Friday, March 26
Missoula, Mont.
7 PM
Montana
vs
Portland State
Photo by: Derek Johnson
Undefeated Grizzlies home for series with Vikings
3/23/2021 3:40:00 PM | Soccer
The Montana soccer team will return to action this weekend when it hosts Portland State at Missoula County Stadium at Big Sky High School.
The Grizzlies (3-0-0, 2-0-0 BSC) and Vikings (0-4-0, 0-4-0 BSC) will play at 7 p.m. on Friday, at noon on Sunday.
Montana will play at Sacramento State next week, host Eastern Washington on April 9 and 11, then play in the Big Sky Conference tournament in Ogden, Utah, in mid-April should the Grizzlies qualify.
The Grizzlies currently sit atop the Northwest Division of the Big Sky standings. The top two teams from the Northwest Division at regular season's end will advance to the postseason, as will the top two teams from the Southeast Division.
At a glance (Montana): After opening their spring schedule with a 3-0 home win over MSU Billings, the Grizzlies kicked off league at Idaho and remained unbeaten and untied with a pair of 1-0 victories.
Montana won the series opener on March 12 with a goal by Alexa Coyle off a free kick in the fourth minute.
It was the earliest goal for the Grizzlies since Mackenzie Akins scored with just 1:33 elapsed in Montana's 1-0 victory at Nevada in 2015.
Two days later the Grizzlies again won 1-0, again on a free kick, this one off the foot of Rita Lang at 99:43. The goal was first waved off. After consultation between referees, that ruling was overturned.
It was the first overtime win for Montana since the 2017 season. The Grizzlies had been 0-2-12 in overtime matches under third-year coach Chris Citowicki.
Claire Howard played all 190 minutes in goal at Idaho and added two more shutouts to her soon-to-be record-breaking resume, making eight saves.
It's only the second 3-0-0 start to a season in program history, matching the accomplishment of the 2011 team.
At a glance (Portland State): The Vikings, who didn't play a non-league game, are 0-4-0 and have been outscored through four matches by a score of 16-2.
Portland State, which has yet to hold a lead this season, opened at Eastern Washington and lost twice by scores of 3-1. Last weekend the Vikings hosted Idaho and lost twice by scores of 5-0.
PSU has been outshot this season 71-30 and has allowed 19 corner kicks while only taking three.
Sophomore Sienna Higinbotham and freshman Ani Jensen have scored Portland State's goals this season.
Sophomore Enya Hernandez has played every minute in goal. She has a 4.0 goals-against average, a .600 save percentage.
Series notes:
* Montana leads the all-time series 13-12-3. The teams have split their 14 matchups in Missoula, with each team going 6-6-2 against the other.
* The Grizzlies have won the last two matchups against the Vikings and are 4-1-1 against PSU in the teams' last six meetings, with just two goals allowed.
* In the teams' most recent matchup, in October 2019, Montana won 4-0 with four second-half goals at South Campus Stadium.
* The Grizzlies got goals in that match from Rita Lang, Taylor Stoeger, Lang again and Sami Siems. It was the first career goal as a Grizzly for both Stoeger and Siems.
Summary:
After picking up some momentum with a 3-1 home win over MSU Billings earlier this month, Montana went to Idaho two weekends ago and came away with a key road sweep to open league.
In the opener, Montana went up 1-0 just 3:43 in and controlled possession for most of the first half. Play was more even in the second half.
In the rematch two days later, Idaho outshot Montana 13-5 in regulation, but the Grizzlies picked up the win in the first overtime on Lang's goal off a free kick.
"There were glimpses of us playing the way we want to play, doing what we want to do, then glimpses of it not working," said third-year coach Chris Citowicki.
"The week off came at a very good time. We could look at the film and see the areas that need to be improved. So we're in a much better place than we were when we went to Idaho."
Idaho was winless going into the series, with losses to Oregon State and Washington State. Montana kept the Vandals winless.
Idaho turned around and flexed its muscles last weekend when it went to Portland State and put up a pair of 5-0 victories, which make Montana's 1-0 wins in Moscow even more impressive.
"I liked how we played at patches in the first game. It was very, very good," said Citowicki. "We controlled the ball well and we created good opportunities, not just directly but being able to possess the ball and move it around well.
"Then there were patches when they pressed us and prevented us from doing what we wanted to do. What I liked was the response. We can change formations and systems and we can drop into what we used to do and we'll still compete and find a way to win the game.
"We have a Plan A and a Plan B, and both of them work extremely well. And the team just fights and wants to win games. That's what I like about it. We're finding ways to win games, which is really impressive."
With just three games played this season, Montana is already into the closing stretch of its schedule, with six matches in 17 days. If things work out, it will then be off to Ogden for the four-team Big Sky tournament.
"It's been more complicated than I thought it would be," said Citowicki, who typically has a handful of weekends of nonconference matches to prepare for league in a traditional fall season.
"Usually you have six or seven nonconference games to figure everything out, who should be playing and how this whole thing should be working together."
Now arrives Portland State to Missoula. The Vikings are winless, have not held a lead this season and have been outscored 16-2 through four matches. And they just got roughed up by the team Montana defeated twice on the road.
