Oregon State Women's Soccer vs Idaho State: Game Preview
The Oregon State Women's Soccer team is still looking for their first win of the season, after battling Washington to a tie and falling to Weber State in their first two games of the season. Thursday night Idaho State comes to Corvallis to face the Beavers, giving Oregon State a great opportunity to finally pick up a W, so let's take a look at the Bengals.
RELATED:
Oregon State Women's Soccer: Beavers Open Season with 1-1 Tie Against Washington
Very few people came into the season with high expectations for Idaho State. Last season they finished at the bottom of the Big Sky standings, with a 1-6-1 conference record and a 2-10-5 overall record. Big Sky voters didn't place much confidence in this year's Bengals either, picking the team to finish in last place again in the conference's preseason poll.
But, teams can surprise you. The Bengals have played three games this season and have yet to be beat, already matching their win total from last season with victories over Cal State Bakersfield and North Dakota State and a tie against Boise State. So how have the Bengals improved from last season?
RELATED:
Oregon State Women's Soccer: Beavers Upset by Weber State 3-2 in Home Opener
One thing that jumps out about the Bengals first three games is more consistent scoring. Idaho State got shutout nine times in 2024, and only scored more than one goal in one game. This year's Bengals have already scored five goals across three games. Even accounting for a small sample size, that's a remarkable turnaround.
The biggest star for Idaho State this season is sophomore defender Talia Coury. Against Boise State, Coury scored a goal in the final minute of the game to secure a tie. She also drew first blood in the Bengals 3-1 win over North Dakota State.
RELATED:
Oregon State Women's Soccer - Previewing the Beavers' Non Conference Schedule
Beyond Coury three other Bengals have scored goals this season, and goalkeeper Hannah Wieler currently has a 0.67 goals against average. A team like Idaho State is probably not going to be able to maintain this pace, but this is a team playing with confidence.
They'll probably drop back to earth at some point, but after how the Beavers fared against Weber State, the Bengals aren't a team Oregon State can look past. The team really needs a win, and they can get one, but it's not going to be free.
We'll see if Oregon State can pick up their first win of the season Thursday night, with kick off set for 5 PM PT.
Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for On SI, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.