PALO ALTO, Calif. - When a team competes in the NCAA tournament, Idaho State women's soccer coach
Allison Gibson believes her team needs to enjoy the experience on and off the field. After arriving in San Jose late Wednesday night, the Bengals spent Thursday morning in San Francisco walking around Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39.
The team arrived at its hotel in Palo Alto a little after 3 p.m. on Thursday and after a few hours of down time, the team practiced at Stanford from 6-7 p.m. in preparation for Friday nights 7 p.m. (PST) contest against No. 1 Stanford. Following practice the team headed for dinner before returning to the hotel. The game will be heard live on KISU with
Jerry Miller calling the action.
“We have had a great day today,” Gibson said. “This team has worked hard all season and I want them to relish the opportunity of playing on this stage. We have had a good week of practice and we are excited for tomorrow's contest.”
This is the fifth time Idaho State has advanced to the NCAA College Cup. The Bengals made NCAA appearances in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006.
In 2006, ISU led No. 11 Utah 2-1 in the first round with 30 seconds left in the contest but lost 3-2 in double overtime.
In 2003, ISU advanced to the second round after tying with No. 14 Utah and advancing after defeating the Utes in penalty kicks 5-4. ISU faced BYU in the second round, falling 2-0.
ISU lost to Portland in the first round in both 2002 (3-0) and 2001 (5-0).
The second-round matchup will pit the Stanford-Idaho State winner against Santa Clara (11-3-6) or Long Beach State (12-7).
We Are Your Bengals
