Griz end season with loss to Wildcats
11/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
??
The University of Montana soccer team???s 2008 season came to a close Thursday afternoon in Ogden, Utah, with a 1-0 loss to Weber State in the semifinals of the 2008 Big Sky Conference Tournament. The Wildcats scored the match???s opening goal in the 17th minute, and it would turn out to be the game-winner.
??
The Grizzlies, the No. 4 seed in the four-team tournament, conclude their season with a 6-11-2 record.
??
Weber State (9-9-2), the tournament???s top seed, advances to face No. 3 Northern Arizona (11-6-3) Saturday at 1 p.m. in the championship match. The winner will receive the Big Sky Conference???s automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA College Cup.
??
Weber State was led by two of its headliners Thursday. Junior Whitney Smith, a first team All-Big Sky selection at forward, scored her team-leading sixth goal of the season to put the Wildcats up 1-0 at the 16:19 mark when her shot from 22 yards out scored in the upper right-hand corner.
??
She was assisted on the play by senior midfielder Molli Neilson, who recorded her second assist and fourth point of the season.
??
Smith took six of Weber???s 18 shots. Four of her shots were on goal.
??
Junior goalkeeper Rebecca Ritchie, the Big Sky defensive player of the year, made the one-goal lead hold up, stopping all four shots that the Grizzlies put on goal. It was Ritchie???s eighth shutout of the season and the second time she led WSU to a 1-0 win over Montana this fall.
??
Weber State also downed Montana 1-0 in the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams on Oct. 9 in Ogden.
??
???It was a good performance by Weber State today,??? Montana coach Neil Sedgwick said. ???They scored on a quality goal. (Smith) got the ball about 22 yards out and put a good shot into the upper right-hand corner.
??
???And Rebecca did a great job for them at the back.???
??
The Wildcats had an 18-7 shot advantage.
??
Montana junior keeper Grace Harris went all 90 minutes in goal, making seven saves.
??
Sophomore Kaitlyn Heinsohn, who didn???t start because of an ankle sprain, took a team-high two shots, both on goal, both coming in the first half.
??
Senior Meghan Chambers, a second team All-Big Sky pick, took one shot in 35 minutes of action. She sat out the final 55 minutes after going head-to-head with a Weber player.
??
Montana was also without the services of senior Sara Campbell, a first team All-Big Sky selection at midfielder, who was required to sit out after receiving a red card in the Grizzlies??? regular-season finale at Eastern Washington last Friday.
??
???I thought it was a courageous effort from the girls,??? Sedgwick said. ???They played well and with a purpose. Considering we were without Sara Campbell for the entire match and Meghan Chambers for the final 55 minutes and with Kaitlyn not 100 percent, I was proud of their determination.
??
???The team came a long way this season. We fielded a young team today, and they showed just how far they???ve come. It was a pleasure to coach them this year. They stuck with it through thick and thin.
??
???Our three seniors (Campbell, Chambers and Sara Aspinwall) did a fantastic job this fall. We look forward to taking their legacy of hard work and having a great spring of training.???
