TWIN FALLS, Idaho — A year and a half in the making, the new CSI Soccer program gets set for its first season. The Women's team hosted a pregame scrimmage at home on Tuesday, Aug. 13. They will play the next six games away, before returning for a home game Sept. 19 when they host Colorado Northwester Community College at Jerome High School. (schedule)
- Men's and Women's teams are in the Scenic West Athletic Conference of the NJCAA.
- Conference play begins in September, building to the Region 18 Tournament in late October. NCJAA National Tournament is late November.
- Both men's and women's teams have a series of preseason scrimmages through August, to test themselves and get familiar with the team.
- The first chance to see the Men's team at home is Aug. 31 when they host the C of I 'Yotes for a preseason scrimmage at Jerome High School. (schedule)
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
“I love it. I love being out here and watching the team and supporting the first year,”
Diane Hicks and her family were on the sidelines, cheering for her daughter Jayva Hicks’ first appearance on the field as a CSI Golden Eagle
“She's been very excited, a little nervous all the same time but very excited," Diane told me.
Announced a year and a half ago, CSI is fielding men's and women's soccer teams.
Tuesday's preseason scrimmage with the College of Idaho ‘Yotes was the first time the women's team faced an opponent. A planned black and gold scrimmage last week was canceled due to unhealthy air quality from wildfire smoke.
"It's just to help the team know how to work together in an actual game,” Hicks told me. “So the coach can actually see how they're going to work together and to prepare for the next games, the real games.”
While they fell 3-0 to the larger, more experienced Yotes, coach Alex Ferreira said the first few preseason scrimmages will be good tests.
“We'll be the team that improves the most during the month of August, “ Ferreira told Idaho News 6. “But the point is to get through to September in a good way to begin conference play and then arrive in November at our maximum level and ready for the tournament.”
It's been just over one year since Ferreira began building the new soccer program from scratch
“I think it's one of those things where everything has been on paper so far, and then you see it on the field and it's like ok: This is really happening now,” Ferreira said.
“As a team we want to make an impact and just show them even though we're a new program and kind of an underdog, that we can still come out and be on top because we have a lot of really good athletes and girls that keep pushing themselves,” Ansley Kerley told Idaho News 6.
Ansley Kerley came to CSI from Pocatello, drawn as all the players here, by a chance to be part of a program with the backing of a winning athletics department.
“When I grew up, I really enjoyed watching college soccer. It is one of the reasons I'm playing now," Kerley said. “I just hope that we can give those younger athletes a dream to keep playing and give them something to look forward to.”
