Montana falls 1-0 at San Francisco

Friday, September 20

San Francisco, Calif.

8 PM (MT)

Montana

1-4-3, 0-0-0

San Francisco

6-3-0, 0-0-0

Montana

USF

9/20/2019 11:18:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

A header off a corner kick in the final minute of the first half proved to be the difference on Friday night as San Francisco defeated the Montana soccer team 1-0 under the lights of USF's Negoesco Stadium.

Izzie Lueken's corner kick was played to the far post, where Mia Villegas redirected the ball past a Montana defender for the only score in a match with limited quality chances for either team.

The win upped the Dons' record to 6-3-0. Two of those losses have come against teams ranked in the top five nationally in USC and Stanford.

The Grizzlies (1-4-3) were shut out for the fifth time this season in eight matches.

"I loved the effort put forth by us. We just need to get better at executing our moments. That's it," said coach Chris Citowicki, whose team limited the high-scoring Dons to just five shots on goal.

San Francisco totaled 15 goals in its first five victories of the season.

"I love the way we're defending. It's coming down to, are we creating chances to win, and today we didn't," added Citowicki.

"I loved the fight we put up. This is a very good team. Outside of Washington State, their intensity, the way they move the ball, the quality of players they have up front, they were outstanding."

San Francisco controlled possession through the opening 10 minutes, but once Montana found its footing, the match turned into a largely back-and-forth contest.

The difference came in the final minute of the first half. "They put a ball in the perfect spot in the moment," said Citowicki.

"We had to absorb the initial momentum, which I knew was going to be the case playing at their place. Once the game settled, we really built into the second half of the first half.

"The second half was just going to be us butting heads and someone trying to break through."

That the Grizzlies couldn't get anything past senior goalkeeper Olivia Camera shouldn't overshadow the work Montana did to limit San Francisco's top scoring threats.

Senior Samantha Jehnings, who scored both goals in San Francisco's 2-0 win in Missoula last season, entered the match with six goals through her team's first eight matches.

Senior Miciah Madison came into Friday's match with five goals and three assists. The two players combined for one shot on Friday night.

"They are incredible players, and neither of them could finagle a chance on goal today," said Citowicki. "We shut them down. It was a heck of a performance by us.

"You look at San Francisco and they have a lot of older players who are very good. We have a very young team that is just beginning to peak, and we competed exceptionally well against a team that is at the peak of their cycle."

Montana was held to five shots, only two of which were on goal, one by Alexa Coyle, the other by Taylor Stoeger. Camera made saves on both for her fifth career shutout.

Montana will remain in the Bay Area and face Saint Mary's (4-4) on Sunday at 1 p.m. (MT) in Moraga. The Gaels won for the fourth time in six matches with a 1-0 home victory over Portland State on Friday.