Griz hit the road again to face top-level competition

MONTANA AT IOWA
Friday, Sept. 8 / 6 p.m. MT / Iowa City, Iowa
B ig Ten Network Plus ($) / Live Statistics

MONTANA AT NORTHERN IOWA
Sunday, Sept. 10 / 11 a.m. MT / Cedar Falls, Iowa
E SPN3 / Live Statistics

GRIZ TO FACE TALENTED TEAMS ON THE ROAD
The Montana women's soccer team will continue its road trip this weekend, traveling to the state of Iowa to take on two tough teams. First up are the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference. It will mark UM's second consecutive match against a Big Ten team – taking then-No. 14 Nebraska down to the wire last Sunday. Two days later, UM will take on an undefeated Northern Iowa squad. Combined, UM's two opponents this weekend are 9-1 on the season.

Friday's match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network Plus, however a subscription is required. Sunday's match will be shown on www.ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app. Live statistics for both matches can be found on the soccer schedule page on www.GoGriz.com.

"We once again have a challenge in front of ourselves, playing two really good teams," head coach Mark Plakorus said. "I see a team that wants that challenge, though. We're hungry and not satisfied, so we'll go out there and give it all we've got."

MONTANA AT A GLANCE

Montana enters play this weekend with a 4-2 mark. It is the sixth time in school history that UM has posted four or more wins through its first six contests to begin a season.
UM is led by a pair of freshmen. Alexa Coyle has a team-most three goals, six points and eight shots on goal, while Claire Howard has posted two shutouts in goal.
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, including All-Big Sky Conference second-team performers Chanelle Pederson and Hallie Widner. The Griz reached as high as No. 9 in last season's NSCAA Pacific Region rankings.
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 IOWA

Iowa enters Friday's match with a 4-1 mark, with its only loss coming to then-No. 24 Notre Dame.
The Hawkeyes are out-scoring their opponents 14-6 on the season, in large part thanks to an 8-1 victory over Big Sky member Southern Utah.
Sophomores Olivia Fiegel and Devin Burns (five goals apiece) lead the Hawkeyes' offense. Burns is the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. She scored five goals and tallied an assist in wins over Southern Utah and UC Santa Barbara last weekend.
Senior Karly Stuenkel, junior Rose Ripslinger and sophomore Natalie Winters were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List in August.
Sophomore Claire Graves has started four games in goal, recording 11 saves and four goals allowed.
The Hawkeyes went 8-11 in 2016 and were just 2-9 in Big Ten play. They returned 17 letterwinners and five starters from that squad, but just one player that scored more than one goal.
UI was picked to finish 12th out of 14 teams in the Big Ten in 2017.
Head coach Dave Diianni is in his fourth season at Iowa, accumulating a 33-29-2 record.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE HAWKEYES
UM is 1-1 all-time against Iowa, dropping a 2009 decision in Iowa City, 2-0, before shutting out the Hawkeyes in 2015 in Missoula. In that match, McKenzie Warren, then a freshman, scored her first collegiate goal in the 73rd minute to give the Griz a 1-0 victory. Current Griz Charlene Burger, Kaitlin Crowell, Jacey Delaney, Maddy Emerick, Janessa Fowler, Allie Lucas, Dani Morris, Ellie Otteson, Ashlee Pedersen and Chanelle Pederson also played in that match.

SCOUTING NIORTHERN IOWA

Northern Iowa enters the weekend with a perfect 5-0 record, most-recently defeating Kansas State to jump out to its best start in school history (the Panthers host South Dakota State on Friday prior to playing Montana).
Led by goalkeeper Jami Reichenberger, UNI has yet to allow a goal this season, out-scoring its opponents 11-0.
Senior Sarah Brandt was named the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 29. She has three goals and two assists this season.
Brandt and junior midfielder Hannah McDevitt were named to the 2016 All-MVC second team, while Sydney Hayden and Jenny Wick were named to the MVC All-Freshman team.
The Panthers went 8-8-3 in 2016, falling in the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament. They return nine of 11 starters from that squad.
Bruce Erickson is in his first season at UNI.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE PANTHERS
UM and UNI have never met in soccer.

WEEKEND REWIND
The Griz came away from its weekend trip to Pullman, Wash., with one victory and added confidence after going toe-to-toe with then-No. 14 Nebraska.

The weekend opened up with a 2-1 win over Georgia Southern. Despite a goal in the sixth minute by freshman Alexa Coyle, head coach Mark Plakorus felt as though his team lacked intensity for the remainder of the half, going to the break tied at 1-1. The focus changed in the second half, though, and UM would get its chance in the 55th minute, when the Eagles were called for a foul in the box and Janessa Fowler capitalized with a penalty kick. In goal, Claire Howard had a career-most five saves.

