Back in the saddle

The Montana soccer team, which dropped its Big Sky Conference opener on Sunday in heartbreaking fashion against Northern Colorado, will be back at it this week with two more home matches.

The Grizzlies will host Eastern Washington on Friday at 3 p.m. at South Campus Stadium and Idaho at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The Eagles have won the last two Big Sky tournament titles and were voted the preseason favorite this year. The Vandals, who have lost just once in their last five matches, are off to a 2-0-0 start to league after posting a pair of home shutouts last weekend.

Happenings: Fans are encouraged to wear maroon to Friday's match. On Sunday, kids ages 12 and under get in free as part of Youth Day. There will also be a poster signing following the match.

Coverage: Can't make the matches? Catch them at WatchBigSky.com or Pluto TV, with Cole Johnson calling the action.

Trending (Montana): The Grizzlies (1-6-2, 0-1-0 BSC) are sitting on one win for the season and haven't had a victory since Aug. 31, but they are coming off a solid showing against Northern Colorado, when they were less than three minutes from recording a shutout. Instead it turned into a 2-1 double-overtime loss.

Trending (Eastern Washington): The Eagles (5-4-2, 1-1-0 BSC) aren't what they were last year, particularly on offense, but they have five wins and have lost just once in their last four matches, Friday's 1-0 home setback against Sacramento State. They rebounded with a 3-2 victory over Portland State on Sunday.

Trending (Idaho): Given a pair of home matches to open league last week, the Vandals (5-5-1, 2-0-0 BSC) made the most of it, shutting out Portland State 4-0 and Sacramento State 2-0. Bridget Daley had a hat trick in the former, Idaho allowed just three shots to the Hornets in the latter. It's early but the Vandals sit atop the standings with six points.

What's at stake: Sunday's game against Northern Colorado was one of nine Big Sky matches for Montana this fall, so there is no reason to overreact, but in a standings system that is based on the accumulation of points, to go from three to zero in a matter of minutes was a tough outcome, particularly in a home match.

With the Grizzlies playing four of their final six league matches on the road, it puts added pressure on this weekend. Montana needs some points as the race for the six spots at the Big Sky tournament in early November in Ogden, Utah, goes from starting blocks to all-out sprint.

The state of Montana:

Going into Sunday's matchup against Northern Colorado, Montana had held a lead this season for all of 48 seconds, the final moments of the Grizzlies' 1-0 victory over Vermont after Hallie Widner scored in the 90th minute.

So when Kennedy Yost scored to put Montana ahead 1-0 in the 42nd minute on Sunday against the Bears, it was a new game situation for this year's team. The Grizzlies held their first halftime lead of the year. They were playing from ahead coming out of the locker room.

The score would remain 1-0 for most of the second half, but the field would slowly start tilting in UNC's direction.

"We had lots of good things happening in the first half," said first-year coach Chris Citowicki. "In the second half, (Northern Colorado) came out flying and the momentum completely shifted over to their end. By the end we were kind of hanging on."

Northern Colorado took 11 second-half shots. Montana handled the first 10 of them and had their own corner kick in the 85th minute, meaning possession of the ball and the entire length of the field between victory and Northern Colorado's potential equalizer.

"The one thing I'd change is how we managed the lead," said Citowicki. "Outside of that, I was really happy with the performance.

"But to be up 1-0, there are some things we need to fix in terms of how we slow things down and how to keep the ball better. If you do that, you frustrate them even more and you come away with the win."

Less than a minute after Montana's late corner kick, Northern Colorado was taking a shot of its own. It was blocked but it led to the Bears' sixth corner kick of the second half. Less than two minutes later, with just 2:15 left on the clock, the score was tied.

"Let's face it. We haven't been in those situations very much, outside of Vermont, and we didn't have to manage that game because of how late we scored," said Citowicki. "Now we've had the experience of being up early and for a long time. Now we have to learn how to manage it."

Montana created three corner kicks in the first overtime but only had one shot. Just over four minutes into the second overtime, Mariel Gutierrez, one of the best players in the Big Sky, ended it from six yards out. Sudden death indeed.

"I'd say it's my most painful loss since I've been here," said Citowicki. "To be that close and let it to slip through our fingers? It hurts.

"In the second overtime, they caught us on one, and that's the end of the game."

On a positive note, Montana scored in consecutive matches for just the second time this season. Alexa Coyle scored in the second half of the team's 3-1 loss at Washington State, Yost scored her second career goal against Northern Colorado.

