Griz fall to Eagles 3-2

Saturday, October 5

Missoula Country Club<br>Missoula, Mont.

9 AM

Montana

Griz Match Play Challenge

Photo by: © Derek Johnson 2019

10/5/2019 3:05:00 PM | Golf

Results

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana women's golf team closed out the Griz Match Play Challenge with a tight 3-2 loss to Eastern Washington on Saturday morning at the Missoula Country Club.

Facing a favored Eagles team that was 80 strokes better than the Grizzlies at the Battle at Old Works last month and the Rose City Collegiate earlier this week, Montana picked up wins from Allison Sobol and Teigan Avery and had two other matches go down to the final hole.

"It was very interesting at the end. There were swings back and forth. Across the board, I loved our heart out there. It was fun to see," said coach Kris Nord.

Sobol and Faith D'Ortenzio both had exciting back-nine rallies, with Sobol winning her match on the first playoff hole. D'Ortenzio dropped hers on the 18th green after coming back from four down at the turn.

Sobol was two down on the tee at 17 and facing elimination, but she closed out her match going birdie, birdie, birdie.

She drained a mid-range putt on 18 to pull even and force a playoff. Playing No. 10 a second time, she put her approach to 10 feet, then calmly rolled in the birdie putt. Her opponent was unable to match it.

"I kind of got up to those putts and didn't think too hard on them. I saw the line and tried not to be nervous. They were pretty solid putts," said Sobol.

"Match play is a whole different game mentally. You don't have to sweat the bad holes, which is really nice. You just take it hole by hole."

At the top of the order Kylie Esh dropped a 2-and-1 decision to Madalyn Ardueser, who won the individual title at both the Battle at Old Works and Rose City Collegiate.

Jessica Ponce was two down at the turn and did everything she could to flip the match in her favor on the back nine. But Stephanie Heimler was just too good when she needed to be.

"The gal that Jessica played dropped two bombs that turned that match around," said Nord. "We had Faith turning her match around and Allison going birdie, birdie, birdie to win.

"There will be some carryover for confidence that should take us into next weekend. We hung in there and showed we can hang with one of the better teams in the conference."

Montana won three of its four non-scoring matches, with Brooklyn Van Bebber and Tricia Joyce both defeating Eastern Washington opponents 1 up.

Emmy Sunday won 3-and-2 against her opponent from Montana State.

In the day's other match, Idaho State defeated Montana State 3-2.

Montana will close out its fall schedule at the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational in Lakewood, Wash., on Oct. 14-15.