"I'm really proud of the girls in the second half," head coach Mark Plakorus said. "They responded and lifted their level of play. It wasn't smooth by any means but sometimes you've got to be able to grind out things, and we did."

The Griz weren't able to draw a result against No. 14 Nebraska, but it gave the Huskers all they could handle in a 1-0 decision. Nebraska entered the weekend averaging 3.0 goals per game, but were limited to just one – on a world-class goal in the 39th minute – against the Griz. UM had several scoring opportunities, but could never draw iron against a defense that has allowed just two goals in six games all season.

"I can't tell you how proud of these girls I am," head coach Mark Plakorus said. "We played very well and went toe to toe with them. Nebraska is a very, very good team, but I think our kids rose to the challenge today."

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
UM's victory over Georgia Southern last Friday ran its win streak to three matches and improved its season record to 4-1, tied for its best five-match start to a season in school history (also done in 2000). Now at 4-2, it still marks just the sixth time that the Griz have won four matches through its first six contests. UM has done it in back-to-back seasons, also starting 2016 with a 4-2 mark.

TRENDING
Through three weeks of play, a couple trends have stood out regarding the UM soccer team. For instance, the Griz are undefeated on Fridays (3-0) and in night matches (also 3-0). The team is a perfect 4-0 when scoring first, and in fact, 4-0 when scoring at all – UM's two losses have been shutouts. Overall, the Griz are out-scoring its opponents 9-5 and have yet to allow more than two goals in a game.

STARTING THEM YOUNG
Despite returning 12 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's squad, Montana also added 14 newcomers during the offseason.

In total, eight players have made their collegiate debuts so far this season, including four who have earned starts, including Alexa Coyle and Claire Howard who have started all six contests. During the Montana Cup, UM's first three goals were scored by freshmen. Howard, a fellow freshman, has also earned two shutouts in goal.

"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."

MILLER NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior defender Taryn Miller was named the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 29.

Miller's defensive play was critical to Montana's wins over Air Force and San José State, with the Griz allowing just one goal over the two matches. In UM's shutout victory over Air Force, Miller and the Griz defense allowed just two shots on goal. Two days later against the Spartans – who won the 2015 Mountain West championship and played in the NCAA tournament – the Griz held SJSU to one goal in a 4-1 win.

Not limited to defense, though, Miller also scored a goal and tallied an assist in the win. Her goal came in the 71st minute to give UM a three-goal advantage.

NEXT PLAYER UP
Redshirt freshman Claire Howard has had a strong start to her collegiate career, posting shutouts in two of her first three contests. However, leading 3-1 against San José State on Aug. 27, she went down with a leg injury that required 10 stitches. In came Maddie Vincent, who recorded two saves and faced five total shots to preserve the win for the Griz.

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
The Griz beat Air Force in its home opener on Aug. 25, improving to 3-0-3 over its past six home openers.

That record follows a similar trend overall. Over the past five-plus seasons, Montana has won more than 70 percent of its home matches, going 27-10-7. Montana's next home match will be Sept. 17 against Washington State of the Pac-12.

"Missoula is a great soccer town," Plakorus said. "It has always supported us very well, and we always enjoy playing here in front of our fans."

SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
With Montana's Aug. 18 win over Boise State (Aug. 18), UM improved to 5-0-2 in season openers under Plakorus. Six of those matchups have been against Mountain West foes, facing Air Force, Boise State and Wyoming twice each. All-time, UM is 12-9-3 in season openers.

PICKED TO FINISH 3RD
The Big Sky Conference announced the 2017 preseason soccer poll on Aug. 7, with Montana picked to finish third out of 11 teams. UM received 76 points in the poll, which was voted on by the league's head coaches.

Eastern Washington, which won the Big Sky tournament as a No. 5 seed in 2016, is the preseason favorite, earning 95 points and eight of the 11 top votes. Northern Arizona was predicted to finish second, receiving 80 points and one first-place vote; EWU beat NAU in last year's championship game. Idaho, the 2016 regular-season champion and last year's preseason favorite, is just behind UM with 75 points and one first-place vote. Northern Colorado was the other school to earn a first place vote, receiving one and 68 total points, for fifth place.

The Griz will face those four teams consecutively in October, with three of the four matchups coming on the road.

