CALDWELL, Idaho. — College of Idaho men's soccer team faced off against the Providence Argos at Simplot Stadium tonight in a competitive matchup. The Yotes came back from an early challenge from the Argos to secure their second win of the weekend, improving their season record to 7-3-1. After a testing first half, the Yotes would finish the game with a dominant 6-3 lead. The College of Idaho now sits fourth in the Cascade Collegiate Conference with 15 points.
The Argos would come out firing, with Gino Badalow wasting no time as he netted his first goal of the season just two minutes into the match. The Yotes would respond quickly, ramping up the pressure and unleashing five shots within the first 15 minutes. Their persistence would pay off in the 17th minute when
Jorge Fernandez delivered a perfectly lofted ball to
Pierre Fabre, who would calmly slot it into the back of the net, marking his first goal of the season.
After a back-and-forth battle for the first 20 minutes, in the 24th minute, Tomeu Nebot-Schmalfeld for the Argos would dribble through the Yote defense and find himself one-on-one with Yote goalkeeper
Matej Hron, finishing with a full-speed strike into the near corner. However, the Argos' lead was short-lived, as just four minutes later,
Jorge Fernandez would score his seventh goal of the season, leveling the game at 2-2.
To close the first half, the Yotes would find the net once more, with
Jorge Fernandez finishing a well-placed assist from
Hugo Gutierrez, marking his second goal of the game and eighth for the season. The Yotes would lead the shot count with 10 to the Argos' 7 and wrap up an aggressive half with 11 fouls compared to the Argos' 7.
The second half would bring plenty of fireworks. This started in the 48
th minute with clean pass from
Krew Christensen leading
Hugo Gutierrez to artfully finish the ball on the ground, marking his third on the season. Just six minutes later, Keiden Green would receive a pass from
Hugo Guevara into the box, where he take a touch and blast it into the net for the Yotes fifth finish of the game, making the score 5-2.
The College of Idaho would keep firing after this, making their way into the box several times throughout the rest of the half, three of which were skillfully saved by keeper Teddy Benbow, and two blocked by a defensively determined Sherry Msuku for the Argos. Finally, their efforts would pay off in the 75
th minute with
Pierre Fabre recording his second goal of the game after dribbling into the box for a clean finish. This would be answered in the 79
th minute with a Providence goal from Noah Watson, finishing this exciting match with a 6-3 victory for the Yotes.
Up next, the Yotes hit the road to face Eastern Oregon on October 19th in La Grande, Ore., at 7:30 p.m. They'll be back in Caldwell on November 1st to host Warner Pacific University at Simplot Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m.
