Grizzlies to host Southern Utah to begin Big Sky action

SOUTHERN UTAH AT MONTANA
Sunday, Sept. 24 / 1 p.m. MT / Missoula, Mont.
Video Stream / Pluto TV (channel 237) / Live Statistics

GRIZZLIES HOST SOUTHERN UTAH TO BEGIN BIG SKY PLAY
The past five weeks have been a grind for the Montana soccer team, playing what head coach Mark Plakorus has called the toughest non-conference slate during his seven-year tenure in Missoula. In total, the Grizzlies played seven of their 10 games away from home and faced four teams from Power-5 conferences.

While challenged and exposed at times, the team came out of the non-conference stretch with a 5-4-1 record, and a better overall team than where they were in August.

"It was the toughest group of games we've played in the non-conference," Plakorus said. "We grew each week and improved, and the players have done a fantastic job of getting better at the things we need to get better. I think that sets us up well for conference play."

The non-conference slate began with a 4-1 mark, earning wins on the road at Boise State, at home vs. Air Force and San Jose State and on a neutral field vs. Georgia Southern. Then things got tougher, facing No. 14 Nebraska, Iowa and Oregon (all 1-0 losses to top-level teams). In the midst of that, the Grizzlies also won on the road at Northern Iowa – a team that through three weeks was unbeaten and hadn't allowed a goal until they faced UM – and tied Washington State.

Now comes conference play, when things really start to matter. Montana has won either the regular-season or tournament championship three times in the past five seasons, but according to Plakorus, has fallen short of reaching its full potential each of the past two seasons. UM was picked to finish third in the 2017 preseason poll.

The talent is there and so is the depth, which may be Montana's biggest advantage. The team has been battle tested through the first five weeks and now it's time to put it to the test.

"If we do what I think we can do, results will take care of themselves," Plakorus said. "I have all the confidence in the world in this team. Conference is just different. The teams know each other a lot better and everything does get ratcheted up, but the key to a good team is staying calm and going about our business."

Be sure to come out to the soccer game Sunday at 1PM. The Griz will take on SUU. Stick around after for poster signing! #FightUniteWin pic.twitter.com/zKGzri5ODj
— Montana Griz Soccer (@MontanaGrizSOC) September 21, 2017

MONTANA AT A GLANCE

Montana enters play this weekend with a 5-4-1 mark, most recently drawing a 0-0 tie with Washington State.
UM is led by a pair of freshmen. Alexa Coyle has a team-most two goals, five points and six shots on goal, while Claire Howard has posted three shutouts in goal.
Overall, six of UM's 10 goals have come from freshmen, with five different newcomers accounting for 15 of the team's 29 points (51.7 percent).
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 returned eight starters and 12 letterwinners from its 2016 team, including All-Big Sky Conference second-team performers Chanelle Pederson and Hallie Widner.
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.
On the flip side, UM had to replace All-Big Sky Conference first-team selection Tess Brenneman and 2016 Big Sky Conference Goalkeeper of the Year Kailey Norman.
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 SOUTHERN UTAH

Southern Utah enters conference play with a 1-7 mark, being out-scored 34-8. The Thunderbirds travel to Portland State on Friday, prior to playing Montana.
The Thunderbirds' lone win on the season came Sept. 8 at Nevada.
SUU and UM have two common opponents. Montana lost to Utah State (2-0) and Iowa (1-0), while SUU lost to the Aggies (4-0 in an exhibition) and the Hawkeyes (8-1).
Ally Thimsen is one goal shy of matching the school's all-time record. She has one goal and one assist and a team-most 11 shots this season.
The Thunderbirds are led offensively by MaKenzie Lawrence and Payton Wells (two goals apiece) and Meghan Deherrera (one goal, three assists).
SUU has used four goalies, with Kaitlyn Caldera recording 22 saves.
Fred Thompson is in his first season at Southern Utah.
SUU went 3-12-2 in 2016. It was picked to finish 10th in the 2017 Big Sky preseason poll.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE THUNDERBIRDS
Montana is unbeaten against Southern Utah, recording 4-0-2 mark. The two teams have met each season since 2011, with the Grizzlies going 2-0 on their home field (2013 and 2015).

Sixteen current players have faced the Thunderbirds in their careers, including Chanelle Pederson – who has started the last three contests – and Janessa Fowler, Taryn Miller, Ellie Otteson and Hallie Widner – who have started twice against SUU. Widner scored a goal in the 2014 meeting and had an assist in 2016. In the 2015 contest in Missoula, Otteson had a goal and assisted a goal for Charlene Burger. In last year's 2-0 shutout, McKenzie Warren scored both goals for the Griz while Maddie Vincent earned the win in goal.

WEEKEND REWIND
Facing a pair of Pac-12 schools last weekend, Montana proved it is capable of competing with that caliber of competition, allowing just a single goal in the two contests. After allowing an early goal to the Ducks, Montana's defense held Oregon and Washington State without a goal for the final 196:43 of the weekend.