Yost scored on a free kick, burning the ball along the ground to the left of UNC's wall of defenders.

"I was looking over at the sideline to see if they wanted me to do anything specific. No one said anything, so I just tried to hit it hard," said Yost.

It was partly that, partly fortune that it went into the goal. Northern Colorado goalkeeper Rachel Thompson was in perfect position to scoop the ball up, but it went up her arms, off her shoulder and had enough spin that it landed in play before making its way across the goal line.

"It was a lucky goal, but we've been missing the luck piece for a while now," said Yost. "It was exciting to get, no matter how it goes in."

Even with Yost's goal, Montana has just four on the season, a total that is tied for 319th in the nation out of 333 Division I teams. One hundred seventy Division I players have scored five or more goals thus far this season by themselves.

And now Eastern Washington arrives, then Idaho to further put Montana to the test.

"Eastern is going to be very difficult. Outside of Washington State, they'll be the most physical team that we've faced. They like to battle and grind and work hard," said Citowicki.

"Then you follow them with Idaho, which historically has been known for being extremely physical as well. Luckily we've had the experience of playing Washington State, which is a team that loves to lay it out there, so we'll be ready for it."

Behind Chloe Williams, the Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP in 2015, '16 and '17, Eastern Washington led the league in scoring last season with 48 goals in 23 matches (2.09/g).

The Eagles had the best showing by a Big Sky team in the NCAA tournament in a number of years in November, leading 1-0 at the half at USC before falling 2-1 in double overtime.

This year's team isn't scoring as much -- 11 goals in 11 matches -- but it is still taking a Big Sky-leading 16.0 shots per game, nearly six more per match than it is allowing, and creates more corner kicks than any other league team.

Senior Jenny Chavez has two of those 11 goals. She was first-team All-Big Sky last season, third-team all-region under Chad Bodnar, who has yet to be voted Big Sky Coach of the Year despite leading his team to a league record of 19-6-5 the last three years.

Idaho coach Jeremy Clevenger wasn't hired until July but he has the Vandals playing like they've been operating in his system for years.

Idaho ranks in the bottom half of the Big Sky in shots but sits No. 2 in goals per game (1.27/g). The Vandals scored four times on six shots on goal in Friday's 4-0 trouncing of Portland State. In Sunday's 2-0 victory over Sacramento State, Idaho scored twice on five shots on goal.

"We have a good perspective in that we know we have a lot we can learn from (the Northern Colorado match)," said Coyle. "There is a lot of good we can take from it.

"It was painful, but we're already focused on the next opponent. That match is done, and we're moving on."

Around the Big Sky Conference:

* Four teams came out of the opening weekend of league matches without a loss. Idaho is 2-0-0 after a home sweep, Northern Colorado is 1-0-0 following its road win at Montana.

* Northern Arizona, which opened with a 3-2 victory at Idaho State, rallying back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, and Weber State, which opened with a 5-2 home win over Southern Utah, are both 1-0-1. The Lumberjacks and Wildcats played to a 0-0 deadlock in Ogden on Sunday.

* Eastern Washington, Sacramento State and Idaho State, which picked up its second win of the season with Sunday's 1-0 home victory over Southern Utah, are 1-1-0.

* Portland State and Southern Utah, both of which opened with two road matches, got off to 0-2-0 starts. Those two teams are a combined 3-17 on the season.

* Idaho swept the Big Sky Player of the Week awards on Tuesday. Bridget Daley turned her Friday hat trick into Offensive POW honors. Makayla Presgrave took home Defensive POW honors with two shutout wins.

* Friday's schedule: Eastern Washington at Montana, Idaho at Northern Colorado, Weber State at Portland State, Idaho State at Sacramento State

* Friday match to track: Idaho at Northern Colorado. Through one weekend of league matches, the two teams without a loss or tie spoiling their record.

* Sunday's schedule: Idaho at Montana, Eastern Washington at Northern Colorado, Idaho State at Portland State, Weber State at Sacramento State, Northern Arizona at Southern Utah

* Sunday match to track: Eastern Washington at Northern Colorado. The two teams that won the Big Sky tournament championship the last three years (UNC in 2015, EWU in 2016 and '17).

Upcoming: Montana will face its first Big Sky road matches next week when it plays at Idaho State and Weber State.

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Players Mentioned

Alexa Coyle

Hallie Widner

Kennedy Yost

University of Montana Athletics