CALDWELL, Idaho – Two newcomers to the College of Idaho combined on a first half goal to spearhead a 1-0 opening victory on Friday night over Pacific.
Participating in their first official action for the Yotes,
Payton Mongelli would find
Sydney Clements in the 25th minute of action to put C of I on the board for the first time on the new season.
"It was a set piece goal off the corner that we had done some work on and it worked out for us," said head coach
Brian Smith. "It was cool for both of those two to get their first points for us."
After the final preseason tune-up against Northwest Nazarene last week, the Yotes displayed strides in the right direction right out of the chutes to start the season.
"That NNU game was great for us from the sense of giving us an idea of where we are at and what we really needed to get after," Smith said. "We had a great week of training and I thought the kids today really stepped up and competed hard and created a lot of good chances. The young kids grew up. They've been growing up every day, which is what we want for them."
In the net, the duo of
Shae Waters and
Kylee Atkins combined to shut the Boxers out. Waters contributed three saves, while Pacific yielded zero shots on goal in the second half with Atkins manning the back end of the defense.
"They provide us some good confidence," Smith said. "They are both competing hard against each other. They push each other and they help each other and it's an evaluation process still for us. We have a lot of confidence in them, so they are both deserving goalkeepers to play and start."
C of I outshot Pacific 8-4 on the night.
Next up for the Yotes is a Sunday date against No. 10 Embry-Riddle out of Arizona. The match kicks off at 1:30 p.m. with live video and stats on the
C of I Stretch Internet Portal.
