After four season-opening road trips, Griz finally home
9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
After opening the season with four straight road trips, the Montana soccer team will make its regular-season debut at South Campus Stadium this week when the Grizzlies host the four-team Montana Invitational.
Montana will be joined at the Friday-Sunday tournament by Colorado State, Hawaii and Eastern Washington.
Hawaii and Eastern Washington will open play on Friday at 1 p.m. Montana and Colorado State will follow at 4 p.m. On Sunday, Colorado State and Eastern Washington will play at 10 a.m., Montana and Hawaii at 1 p.m.
Coverage: GoGriz.com will feature live video (pay-per-view) and live stats of all four matches. Jackson Wagner will call the action of the two Montana matches. Links to all available services can be found on the soccer schedule page at GoGriz.com.
Weekend preview: There are rumors that Montana faced Carroll back on Aug. 16 at South Campus Stadium in an exhibition match, but memories are faint (and the scoreless draw with the Fighting Saints mostly forgettable).
Since then the Grizzlies have played four straight weeks of road games, and every weekend has seen an improved level of play (based upon the team's showing against its three best opponents to date).
Against Washington State three weeks ago, the Grizzlies fell behind 2-0 in the match's first 30 minutes and lost to the Cougars, who are 5-0-2 and ranked No. 25 this week, by a 2-0 score.
Two weeks ago at Texas, a team now 4-2-2, Montana played the Longhorns in a scoreless draw through 66 minutes. An I-didn't-even-intend-to-score-there goal in the final minute allowed Texas to claim a deceptive 2-0 victory.
Last week at Missouri, a team 5-1-2 and whose only loss came by a goal to current No. 21 West Virginia, Montana went up 1-0 in the fifth minute and 3-1 with goals in the 70th and 71st minutes.
The Tigers scored twice in the final 14 minutes of regulation to tie it, then scored the game-winner midway through the second overtime.
"The biggest thing the last four weeks has been our growth and our relationships with each other and the understanding of what it takes to compete at the highest level," said UM coach Mark Plakorus.
"We've had a lot of experiences that have taught us a lot of really good lessons. It's been enjoyable to see us take those lessons and apply them and get better.
"The most important thing it's given us is a lot of confidence. To play the level of opponents we've played at the level we've played them, and on the road in different types of weather and altitudes, that's given us a lot of confidence, and that's a huge part of the growth of a young team."
On Friday Montana will face a Colorado State program that is still in its infancy. The Rams lost 3-0 at home to preseason Big Sky Conference favorite Portland State, but they also knocked off a good Northern Colorado team 1-0 and defeated the College of Charleston 1-0 in overtime on Sunday.
"From what I've seen, Colorado State is a very good team," said Plakorus. "They beat Northern Colorado, which is a team that's expected to do well in our conference, and they've mostly played in tight games.
"They are a team that wants to keep the ball on the ground and make you chase a little bit, so we're going to have to do a good job defensively and make them play at the pace we want to play at. We need to try to get them on their heels."
On Sunday Montana will face a team that put up eight goals in two road matches last weekend at Weber State and Idaho State. It will also face a team that is allowing nearly 3.4 goals per match and has given up three or more goals its last four matches.
"Hawaii is a very attacking team," said Plakorus. "They have very skilled, athletic players on the attack, and they are going to be very difficult to deal with.
"We're going to have to be extremely good defensively and make sure that when we get our own opportunities, we put them away. We're going to get some chances. We need to make sure they count."
Histories: Montana has never faced Colorado State, a program that just started playing in 2013. ... The Grizzlies are unbeaten (2-0-1) in three matches against Hawaii. Montana won 3-0 and 3-1 in a home-and-home series in 1995, and the Grizzlies earned a 0-0 draw at Hawaii in 2008.
Montana notes: The Grizzlies have allowed a penalty-kick goal in each of the last two matches. At Texas, the Longhorns' PK in the 67th minute proved to be the game-winner. Last Friday at Missouri, the Tigers tied the match at 3-3 with a penalty kick in the 81st minute. ... Montana ranks second in the Big Sky with 28 corner kicks. ... Sophomore goalkeeper Kailey Norman ranks second in saves (5.86/g). ... Freshman forward Hallie Widner scored her first collegiate goal in Montana's 3-1 win at Houston Baptist on Sept. 5, then collected her first two collegiate assists last Friday at Missouri. ... Senior midfielder Tyler Adair scored her first goal of the season in the 70th minute at Missouri to put the Grizzlies up 2-1. It was her sixth career goal. ... Freshman midfielder Allie Lucas's goal in the 71st minute that put Montana ahead 3-1 against the Tigers was the first of her career. Lucas earned her first collegiate point when she assisted on Jamie Simon's game-winner in the Grizzlies' 1-0 win at Air Force in the season opener.
Upcoming: Montana will face Weber State next Friday and Idaho State next Sunday at South Campus Stadium as the Grizzlies open their 10-game Big Sky Conference schedule.
