Griz host Portland State Friday for Senior Day, regular-season finale

Friday, October 27

Missoula, Mont.

3:00 PM

Montana

Portland State

Photo by: Todd Goodrich

Griz host Portland State Friday for Senior Day, regular-season finale

10/25/2017 5:58:00 PM | Soccer

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By: Montana Sports Information

MONTANA VS. PORTLAND STATE
Friday, Oct. 27 / 3 p.m. MT / Missoula, Mont.
Video Stream / Pluto TV (channel 237) / Live Statistics

STILL PLENTY TO PLAY FOR ENTERING FINAL WEEKEND
Montana will close its 2017 regular-season schedule against Portland State on Friday, hosting a Maroon Out and Senior Day. Both teams have already clinched a spot into next week's Big Sky Soccer Championship, but seeding – including a quarterfinals bye – is still up for grabs.

The Grizzlies are playing some of their best soccer of the season, earning results in six of their past seven contests (4-1-2). They currently lead the conference for most shots per game and fewest goals allowed per game. Portland State held the No. 2 spot in the conference as of a week ago, but the Vikings lost to both North Dakota and Northern Colorado.

"They have a forward up top that's been great for them and their leading scorer is a handful to deal with," head coach Mark Plakorus said of this week's opponent. "They're a team that likes to keep the ball a little bit, so we're going to have to limit their time and space on the ball. It all comes down to us, and how aggressive we are and if we can finish our chances."

Friday 10/27 is SENIOR DAY and a maroon out for Griz Soccer! Come support the team at 3 PM and let's maroon out Portland State! #GoGriz pic.twitter.com/I8ouFhrkuf
— Montana Griz Soccer (@MontanaGrizSOC) October 25, 2017

WHAT'S AT STAKE
Last week, Montana secured a berth into the 2017 Big Sky Soccer Championship. It marks the 16th time since 1997 and sixth time in the past seven years that the Grizzlies have earned their way into the six-team postseason tournament. With a spot guaranteed, now they'll look to lock up the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinals.

A win Friday would do that, meaning Montana wouldn't play until Nov. 1, against either the No. 3 or No. 6 seed. Should Montana and Portland State tie on Friday, the Grizzlies could still earn the No. 2 seed if Northern Colorado lost to or tied North Dakota. The Grizzlies are guaranteed no worse than a No. 4 seed.

Montana has advanced to four consecutive Big Sky Soccer Championships, its best stretch since doing it eight consecutive seasons from 1997-2004. The Grizzlies have won the conference tournament four times, in addition to six regular-season championships. The program

SENIOR SALUTE
Prior to Friday's contest, Montana will hold its Senior Day ceremony, recognizing 10 student-athletes: Madison Adams, Charlene Burger, Kaitlin Crowell, Maddy Emerick, Natalie Hein, Allie Lucas, Lily Obrigewitch, Ashlee Pedersen, Chanelle Pederson and Maddie Vincent.

The group has been part of one of the most successful in program history:

40 wins, the most in a four-year period since 1999-2002.
22 home wins, the most in a four-year period since 2000-2003.
23 Big Sky Conference victories, tied for the most in school history (also 23 from 1997-2000); Montana has the chance to set a four-year record with a win Friday.
An unbeaten conference record in 2014 (8-0-2), winning the Big Sky Conference regular-season title.
Four trips to the Big Sky Conference tournament.

Pederson was named a 2016 second-team All-Big Sky Conference selection after receiving honorable mention accolades as a freshman in 2014. Pedersen was named to the All-Big Sky Tournament team as a sophomore in 2015, also earning honorable mention honors during the season. In total, eight different seniors have collected 18 Academic All-Big Sky accolades (with more to come this winter),

GRIZZLIES EARN REGIONAL RANKING
With results in six of its past seven matches, the Montana soccer team has ascended into the United Soccer Coaches West Region ranking, being recognized at No. 15 this week. The United Soccer Coaches – formerly the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) – unveils the top 15 Division I women's soccer teams in each region on a weekly basis. This is the first time Montana has been included in 2017.

The Grizzlies earned their first regional ranking under head coach Mark Plakorus in August 2016 after they opened the season with a win over Purdue. They were ranked for the first several weeks, reaching as high as No. 9. In 2016, however, there were eight regions, with each one consisting of 10 teams. New this year, a total of 75 teams are recognized each week, 15 from five different regions. The West Region is arguably the most challenging in the entire country, featuring schools from the Big Sky, Big West, Mountain West, Pac-12 and West Coast.

The nation's overall No. 1 team, Stanford, is in the West Region, as are three of the top six teams. In addition to Montana, Big Sky foe Eastern Washington (No. 12) is featured in this week's ranking. Two other 2017 opponents, Washington State (No. 9) and San José State (No. 11) are also ranked. Montana held the Cougars scoreless in a double-overtime draw in September. In late August, the Grizzlies soundly beat the Spartans, 4-1.

