Griz win, advance to title match

Friday, November 5

Greeley, Colo.

11 AM

Montana

12-5-1

Sacramento State

5-12-2

Sacramento State

Montana

Photos: Thomas Hoffman, UNC Athletics

11/5/2021 3:34:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Charley Boone, in just her second career start, scored the game-winning goal in the 87th minute to lead the Montana soccer team to a dramatic 1-0 victory over No. 6-seed Sacramento State on Friday in the first semifinal of the Big Sky Conference Championship in Greeley, Colo.

The winning play, which followed a Montana corner kick, started near midfield, where Allie Larsen shook off a Hornet defender and lofted a ball into the box, where Taylor Stoeger astutely headed it to an open Boone, who calmly scored her first goal as a Grizzly.

"I was in for the corner kick, so I just kind of stayed up there. Once I saw she was going to cross it, I just basically remade my run. I kind of think (Stoeger) knew someone was behind her," said Boone.

It meant Stoeger was involved in the two biggest moments of the match.

In the 79th minute, Sacramento State was awarded a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Aubrey Goodwill put a sharply struck ball off the crossbar. The rebound went to the head of Isabell Vinsonhaler and she redirected it toward a mostly open goal.

That's when Stoeger stepped in and cleared the shot from a spot just inside the goal line.

"Taylor Stoeger doing Taylor Stoeger things," said fourth-year Griz coach Chris Citowicki, who improved to 5-1-0 in Big Sky tournament matches. "She's just amazing. That's what you want from seniors, right?"

For all the perks that should come with going 7-1-1 in league and being the No. 2 seed in the tournament with a bye to the semifinals, it's not as beneficial as it's made out to be.

It meant Montana went from Oct. 24 to Friday between matches, and the Grizzlies looked like they hadn't played in 12 days when the game opened.

Sacramento State, on the other hand, had just a 10-day break and the opportunity to play on Wednesday, a 1-0 victory over No. 3 Northern Arizona.

The result: Montana got outshot 8-2 in the first half and didn't put a shot on goal, while the Hornets held 59 percent of the possession and created five corner kicks.

"It's hard to sit around for that long doing nothing," said Citowicki. "They had the momentum of a massive win against NAU and brought it to us.

"I wasn't panicked in the first half. It was just going to be 0-0 at the half, then see what happens."

It wasn't simply a listless start for the Grizzlies. The Hornets started the match in a formation that gave the higher seed fits and hardly any open looks at goal. Both of Montana's first-half shots came from distance.

"They played against us with four defenders, four midfielders, an attacking mid and a forward," said Citowicki.

"We couldn't be frustrated and angry at (the players). We didn't have them in the right spots to be successful."

That came after halftime, when Montana outshot Sacramento State 11-4.

"As soon as we tweaked our formation and overloaded the midfield, we started having plenty of opportunities," said Citowicki.

After surviving Sacramento State's shot off the crossbar, its second of the match, and the would-be goal that Stoeger saved off the line in the 79th minute, it was Montana's turn.

The extended play started with a Taylor Hansen corner kick that was cleared out and played up the right side, where Larsen initiated the winning sequence.

"It's a set piece we work on, so Stoeger knew exactly what she was doing when that ball was coming in," said Citowicki.

"They locked eyes and Allie was like, alright, I know what ball I have to play, I know what she's going to do, and Charley showed up at the right spot to score."

Boone got the start and was on the field to play hero because Molly Quarry missed her first career match with an injury. And those make for the best sports stories.

"She's only in the lineup because Molly was out, and because of that it opens up the door for Charley to come in, and she stepped up and scored the game-winner. How cool is that?" said Citowicki.

Boone would play a season-high 79 minutes, 18 more than her previous high.

Of course, it was the 87th minute in particular that she'll remember for a long, long time, that is if the memory even registered.

"It was like an out-of-body experience," she said. "I feel like I didn't even do it. I don't think there was a whole bunch of thought I put into it. Just take a good touch and go from there," she said.

The win was the 12th of the season for Camellia Xu, the third-most ever for a Griz goalkeeper. She also recorded her 10th shutout, which matched the program single-season record.

But it didn't come easily. It was a redshirt freshman playing in her first postseason match.

"You could sense she was a lot more quiet before the match," said Citowicki. "She knew it was a big moment. She took some time to get into it and find her way through it.

"I'm just happy she got the shutout and we got the result. Everything is a new experience for her, so she needed this. She won't be as jittery going into the final."

Montana will face either No. 1 Northern Colorado at noon on Sunday on its home field or No. 3 Weber State.

"The team we faced today had a good game plan. They wanted to take away our opportunities to score, then hit us on the counter. And they did it really well," said Citowicki. "It worked and almost won them the game.

"What you'll see on Sunday, no matter who we play, will be two teams who want to play soccer. Both teams will want to out-possess the other, so it will be a lot more open."

Montana, which already owns more Big Sky tournament titles than any other program, will try to win No. 7 on Sunday and make it three in four years under Citowicki.