No matter the opponent, the two matches are 25 percent of Montana's league schedule and half of the Grizzlies' Big Sky home matches.
"It's a big weekend. We're back in conference play and every game matters, especially when you're playing at home," said Citowicki.
Montana notes:
* Claire Howard is on the verge of breaking the Big Sky Conference record for career shutouts. With two shutouts at Idaho, Howard reached 29 for her career, which tied the league record held by Savannah Abercrombie, who played for Sacramento State from 2008-11.
Howard had seven shutouts as a freshman, 10 as a sophomore, nine as a sophomore and has three in three matches this spring.
Howard ranks third in program history in goalkeeper starts (64) and wins (27), second in minutes played (6,096) and first in goals-against average (0.83). No other goalkeeper in program history has a career goals-against average less than 1.0.
* When Alexa Coyle scored at Idaho on March 12 on a free kick, it was the 16th of her career. That moved her into the top 10 in program history for career goals scored, tying her with Amy Wronski (1999-01).
Next up on the list is Sheralyn Fowler, who scored 19 goals while playing from 1995-96 after starting her career at Seattle University.
* Coyle's goal, in a 1-0 victory, was the game-winner, giving her two this season, nine game-winners in her career. She is tied for fourth in program history with Mackenzie Akins (2012-15). The program record is 13, held by Courtney Mathieson (1994-97) and Heather Olson (1998-01).
* Rita Lang's goal against Idaho on March 14 was her first of the season, the sixth of her career.
* Montana's five goals this season have been scored by four players: Coyle (2), Lang, Taylor Hansen and Taylor Stoeger.
* Montana is now unbeaten in its last 15 regular-season matches against Big Sky opponents, dating back to Oct. 7, 2018, a 2-1 loss at Weber State.
* The Grizzlies are 11-2-7 in regular-season matches against Big Sky opponents under third-year coach Chris Citowicki, 14-3-7 including the postseason. The three losses have been 2-1 at Weber State in 2018 and twice in 2-1 overtime losses to Northern Colorado, in 2018 and '19.
* Montana has never started 4-0-0 in program history. The best previous four-match start was 3-0-1 in 2016.
* Montana has outshot its opponents this season just 33-25 but owns a 5-0 advantage in goals scored.
Around the Big Sky Conference:
* Montana leads the Northwest Division with a 2-0-0 league record. Northern Arizona, at 3-0-0, leads the Southeast Division with a home win over Weber State and a road sweep last week at Southern Utah.
* Eastern Washington (2-3-2), which played to a pair of 0-0 draws at Sacramento State last weekend, outshooting the Hornets 33-17, is ranked No. 10 this week in the West Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
* In the other league matchup last weekend, Northern Colorado won twice at Idaho State, 2-0 and 1-0.
* This week's matchups: Portland State at Montana, Idaho State at Northern Arizona, Southern Utah at Weber State and Sacramento State at Idaho, which will be of some significance in the Northwest Division race.
* Eastern Washington of the Northwest Division and Northern Colorado of the Southeast Division are both off this weekend.
Upcoming: Montana will play at Sacramento State next week, with matches on Friday and Sunday afternoon. At the same time, Idaho will play two matches at Eastern Washington on a big weekend for the Northwest Division.
The Grizzlies (3-0-0, 2-0-0 BSC) and Vikings (0-4-0, 0-4-0 BSC) will play at 7 p.m. on Friday, at noon on Sunday.
Montana will play at Sacramento State next week, host Eastern Washington on April 9 and 11, then play in the Big Sky Conference tournament in Ogden, Utah, in mid-April should the Grizzlies qualify.
The Grizzlies currently sit atop the Northwest Division of the Big Sky standings. The top two teams from the Northwest Division at regular season's end will advance to the postseason, as will the top two teams from the Southeast Division.
At a glance (Montana): After opening their spring schedule with a 3-0 home win over MSU Billings, the Grizzlies kicked off league at Idaho and remained unbeaten and untied with a pair of 1-0 victories.
Montana won the series opener on March 12 with a goal by Alexa Coyle off a free kick in the fourth minute.
It was the earliest goal for the Grizzlies since Mackenzie Akins scored with just 1:33 elapsed in Montana's 1-0 victory at Nevada in 2015.
Two days later the Grizzlies again won 1-0, again on a free kick, this one off the foot of Rita Lang at 99:43. The goal was first waved off. After consultation between referees, that ruling was overturned.
It was the first overtime win for Montana since the 2017 season. The Grizzlies had been 0-2-12 in overtime matches under third-year coach Chris Citowicki.
Claire Howard played all 190 minutes in goal at Idaho and added two more shutouts to her soon-to-be record-breaking resume, making eight saves.
It's only the second 3-0-0 start to a season in program history, matching the accomplishment of the 2011 team.
At a glance (Portland State): The Vikings, who didn't play a non-league game, are 0-4-0 and have been outscored through four matches by a score of 16-2.
Portland State, which has yet to hold a lead this season, opened at Eastern Washington and lost twice by scores of 3-1. Last weekend the Vikings hosted Idaho and lost twice by scores of 5-0.