Big news coming out today: Your Montana Grizzlies are regionally ranked! #FightUniteWin

Read more ?? https://t.co/I1QrRDZseu pic.twitter.com/UZUVrsoZjH
— Montana Griz Soccer (@MontanaGrizSOC) October 25, 2017

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Grizzlies are unbeaten on their home turf this season, posting victories over Air Force, North Dakota, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, San José State and Southern Utah, and a double-overtime draw against Washington State of the Pac-12.

At 6-0-1 and just one home matches remaining, Montana is chasing one of the top home records in school history. The Grizzlies have finished a season unbeaten at home just once – going 3-0-2 in 2012 – and have posted just a single loss on three occasions (from 1996-98).

WEEKEND REWIND
Montana is coming off of a highly successful weekend that included four points to move into second place in the conference standings. The weekend started on the road, earning a double-overtime draw at Northern Colorado. Both teams were held scoreless through 110 minutes, but Montana had several near-game-winners, out-shooting the Bears 16-7.

"I thought we played really well tonight," head coach Mark Plakorus said. "We created a bunch of opportunities, and I thought our ball movement was great and our defending was great. I'm really proud of our team."

Two days later, after having to travel from Colorado to Montana, the Grizzlies hosted a strong North Dakota team that was coming off of a victory over Portland State and is currently fighting for its first-ever conference tournament berth. Montana jumped all over the Fighting Hawks early, taking a 2-0 first-half advantage.

Junior Ellie Otteson scored in the 18th minute, one-timing a loose ball off of a corner kick, and senior Charlene Burger followed in the 42nd minute, capitalizing on an open goal that was set up by a nice cross from redshirt freshman Kennedy Yost. Otteson's goal was Montana's first in the opening half of a game since Sept. 1 vs. Georgia Southern. The team's halftime advantage was its first since Aug. 27 vs. San José State.

"I thought it was a really good performance by our team," Plakorus said. "They handled the adversity well and were ready to play. They played together and we got a good result at home."

MONTANA AT A GLANCE

Montana enters its regular-season finale with a 10-6-3 mark, already surpassing its 2016 win total. It marks the 12th time in school history that UM has won at least 10 matches.
The Grizzlies have earned a result in six of their last seven contests, cracking the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings (No. 15).
First-year goalkeeper Claire Howard has posted seven shutouts in goal. In 19 contests, the Griz have allowed zero or one goal 18 times.
The Grizzlies' defense rank in the top-10 percent nationally, allowing just 0.65 goals per game.
Five different newcomers have accounted for 19 of the team's 49 points (38.8 percent). Freshman Alexa Coyle has started all 19 contests, leading the Griz with three goals and eight points.
UM returned eight starters and 12 letterwinners from its 2016 team, including All-Big Sky Conference second-team performers Chanelle Pederson and Hallie Widner.
UM went 9-6-5 in 2016 and tied for third in the Big Sky with a 5-2-3 league record. The No. 4 Grizzlies lost 1-0 to No. 5 Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky tournament.
UM was picked to finish third out of 11 teams in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll.
UM is led by seventh-year coach Mark Plakorus, who has guided the Grizzlies to six Big Sky tournaments. UM has won three Big Sky Conference titles under Plakorus (2011 tournament, 2012 and 2014 regular-season).

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE

Portland State is 8-9-0 on the year. The Vikings won three consecutive matches early in the conference season before losing three of their next four – including back-to-back home shutout losses last weekend.
Senior Katie Forsee is one of the top players in the conference. She ranks second in the league for shots per game (4.47), third for points per game (1.24) and fourth for total goals (nine). She also has six game-winning goals this season, one of five school records she holds.
Junior goalkeeper Abbie Faingold ranks third in the conference with 4.59 saves per game. She also ranks third with five shutouts.
Sophomore Kasey Isobe had four goals on the season, including a hat trick vs. Chicago State on Sept. 10. She added two assists in that game, totaling eight points (most this season by a Big Sky player).
Katie Burton, the former associate head coach at Sacramento State, is in her first season at Portland State.

SERIES VS. THE VIKINGS
Portland State is one of two Big Sky schools to hold a winning record against the Grizzlies, going 12-11-2. Montana is 5-6-1 against the Vikings in Missoula, winning the most-recent outing in 2015. Hallie Widner assisted the game-winning goal in 2014, while Ashlee Pedersen did in 2015. The last four contests have each been 1-0 decisions.

