Eyes on the prize

Prior to last weekend, the 2008 season looked to be anything but a success for the women’s soccer team. Nursing a 1-9-2 record headed into the conference opener last weekend, the Vikings seemed to have taken an enormous step back from their performance one year earlier, in which they were undefeated at home and finished with an overall record of 7-9-2.

Those results were good enough for the squad’s first Big Sky Tournament invitation since 2004. But after putting together a duo of promising outings, the team may have put themselves in prime position to once again return to post-season play this November.

With a 2-1 victory over Northern Colorado last Friday, the Vikings lengthened their streak of winning their conference opener to five straight seasons.

On Sunday, they battled a tough Northern Arizona team through two extra periods, but in the end neither team was able to find the net. The scoreless draw advanced the Vikings Big Sky record to 1-0-1, placing them in a tie with Northern Arizona for second in the standings behind Weber State (5-6-2, 2-0 Big Sky).

“In terms of the Big Sky, we’re right where we want to be,” said first-year head coach Laura Schott.

The team is in unfamiliar territory after a dismal preseason that saw the Vikings lose big to Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA.

But for now at least, they are undefeated in conference play heading into their second weekend of matchups.

The Vikings will square off against Big Sky foes Montana (4-8-1 overall, 1-1 Big Sky) today and face Eastern Washington (2-8-3 overall, 0-1-1 Big Sky) on Sunday. But the team is anything but complacent.

“Both of those teams are historically very tough,” Schott said. “We’ll prepare for them just like we have every other game of the season.”

The Vikings are riding on the strong play from junior goalkeeper Cris Lewis, who was named the Big Sky Defensive player of the week after her combined 18 saves last weekend.

Junior midfielder Dolly Enneking has carried the Vikings’ offense most of the season and last weekend was no exception.

She scored both of the team’s goals against Northern Colorado, extending her team best tally to five goals on the season and placing her third in the conference in that category.

Enneking was a part of the squad that appeared in the conference tournament last year and recognizes that the pressure mounts when facing familiar opponents.

“Every game is important, but there is definitely a different vibe in conference play,” Enneking said. “It’s exciting and everyone gets a little more serious. We know it’s what we worked hard for all season.”

Of the eight teams in the conference, the four with the best records in conference play are invited to the postseason tournament.

The team with the strongest record earns home-field advantage, playing the team with the weakest record in the first round. The two middle teams also face off with the winners of those games meeting in the conference championship.

And with the success experienced by the men’s basketball squad last season, every Vikings fan knows that with a conference championship comes a berth in the NCAA Championship, or in this case the College Cup.

Last year, the Vikings dropped a tough match against Sacramento State in the final regular season game of the year, losing the home field advantage they thought they had earned.

The loss also gave Sacramento home-field advantage throughout the tournament, and the Hornets capitalized, downing Portland State 2-1 before defeating Northern Colorado in the championship game.

Sacramento State would go on to be handily defeated by Stanford in a 7-0 blowout in the first round of the College Cup.

On Oct. 31, the Vikings will get the opportunity to face Sacramento State again.

“I think we’re all excited for that game,” Enneking said. “They beat us twice last year, so we’re definitely looking for some revenge.”