The first and last minutes of a game are what decide it most of the time, and Idaho State’s 2-0 win over the University of Nebraska Omaha was no exception.

The Bengals improved to 2-2-1 on the season, and it was a sister connection that opened the scoring.

The Bengals looked bright in the opening minutes and were on the attack. In the fifth minute, senior center back Daphne Egelhoff played a line-breaking, looping ball to midfield, where freshman Lena Bonnard controlled it and started the attack.

A few passes later, it found the feet of fifth-year forward Saydree Cooke, who laid the ball off to her youngest sister, Devree Bell, who slotted home the opening goal — her first career collegiate goal.

For the Pocatello natives, this season marked the first time they’d ever shared a pitch together.

That was part of what motivated Cooke to use her final year of college eligibility to join her sister at Idaho State.

“I’ve never gotten to play with her, actually,” Cooke said. “I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to play with my youngest sister for the first time in my life.”

The move back home has paid off for Cooke. She enters the Omaha match off a Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honor, having been responsible for two goals and one assist that week. She added two more assists against Omaha, bringing her season total to two goals and three assists.

After the early goal, Omaha began to settle in and outshot the Bengals 7-5 in the first half.

That changed in the second half. With some tactical adjustments made, the Bengals came out on the front foot.

“Very proud of the team and their effort, and their ability to execute the game plan,” Idaho State head coach Dustin Downey said. “We made some halftime adjustments and were the dominant team in the second half.”

The Bengals outshot Omaha 15-2 in the second half, smothering the Omaha offense and using their speed and athleticism to remain a constant threat on goal. Still, they couldn’t find the second goal until late.

In the 85th minute, the ball was played wide to Cooke in the corner. She cut left, sped past her defender and sent a looping cross into the box, where it found the head of Lacie Poll, who guided it into the bottom corner for her team-leading third goal of the season — giving the Bengals the cushion they needed.

The offense grabbed the headlines, scoring two or more goals for the third time in five games. But the defense was stellar for all 90 minutes, backstopped by goalkeeper Aliya Garrett, who recorded her second clean sheet of the season.

“The defense held strong, and Aliya Garrett collected everything served into the penalty area in the first half,” Downey said. “Her being a beast in the air was crucial in helping our team get the win.”

The Bengals then suffered a shutout of their own in a 6-0 road loss to SMU on Sunday.