Griz return home for thick of conference play

MONTANA VS. SACRAMENTO STATE
Friday, Sept. Oct. 6 / 3 p.m. MT / Missoula, Mont.
Video Stream / Pluto TV (channel 237) / Live Statistics

MONTANA VS. NORTHERN ARIZONA
Sunday, Oct. 8 / 1 p.m. MT / Missoula, Mont.
Video Stream / Pluto TV (channel 237) / Live Statistics

GRIZ RETURN HOME FOR THICK OF CONFERENCE PLAY

At 1-1-1 in Big Sky action, now is the time for the Montana soccer team to establish itself as an upper-echelon team in the league. The Griz will host Sacramento State (Friday) and Northern Arizona (Sunday) this weekend. Sunday's contest is the team's annual pink game – in honor of breast cancer prevention awareness – and all fans wearing pink can get in for half price.

Griz Soccer's game on Sunday 10/8 will be the Cancer Awareness (Pink) game! Be sure to come in pink for 1/2 off your ticket!#FightUniteWin pic.twitter.com/NBGVNOESto
— Montana Griz Soccer (@MontanaGrizSOC) October 4, 2017

Sac State earned a result in its first three conference matches – including a victory over North Dakota – before losing to Northern Colorado, 1-0, last Sunday. The Hornets have allowed just one goal in four conference matches and are led by a freshman who has six goals already this season.

"Sac State is a very talented team," Montana head coach Mark Plakorus said. "They've played a similar schedule to what we did, playing against some bigger teams. They're a team that likes to keep the ball like we do, so your soccer brain has to be on against them."

Northern Arizona played in last season's conference-title game and is currently leading the league at 3-1.

"Our games with them are always wars," Plakorus said. "They're a very athletic team that likes to press you and go pretty direct on you. We have to be ready for the physical side of that."

MONTANA AT A GLANCE

Montana enters play this weekend with a 6-5-2 mark, bouncing back from its first conference loss with a double-overtime draw at Weber State last Sunday.
First-year goalkeeper Claire Howard has posted four shutouts in goal. In 13 contests, the Griz have allowed zero or one goal 12 times.
Six of UM's 12 credited goals have come from freshmen, with five different newcomers accounting for 15 of the team's 34 points (44.1 percent). Alexa Coyle has started all 13 contests, leading the Griz with five points and eight shots on goal, and tying for the team lead with two goals.
The Griz returned all but two of its goal scorers from 2016. Overall, UM returned 78.3 percent of its goals scored and total points from 2016, plus 73.9 percent of its assists.
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 five Big Sky tournaments in his first six seasons.
UM has won three Big Sky Conference titles under Plakorus (2011 tournament, 2012 and 2014 regular-season).

SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE

Sac State is 6-5-2 overall, including a 1-1-2 mark in Big Sky. The Hornets opened league play with three consecutive results before a 1-0 loss to Northern Colorado. The Hornets' two ties came against preseason frontrunners Eastern Washington and Idaho.
Sac State has been shut out four times in its last six games, but has scored three goals in the other two contests during that stretch.
On the flip side, the Hornets have allowed just three goals in their last seven games.
Sac State is led offensively by freshman Kylee Kim-Bustillos, who has six goals and 18 shots on goal.
Freshman Aaliyah Fesili has earned 11 starts in goal, allowing just seven total goals (0.60 per game).
The Hornets went 8-7-4 in 2016, finishing second in the Big Sky before losing in the semifinals of the conference tournament. They returned 12 letterwinners and five starters.
Randy Dedini is in his 11th season, helping SSU to conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances in in 2007 and 2010.

SERIES VS. THE HORNETS

Montana is 12-7-5 all-time against Sacramento State, earning a result in the last three meetings. Following four consecutive losses from 2010-13, Montana won back-to-back contests in 2014 and 2015 and tied, 1-1, a year ago in Sacramento.

Senior Ashlee Pedersen has recorded an assist in the last two meetings vs. the Hornets. She is one of six current Grizzlies who started in last year's contest.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ARIZONA

NAU enters the weekend at 8-5 overall, including 3-1 in conference play. The Lumberjacks have earned wins over Idaho, North Dakota and Northern Arizona, with its lone loss coming at Eastern Washington. The Lumberjacks play at Portland State on Friday, prior to Sunday's contest at Montana.
Sophomore Malia Lyken leads the Lumberjacks with three goals scored. Senior Adrian Nixt has four assists. Nixt was a first-team All-Big Sky selection last year, one of four all-conference award-winners on roster this season.
Meghan Dicmann has played in 11 games in goal, recording 43 saves and averaging 1.65 goals allowed per game.
NAU is coached by Andre Luciano, who is in his 17th season in Flagstaff. He led the Lumberjacks to the conference title game in 2016, falling to Eastern Washington in a shootout. It was his fifth trip to the championship (three titles).

SERIES VS. THE LUMBERJACKS

Montana holds a 13-6-4 record against Northern Arizona, winning the first eight games in the series from 1997-2001. More recently, the series has been competitive, with the last three meetings ending in ties. UM's last win in the series came in 2012, a 1-0 victory in Flagstaff.

Senior Ashlee Pedersen scored in last year's 2-2 draw, assisted by Allie Lucas. Chanelle Pederson has started all three meetings vs. NAU.

