scored from close range.
Schlosser made it 3–0 for the Wildcats less than 10 minutes later. Wildcat forward Grace Kirby approached the left wing with poise before dishing the ball off to Schlosser around 20 yards from goal. After opening her body to the goal with the first touch, Schlosser lashed the ball into the top left corner of the net.
Idaho pulled one back in minute 67 through midfielder Sara Rodgers, whose goal was assisted by forward Bella Gissendenner. This brought the score to 3–1, where it would remain for a Weber State win.
The Wildcats will be back in action on Oct. 2 when they host Portland State University.
