Griz settle for Sunday draw

Sunday, October 13

Cedar City, Utah

1 PM

Montana

5-5-4, 4-0-1BSC

Southern Utah

0-12-1, 0-4-1BSC

Montana

Southern Utah

Photo by: © Derek Johnson 2019

10/13/2019 5:52:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

How you take Sunday's outcome -- the Montana soccer team played to a 0-0 draw against Southern Utah in Cedar City -- depends on the perspective used to interpret the result.

On one hand, the Thunderbirds were 0-12-0 entering the match and had been outscored 35-6 on the season. They hadn't played to as much as a draw in more than a year.

On the other hand, Montana is coming home in first place in the Big Sky Conference standings after a four-point weekend, despite as difficult a road trip as a person could script.

Informed earlier in the week that they wouldn't have rooms in Flagstaff to return to after their match against Northern Arizona on Friday night, a 1-0 victory, the Grizzlies opted to bus straight to Cedar City.

Then there was the accident that shut down both lanes of traffic, a more than two-hour delay sitting idle in the darkness and an arrival at the team hotel in Cedar City at 7:15 a.m. on Saturday.

On one hand, Montana likely gave away points against a team that hadn't posted a shutout yet this season and had given up 12 goals to its first four league opponents.

On the other hand, Montana survived a first-half penalty kick that Southern Utah put off the post and outshot the Thunderbirds 22-10, putting 12 shots on goal, so maybe a four-point road trip isn't so bad after all.

"It's a hard road trip to start with, even without any travel issues," said coach Chris Citowicki. "We were just tired today. We were lethargic. We weren't energetic. We didn't have the ball the way we normally have it or move it the way we normally move it.

"In the end, we couldn't find our rhythm, and Southern Utah found theirs. They were set up extremely well and were very good on the counterattack. They deserved to win the game, to be honest. We were lucky to get out of it with a tie."

As is often the case when 110 minutes of scoreless soccer is brought up, it's the lack of offense and goals scored that becomes the focus and not the defense being played that led to the 0-0 draw.

And that would be to overlook Southern Utah goalkeeper Isabella Whitmore, who made 12 saves, and Montana's Claire Howard, who has given up a single goal through five Big Sky matches and on Sunday made it career shutout No. 23, moving her within one of the program record.

"The only plusses coming out of it are that we get another shutout and we haven't lost yet," said Citowicki, whose team sits atop the league standings at 4-0-1.

"We defended, even though we were exceptionally tired. I thought that was good. We were throwing our bodies on the line to make sure they didn't score. I just wish we would have taken one of our chances."

Montana outshot Southern Utah 12-5 in the first half, but it was the Thunderbirds who had the match's biggest moment, when Jaden Griggs was whistled for a foul that led to a penalty kick in the 39th minute.

Makenzie Lawrence, Southern Utah's leading scorer, hit the post, leaving the match scoreless.

Montana would outshoot the Thunderbirds 7-4 in the second half, 3-1 in 20 minutes of overtime, but it wasn't to be.

"We went from one of our best performances of the year on Friday night to one of our worst. But it can't just be that we were bad. I have to give credit to Southern Utah. They were organized and made it very hard for us," said Citowicki. "And we were lucky they didn't score their penalty kick.

"In the end, maybe we needed this. When you're winning games, you start to feel good and like you're potentially invincible. It takes a day when you're not fully motivated to realize that, hey, maybe we're not that good. Maybe we have to be 100 percent every single day."

And now it gets real. Montana's final four regular-season opponents just happen to be the four teams right behind the Grizzlies, who have 13 points, in the Big Sky standings.

Next weekend: Sacramento State (nine points) and Portland State (nine points) at home. Then: Northern Colorado (11 points) and Eastern Washington (10 points) on the road.

First up are the Hornets (8-1-5, 2-0-3 BSC) on Friday at 3 p.m. at South Campus Stadium.

Sacramento State won at Portland State on Sunday to extend its unbeaten streak to 13 consecutive matches. The Hornets are 8-0-5 since a season-opening loss at UC Davis.

Montana will host Portland State (4-10-0, 3-2-0 BSC) at noon on Sunday in the Grizzlies' final home match of the season.