LOOK WHO'S BACK
The Griz returned 12 letterwinners from last year's squad, including six players who started three-quarters of its contests or more. That group includes McKenzie Warren and Hallie Widner – who tied for the team lead with four goals apiece – plus a slew of offensive talent. Overall, UM returned 78.3 percent of its goals scored and total points from 2016, plus 73.9 percent of its assists.

CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
Looking at the 2017 schedule, Plakorus believes that this year's slate may be the toughest he's ever assembled.

The Griz began the season with four consecutive matches against teams from the Mountain West (two on the road, two at home), before embarking on the road for three of the next four weekends of non-conference play. During that stretch, UM faces four Power-5 opponents, including No. 14 Nebraska last week.

But the games against the "bigger schools" are exciting for the Griz. In 2015, Montana beat Iowa. In 2016, it took down Purdue on the road. UM has also played Washington State and Missouri to overtime.

"Every game is a lesson, and we've learned a lot about what it takes to get to the next level," Plakorus said.

The variety of teams UM will face will force it to see different styles of play and adapt on the fly. Plakorus also noted that it will challenge his players and make them uncomfortable – in a good way. All of this, ideally, will prepare the Griz for what it will see in the Big Sky Conference, and hopefully in the NCAA tournament down the road.

FILLING THE VOID
The Griz returned the majority of its talent from a year ago, but is looking to fill a few key pieces. Gone from last year's team are starters Tess Brenneman, Mary Gintz and Kailey Norman.

Brenneman was a two-time first-team All-Big Sky conference selection, while Norman was named the 2016 Big Sky Conference Goalkeeper of the Year. Gintz started 59 games for the Griz.

"The one thing you can't stop doing is losing players," Plakorus said. "We had some players who played significant minutes and made a big impact on our team. We'll feel their loss, but there's also players who have been watching them and learning from them. I think the mark of a good program is that you're sad to see the impact players go, but the new players are ready for the opportunity and excited to be the next one up. I have no doubt that we have those girls who are ready to step into those shoes."

BRINGING IN REINFORCEMENT
Joining second-year assistant coach Micaela Castain, Katie Benz was added to the Griz coaching staff over the summer.

Benz's collegiate career at Cal included four trips to the NCAA tournament. Following graduation, she played professionally before getting into coaching in 2016, as volunteer director of operations at the University of Denver. Castain was a standout player at Washington State, leading the Cougars to three NCAA tournament appearances and being named the 2013 Pac-12 Player of the Year and a second-team NSCAA All-American.

"Micaela and Katie are, first of all, two great people," said Plakorus, noting their character, work ethic and drive to be successful. "You look at these two young ladies and nothing came easy for them. They had to work extremely hard and went on to be successful. They're great coaches but great role models as well."

AN OPPORTUNITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
As the only Division-I women's soccer team in the state of Montana, Plakorus takes his job seriously. It's a big flag to carry, but something he enjoys doing.

"It's an unbelievable opportunity," Plakorus said. "As I began my coaching career, I always had my eye on Montana. I thought it was special what this school and these athletics teams mean to this state and this community. To be a Grizzly and run this program and be responsible for it is very special."

SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM
A total of 19 student-athletes from the 2016 soccer team earned Academic All-Big Sky Conference recognition in February for obtaining a 3.2 grade-point average or better. The figure was tied for the most in the league.

Of the 19, 13 are on this year's roster, in addition to true freshman Alexa Coyle, who was one of just 49 high school seniors nationally named to the NSCAA High School Scholar All-America Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

LOOKING AHEAD
Montana will close its non-conference slate with two more teams from Power-5 conferences. The Griz will travel to Eugene, Ore. On Friday, Sept. 15, to face the Oregon Ducks before returning home to host the Washington State Cougars on Sunday, Sept. 17. WSU is currently receiving top-25 votes.

Griz hit the road again to face top-level competition

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tess Brenneman

Charlene Burger

Alexa Coyle

Kaitlin Crowell

Jacey Delaney

Maddy Emerick

Janessa Fowler

Mary Gintz

Claire Howard

Allie Lucas

Taryn Miller

Dani Morris

Kailey Norman

Ellie Otteson

Ashlee Pedersen

Chanelle Pederson

Maddie Vincent

McKenzie Warren

Hallie Widner

University of Montana Athletics

Griz hit the road again to face top-level competition

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tess Brenneman

Charlene Burger

Alexa Coyle

Kaitlin Crowell

Jacey Delaney

Maddy Emerick

Janessa Fowler

Mary Gintz

Claire Howard

Allie Lucas

Taryn Miller

Dani Morris

Kailey Norman

Ellie Otteson

Ashlee Pedersen

Chanelle Pederson

Maddie Vincent

McKenzie Warren

Hallie Widner

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