SCORE & WIN
When Montana scores, good things happen. It seems like a simple concept, really, but when looking at the results, one finds an interesting trend. The Grizzlies are unbeaten in the 11 games they have scored in (10-0-1). They have been shut out seven times, going 0-6-2 in those contests (Montana lost three 1-0 decisions to Power-5 opponents and earned a 0-0 draw with another, Washington State).

GETTING SHOTS OFF
Montana's offense averaged just 9.9 shots per game through non-conference action, but has doubled its average during conference play, taking at least 15 in all nine matches and averaging a league-best 18.89 per game.

During Big Sky play, Montana is out-shooting its opponents 170-77. The Griz have 72 shots on goal compared to just 22 for its opponents.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Grizzlies continue to rely on their defense to win games. They have posted seven shutouts on the season, including five in their past 10 games. During that stretch, Montana went more than 315 consecutive minutes (parts of four games) without allowing a goal.

Out of the nation's 332 Division I women's soccer programs, Montana ranks 29th, allowing 0.65 goals per game (first in the Big Sky and on pace to be the second-best average in UM history). That number is even better during conference play, with Montana allowing just five goals through nine games (0.56 per game).

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Claire Howard gets plenty of credit – she ranks fourth in the Big Sky Conference with a .790 saves percentage and her 1,754 minutes played rank fourth in the entire country. However, the defense's success goes well beyond just Howard.

"Defense is a whole team effort," head coach Mark Plakorus said. "A lot of people don't realize this, but it starts with our forwards making it difficult on teams, along with the midfielders. Then you have the back line. They're well versed and stay disciplined."

While Howard's saves percentage is strong, Howard's 49 total saves rank eighth in the conference, meaning opponents aren't getting good looks off of Montana's defense. The Grizzlies' seven shutouts are tied for the ninth-most in school history and their current goals-allowed-per-game average would be a school record (passing the 1997 team's mark of 0.70).

Even more impressive, the Griz defense is excelling even after having to replace 2016 first-team All-Big Sky defender Tess Brenneman and the league's Goalkeeper of the Year, Kailey Norman.

COYLE & CO. LEADING THE FRESHMEN
Despite returning 12 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's squad, Montana also added 14 newcomers during the offseason. The young players are making names for themselves, led by Bozeman native Alexa Coyle.

Earlier this month, Coyle had the game-winning goal against Sacramento State and the game-winning assist vs. Northern Arizona. On the year, she leads all Griz players for points (8) and is tied for the team lead for goals (3) and shots on goal (15). Coyle is far from the only freshman making an early impact, however:

Eight players have made their collegiate debuts this season, including six who have earned starts. Coyle and Claire Howard have started all 19 contests for the Griz.
Seven of UM's 18 credited goals scored have come by freshmen, in addition to more than one-third (19 of 49) of the team's total points.
In its Sept. 10 win at Northern Iowa, both of UM's goals and both assists were credited to freshmen. Rita Lang scored her first collegiate goal (assisted by Coyle). Lang received the assist for Raye Burton's game-winning goal.
During the Montana Cup (Aug. 25-27), UM's first three goals were scored by freshmen.

"It's always good to have talent," Mark Plakorus said in September. "I think every class that comes through here has come in with the expectation that they have to perform. It's good on them to make sure they did the preparation coming in, and the upperclassmen have done a fantastic job of bringing them into our family and preparing them for our expectations. I'm happy for them, but it's still very early in the season. They've started strong, but they have to find consistency and stay humble."

IRONWOMAN MILLER
Junior defender Taryn Miller has played in 18 of Montana's 19 contests this season, totaling three points and playing a vital role in the Grizzlies' dominant defense. However, what's even more impressive is the number of minutes she's played.

Miller has played in 1,588 of Montana's 1,743 minutes. The only time she's missed was a Sept. 17 double-overtime draw against Washington State and the first half of the following match, both due to injury. Aside from that minor hiccup, she has not been taken off the field. At her current pace, she will finish in the school's all-time top-10 for minutes played in a season, and depending on Montana's success in the Big Sky Soccer Championship, could reach the top three.

LOOKING AHEAD
Montana will play in the postseason for the sixth time in the past seven seasons, competing in the Big Sky Soccer Championship as either the No. 2, No. 3 or No. 4 seed – depending on outcomes this weekend. As a No. 3 or 4 seed, Montana would play in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Nov. 1. If the Grizzlies are the No. 2 seed, they would have a bye into the semifinals, on Friday, Nov. 3. The 2017 conference championship will be held in Cheney, Wash., home of the regular-season champion Eastern Washington Eagles.

A penguin walks through the door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say?@furrowmikee has the answer! #MeetUMMonday pic.twitter.com/zwt6cGPFQH
— Montana Griz Soccer (@MontanaGrizSOC) October 23, 2017