WEEKEND REWIND

After a 1-0 shutout victory over Southern Utah to open Big Sky play on Sept. 24, Montana had a setback, dropping a 1-0 decision at Idaho State to begin last weekend.

The Grizzlies out-shot the Bengals, 24-10, but just five of the 24 shots were on frame, something that Mark Plakorus was disappointed in. He also felt as if his team played tight and tentative.

"You have to make sure you come with the right energy, right focus and right mindset to compete relentlessly and as hard as you possibly can every single night," Plakorus said afterward. "We didn't do that tonight."

Idaho State scored the game's only goal in the 23rd minute.

Two days later, in a game at Weber State, it was a much different story.

"I really liked our response," Plakorus said. "After the last two games and not playing up to our standard, I thought we did a really good job from the start of the game and did what we wanted to do."

The Grizzlies found themselves down in the first half once again, but redshirt sophomore Dani Morris, who missed all of last season with a third ACL surgery, gave Montana the equalizer with her fifth career goal.

On the throw in, Ashlee Pederson passed it in to Allie Lucas, who controlled it and passed it to Morris, who was coming around her from left to right. From just outside the elbow of the box, Morris fired a 25-yard cross-angle shot past a diving goaltender.

"It was a great goal by Dani," Plakorus said. "I couldn't be more proud of that kid. The way she's worked, coming off of a third ACL injury, and to score that goal with what it meant to her and our team was just awesome."

The two teams played two overtime periods and ended the day with a 1-1 draw. It marked the first time since 2006 that Montana has earned a result at Weber State.

TOUGH STRETCH AHEAD

The next two weeks will play a large role in determining how the Big Sky standings shake out. Beginning Sunday vs. Northern Arizona, Montana will play four consecutive games against the four teams that earned first-place votes in the league's preseason poll. NAU, which is currently atop the standings at 3-1, is the only opponent that will play in Missoula. The next three will take place on the road.

Montana will travel to Idaho (Oct. 13) – picked one point behind the Griz – and Eastern Washington (Oct. 15) – last year's tournament champion, the preseason favorite and currently unbeaten in league play. The following weekend, the Griz will travel to Northern Colorado (Oct. 20), a team that was picked to finish fifth in the league and currently is 2-2-0.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Grizzlies continue to rely on their defense to win games. They have posted four shutouts on the season, including in back-to-back games in late September. In fact, Montana went more than 315 consecutive minutes (stretching parts of four games) without allowing a goal.

Out of the nation's 332 Division I women's soccer programs, Montana ranks 54th, allowing 0.744 goals per game (first in the Big Sky). Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Claire Howard's goals-against average ranks among the nation's top-20 percent as well.

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

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE

The Griz are unbeaten on its home field this season, recording victories over Air Force, San Jose State and Southern Utah, and a double-overtime draw against Washington State of the Pac-12. Dating back to 2012, Montana has won more than 70 percent of its home matches, going 28-10-8.

"Missoula is a great soccer town," said Mark Plakorus, whose team has played in front of more than 500 fans in back-to-back home games. "It has always supported us very well, and we always enjoy playing here in front of our fans."

TAKING SHOTS

Montana's offense averaged just 9.9 shots per game through non-conference action, but over the past three games, has upped its season average to 12.3, taking at least 18 shots in all three of its conference matches

During Big Sky play, Montana is out-shooting its opponents 61 to 19. The Griz have 18 shots on goal, compared to six for its opponents – and zero allowed vs. Southern Utah. The next step for Montana will be capitalizing on its looks. Despite the high shot count, the Griz have scored just twice during those three games.

"With the opponents we played in the non-conference portion, you're not going to get a lot of opportunities," Mark Plakorus said. "You'll get three, maybe four chances to score. We're hoping to generate a few more opportunities in conference, and hopefully create more dangerous looks that will allow us to finish them."

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 seven games they have scored in (6-0-1). They have been shut out six times, going 0-5-1 in those contests (Montana lost three 1-0 decisions to Power-5 opponents and earned a 0-0 draw with another, Washington State).

In five of the six victories, Montana scored first and never trailed. The exception came at Northern Iowa (Sept. 10), when the Grizzlies scored twice during a 113-second period in the second half to knock off a previously undefeated UNI squad that hadn't allowed a goal through six games. Montana also came from behind to tie Weber State.

STARTING THEM YOUNG

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 early:
Eight players have made their collegiate debuts this season, including six who have earned starts.
Alexa Coyle and Claire Howard have started all 13 contests for the Griz. Coyle is the team leader for points (5) and shots on goal (8) while Howard has posted four shutouts in net.
Six of UM's 12 credited goals scored have come by freshmen, in addition to nearly half (15 of 34) 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. "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."

Get to know freshman defender @catiebuck, who was a four-time conference champion at Bellevue High School!#MeetUMMonday (a day late) pic.twitter.com/iOM9Q8RYs3
— Montana Griz Soccer (@MontanaGrizSOC) October 3, 2017

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Players Mentioned

Tess Brenneman

Raye Burton

Alexa Coyle

Claire Howard

Rita Lang

Allie Lucas

Dani Morris

Kailey Norman

Ashlee Pedersen

Chanelle Pederson

Hallie Widner

University of Montana Athletics