MOSCOW, Idaho – It was a weekend to remember as the Idaho soccer team celebrated its record-breaking 2015 season during alumni weekend.
The weekend began with the annual awards banquet on Friday. Head coach Derek Pittman and his staff recognized a handful of Vandals that stood out during the 2015 season.
“It was a great night. I really enjoyed our banquet this year,” said Pittman. “It was great to have some of our alums as well as a good set of our parents in attendance to be able to celebrate with us. 2015 was a great year and it was awesome to be able to honor a lot of our individual players for the awards that they garnered, whether it be through the Big Sky or our team awards. It was a lot of fun to be able to kick back and enjoy the highlight film while looking back on what an awesome season 2015 was.”
Clara Gomez earned Newcomer of the Year honors after starting every game in her first season with the Vandals. Gomez set the program and conference record for assists in a season, with 13, and finished third on the team with 19 points. Gomez earned second team All-Big Sky Conference.
Josilyn Daggs took home the Most Improved Player award. Daggs benefited greatly from a switch to right back for her sophomore season. She recorded six assists on the year, including three in one game, and was named to the All-Big Sky Conference First Team.
Kelly Dopke and Madison Moore split the team's Defensive Player of the Year award. The duo started every game for the Vandal defense that allowed just 19 goals in 21 matches, a new program record. The pair helped Idaho record a program-record nine shutouts on the year, while going undefeated in Big Sky play.
Kavita Battan took home the Offensive Player of the Year award after leading the Vandals with 25 points in 2015. She scored 10 goals, the third most in a single season in program history, and also recorded five assists, the 10th most in team history. For her efforts, Battan earned All-Big Sky First Team and NSCAA All-Pacific Region Second Team honors.
Elexis Schlossarek won the Most Valuable Player award. The junior captain scored four goals and added seven assists on the year. Schlossarek started every game for the second straight season while controlling the Vandal midfield.
The team also took some time to recognize its lone senior, Reagan Quigley. Quigley scored once and added two assists on the year, but her leadership was invaluable as the Vandals enjoyed their most successful season in program history.
Alumni from the program's first 18 seasons made their way back to Moscow to take on the current Vandals in the annual alumni game on Saturday morning. Idaho then took on North Idaho on Sunday, winning the match 5-0 in front of a tremendous crowd.
“We work really hard to have a good relationship with our alums,” Pittman said. “We want them to realize how very thankful we are for all the hard work they put in over the years. We wanted to be able to bring as many of them back as possible to connect with our current roster, connect with our staff and make sure they realize how important they are to this program. It's great to see where they are now, with the things that they've accomplished in their lives. It was tremendous to have them back around. Once a Vandal, always a Vandal.
“Playing NIC on Sunday was excellent for us. Honestly, at this point in time during the spring it's encouraging to see how well we're moving the ball. We've really challenged our players to add some new elements to the game. The core, in how we defend and go about our business, is still very important, but we want to start being more dynamic and effective in the attack. Our players did an excellent job in moving the ball and keeping possession against a very organized NIC team.”
The Vandals wrap up the spring season this weekend with games against Eastern Oregon and Central Washington.
“We're going to continue to push our players to challenge their limits,” said Pittman. “We want to keep layering on some things while cleaning up our attack. We've been working on our transition game, going from defense to offense, and doing that as precisely and fast as we possibly can. Eastern Oregon and Central Washington are two very good programs and we know that they're going to challenge us in interesting ways and I think it will give us an opportunity to learn more about ourselves.”
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho soccer by following the team on Twitter and Instagram, @VandalsSoccer, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals Women's Soccer.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.