On Friday in Eugene, Oregon came out firing, taking nine shots in the first 20 minutes – all before UM got its first shot off. Play evened out in the second half, but the Grizzlies couldn't get a shot to fall.

"We adjusted really well and settled into our game," Plakorus said. "We started getting some possession and I thought the game was pretty even after the first 20 minutes. I'm pleased with how we played. We had chances, we just didn't have enough to get it done tonight."

The Griz then traveled back to Missoula to face a tough Washington State squad. The two teams saw each other but didn't meet in early September when UM played Georgia Southern and Nebraska in Pullman. That weekend, WSU upended then-No. 14 Nebraska. The Cougars' high-powered offense was held in check for 110 minutes by a strong Griz defense. UM got 10 shots off, but was unable to bury several good opportunities.

"I'm really proud of our girls," Plakorus said. "I thought we played really well in every facet of the game, and every person that went into the game played well. That's a very talented team we went up against. They're going to win a lot of games in the Pac-12, and we were right there with them."

Janessa Fowler had three shots for the Grizzlies, including a free kick in the 58th minute that hit the top of the net. Dani Morris and Chanelle Pederson each had two shots, including back-to-back opportunities late in the first half when Morris was one-on-one and had a clear look before having her shot blocked at the last second. The Grizzlies regained possession but Pederson's shot from deep on the left side was saved. Montana's best chance, though, came in the 56th minute, when Hallie Widner stole the ball and passed it off to Ellie Otteson, who had her shot stopped by WSU's diving goalie. With the ball still loose in front of the net, Morris got off an attempt in the six-yard box that was blocked.

The Grizzlies were called for a red card early in the first overtime period, forcing them to change their approaching after being a player down.

HOWARD HONORED BY BIG SKY
Redshirt freshman Claire Howard has been rock-solid all season, allowing just six goals and posting three shutouts. In fact, her saves percentage ranks in the top 60 of all Division-I goalies, and earlier this week, she was recognized as the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week.

Howard allowed just one goal to a pair of Pac-12 opponents, recording 12 saves and facing 30 shots in 200 minutes of action.

Facing an attack-focused Oregon squad on Friday, Howard saw nine shots in the opening 20 minutes. After allowing a goal in the fourth minute, she was perfect, recording a career-high six saves. Two days later, at home vs. Washington State, Howard tied Friday's mark with six saves. She shut out the Cougars for 110 minutes during a double-overtime draw, including the final 17 minutes when Montana was down a player due to a red card. Washington State was held without a goal for just the second time this season. Entering Sunday's contest, the Cougars were averaging 3.67 goals per game over their past three matches.

12 saves vs. 2 Pac-12 teams
1 goal allowed in 200 minutes

Claire Howard. @BigSkyConf Defensive Player of the Week! https://t.co/jKsSxOXBiG pic.twitter.com/Byf0FbH7zN
— Montana Griz Soccer (@MontanaGrizSOC) September 19, 2017

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Griz are unbeaten on its home field this season, recording victories over Air Force and San Jose State and a double-overtime tie against Washington State of the Pac-12. Dating back to 2012, Montana has won more than 70 percent of its home matches, going 27-10-8.

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

GOOD INDICATION
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 4-0 when scoring first this season, and in fact, they are 5-0 when scoring at all.

Three of UM's four losses have been 1-0 shutouts. Despite being blanked four times this season, the team is out-scoring its opponents 11-8 and has yet to allow more than two goals in game.

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 five who have earned starts.
Alexa Coyle and Claire Howard have started all 10 contests for the Griz. Coyle is the team leader for points (5) and shots on goal (6) while Howard has posted three shutouts in net.
Six of UM's 10 goals scored have come by freshmen, in addition to 51.7 percent (15 of 29) 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," 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."

LOOKING AHEAD
The Griz continue conference action with road matches at Idaho State (Sept. 29) and Weber State (Oct. 1). The two teams were picked to finish eighth and seventh, respectively, in the league's preseason poll.

If Gabbi DeMarce wasn't a soccer player, she'd probably be a comedian. #MeetUMMonday pic.twitter.com/0o5FeWxhqP
— Montana Griz Soccer (@MontanaGrizSOC) September 18, 2017

Grizzlies to host Southern Utah to begin Big Sky action

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tess Brenneman

Charlene Burger

Raye Burton

Alexa Coyle

Gabbi DeMarce

Janessa Fowler

Claire Howard

Rita Lang

Taryn Miller

Dani Morris

Kailey Norman

Ellie Otteson

Chanelle Pederson

Maddie Vincent

McKenzie Warren

Hallie Widner

University of Montana Athletics

Grizzlies to host Southern Utah to begin Big Sky action

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tess Brenneman

Charlene Burger

Raye Burton

Alexa Coyle

Gabbi DeMarce

Janessa Fowler

Claire Howard

Rita Lang

Taryn Miller

Dani Morris

Kailey Norman

Ellie Otteson

Chanelle Pederson

Maddie Vincent

McKenzie Warren

Hallie Widner

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