WOMEN'S SOCCER TIES IN IDAHO
BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune
After its Friday match was canceled, the Northwest College women's soccer team started strong but sputtered out in a 1-1 draw against North Idaho College on the road Saturday in the final nonconference match of the regular season.
NORTHWEST 1, NORTH IDAHO 1
Heading on a long road trip and seeing their game against Pacific Northwest Christian College canceled on Friday the Trappers (1-1-1) had rested legs heading into the game against the Cardinals (0-2-1).
The Trappers came out on fire, pushing the initiative and getting an early goal as a reward.
Abby Derbyshire finished off a ball from Bailey Wright in just the fifth minute and gave Northwest a 1-0 lead.
"For the first five minutes we were energetic. We had passion. We were moving off the ball and we had a little bit of competitiveness," coach Rob Hill said.
Instead of carrying that momentum, the Trappers dropped into a defensive shell and soaked up pressure the remainder of the first half.
North Idaho pressed and eventually took advantage at the end of the half, putting home a goal on a header from a free kick and making it 1-1 at the break.
"To their credit, great header. We didn't charge for it. Very good goal," Hill said. "Worst time to concede a goal."
Hill felt the Trappers put on a better performance in the second half, but were unable to recapture the first five minutes of the match and find a winning goal.
"Better second half from us, not as flat but still nowhere near the level [we need to be at]. I thought that we were not competitive," Hill said. "They just sliced and diced us because of positioning, so we've got a lot of work to do this week."
REGION IX PLAY STARTS
Following the completion of the nonconference season Hill said the team still has a lot of work to do.
"We had a long team meeting and we'll watch film, but I feel like there's a lot of improvements to be made because we've got skill, we've got talent, but we don't have the chemistry yet," Hill said. "So we're certainly not on the same page from midfields to forwards, from defense to midfield. So that's my job, to get them back on the same page and understand the game plan … There's still a lot of work to do with the women's team but they've got the talent to do it."
The Trappers don't have much time before their next match, as they will head to Rock Springs on Friday for a rematch from last year's Region IX semifinal against Western Wyoming (1-4-1) at 10 a.m.
Hill said he knows the Mustangs will be one of the top contenders for Region IX this season, and says the Trappers can't be fooled by their early season record as Western has taken on a number of good teams to begin the year.
"They've only won one game, but they've played very tough opponents," Hill said. "We are in for a battle. They'll be one of the contenders for the region this year. There's no doubt. So if we're going to be serious, we've got to compete."