Overtime goal gives Montana road sweep

Sunday, March 14

Moscow, Idaho

2 PM (MT)

Montana

3-0-0, 2-0-0BSC

Idaho

0-4-0, 0-2-0BSC

Montana

Idaho

Photos: Miles Whitling

3/14/2021 6:22:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

At one end of the field, it was Claire Howard making five saves and picking up career shutout No. 29, which matched the Big Sky Conference record.

At the other end, it was Rita Lang powering in the game-winner at 99:43 in Montana's 1-0 overtime victory at Idaho on Sunday afternoon in the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

Ah, the power of upperclassmen.

"When it comes down to it, in seasons like this in conference play, at certain times you have to rely on clutch players," said coach Chris Citowicki, whose team is unbeaten in its last 15 regular-season matches against league opponents.

"That's the power of having confident seniors. That's the most beautiful part of today's game right there."

Citowicki even admitted it afterwards. His team probably deserved a tie on Sunday. After all, Idaho outshot Montana 13-6 and limited the Grizzlies to just a pair of shots on goal over nearly 100 minutes.

But Howard made five saves to trim her career goals-against average to a ludicrous 0.83. And then there was Lang, stepping up when her team needed a savior.

After Idaho was whistled for a foul just seconds before the end of the first overtime, the ball was placed five yards outside the 18-yard box, off-center to the right.

"In that moment, I knew we kind of had to make a statement. I decided to step to the ball and say I wanted to take it because I knew I could put it away," Lang said.

"My confidence kind of came through. I wanted to do it for the team."

And she did. Going to her left foot, she drilled one directly at the keeper but high enough that Avrie Fox had to play the ball above her head. It slipped through her hands and the momentum of the shot carried it across the goal line.

"My plan was to bend it in back post, just get a shot on goal," Lang said. "I just put the power on it and took the shot."

At first the play was blown dead by the referee, who ruled that the Grizzlies who followed the shot toward goal had interfered with Fox's ability to make the play after she'd lost control of the ball.

But the ball had already crossed the end line before they arrived. After talking the play over with the sideline referee, who had the better angle, the original call was overruled. The goal was allowed. Game over. The goal was golden.

"That's what seniors do, they win games," said Citowicki.

For as much as Montana controlled play in Friday's 1-0 victory, which came on Alexa Coyle's free-kick goal in the opening minutes, Idaho was better on Sunday.

The Vandals challenged the Grizzlies' back line repeatedly.

"They figured out our formation nicely and made some tweaks, so we had to change formations early in the first half just to stop their flow," said Citowicki. "I think that neutralized the game a little bit."

But for as hard as Montana was working, it wasn't leading to that many chances.

Coyle put a shot on goal in the first half. Jaden Griggs put one off the crossbar just before halftime.

The Grizzlies would go without a shot in the second half and for the first nine-plus minutes of overtime, until Lang's winner.

"Even this morning, I felt like we might be a little bit off, a little sluggish," said Citowicki. "In the pregame, the conversation was, you have to fight today. You have to slug it out and find a way to get it done.

"At halftime and before overtime, it was identical. Find a way to get it done. I don't care what it looks like, just win the game. That's what it came down to in the end. They kept digging. Because they kept digging, we got the free kick and won the game."

It was the 15th overtime game Montana has played under Citowicki, who is in his third year. It was the first time his team has won one of those games after going 0-2-12 previously.

It was the Grizzlies' first overtime victory since winning 1-0 at Idaho in 2017.

The win gives Montana an important 2-0-0 start to league in a season when there are just eight Big Sky contests for each team, and that's if everything goes according to plan, which is hasn't already thanks to the weather in Colorado and Arizona.

The Grizzlies are off next weekend, then host Portland State before traveling to Sacramento State and finishing at home with Eastern Washington, which also opened 2-0-0 as well with a home sweep of the Vikings this weekend.

"This was big for us," said Lang. "Now we can settle in knowing we have this next weekend off to recover and fix the little details so we can come back better and stronger when we play Portland."

It's just the second time since 2003 that Montana has opened league with a pair of wins.

"To come away with two wins is a dream start for us," said Citowicki. "A tie would have been fair, but it fell our way because we have seniors who wanted to get it done right now. That's that."