PSU has been outshot this season 71-30 and has allowed 19 corner kicks while only taking three.
Sophomore Sienna Higinbotham and freshman Ani Jensen have scored Portland State's goals this season.
Sophomore Enya Hernandez has played every minute in goal. She has a 4.0 goals-against average, a .600 save percentage.
Series notes:
* Montana leads the all-time series 13-12-3. The teams have split their 14 matchups in Missoula, with each team going 6-6-2 against the other.
* The Grizzlies have won the last two matchups against the Vikings and are 4-1-1 against PSU in the teams' last six meetings, with just two goals allowed.
* In the teams' most recent matchup, in October 2019, Montana won 4-0 with four second-half goals at South Campus Stadium.
* The Grizzlies got goals in that match from Rita Lang, Taylor Stoeger, Lang again and Sami Siems. It was the first career goal as a Grizzly for both Stoeger and Siems.
Summary:
After picking up some momentum with a 3-1 home win over MSU Billings earlier this month, Montana went to Idaho two weekends ago and came away with a key road sweep to open league.
In the opener, Montana went up 1-0 just 3:43 in and controlled possession for most of the first half. Play was more even in the second half.
In the rematch two days later, Idaho outshot Montana 13-5 in regulation, but the Grizzlies picked up the win in the first overtime on Lang's goal off a free kick.
"There were glimpses of us playing the way we want to play, doing what we want to do, then glimpses of it not working," said third-year coach Chris Citowicki.
"The week off came at a very good time. We could look at the film and see the areas that need to be improved. So we're in a much better place than we were when we went to Idaho."
Idaho was winless going into the series, with losses to Oregon State and Washington State. Montana kept the Vandals winless.
Idaho turned around and flexed its muscles last weekend when it went to Portland State and put up a pair of 5-0 victories, which make Montana's 1-0 wins in Moscow even more impressive.
"I liked how we played at patches in the first game. It was very, very good," said Citowicki. "We controlled the ball well and we created good opportunities, not just directly but being able to possess the ball and move it around well.
"Then there were patches when they pressed us and prevented us from doing what we wanted to do. What I liked was the response. We can change formations and systems and we can drop into what we used to do and we'll still compete and find a way to win the game.
"We have a Plan A and a Plan B, and both of them work extremely well. And the team just fights and wants to win games. That's what I like about it. We're finding ways to win games, which is really impressive."
With just three games played this season, Montana is already into the closing stretch of its schedule, with six matches in 17 days. If things work out, it will then be off to Ogden for the four-team Big Sky tournament.
"It's been more complicated than I thought it would be," said Citowicki, who typically has a handful of weekends of nonconference matches to prepare for league in a traditional fall season.
"Usually you have six or seven nonconference games to figure everything out, who should be playing and how this whole thing should be working together."
Now arrives Portland State to Missoula. The Vikings are winless, have not held a lead this season and have been outscored 16-2 through four matches. And they just got roughed up by the team Montana defeated twice on the road.
No matter the opponent, the two matches are 25 percent of Montana's league schedule and half of the Grizzlies' Big Sky home matches.
"It's a big weekend. We're back in conference play and every game matters, especially when you're playing at home," said Citowicki.
Montana notes:
* Claire Howard is on the verge of breaking the Big Sky Conference record for career shutouts. With two shutouts at Idaho, Howard reached 29 for her career, which tied the league record held by Savannah Abercrombie, who played for Sacramento State from 2008-11.
Howard had seven shutouts as a freshman, 10 as a sophomore, nine as a sophomore and has three in three matches this spring.
Howard ranks third in program history in goalkeeper starts (64) and wins (27), second in minutes played (6,096) and first in goals-against average (0.83). No other goalkeeper in program history has a career goals-against average less than 1.0.
* When Alexa Coyle scored at Idaho on March 12 on a free kick, it was the 16th of her career. That moved her into the top 10 in program history for career goals scored, tying her with Amy Wronski (1999-01).
Next up on the list is Sheralyn Fowler, who scored 19 goals while playing from 1995-96 after starting her career at Seattle University.
* Coyle's goal, in a 1-0 victory, was the game-winner, giving her two this season, nine game-winners in her career. She is tied for fourth in program history with Mackenzie Akins (2012-15). The program record is 13, held by Courtney Mathieson (1994-97) and Heather Olson (1998-01).
* Rita Lang's goal against Idaho on March 14 was her first of the season, the sixth of her career.
* Montana's five goals this season have been scored by four players: Coyle (2), Lang, Taylor Hansen and Taylor Stoeger.
* Montana is now unbeaten in its last 15 regular-season matches against Big Sky opponents, dating back to Oct. 7, 2018, a 2-1 loss at Weber State.
* The Grizzlies are 11-2-7 in regular-season matches against Big Sky opponents under third-year coach Chris Citowicki, 14-3-7 including the postseason. The three losses have been 2-1 at Weber State in 2018 and twice in 2-1 overtime losses to Northern Colorado, in 2018 and '19.
* Montana has never started 4-0-0 in program history. The best previous four-match start was 3-0-1 in 2016.
* Montana has outshot its opponents this season just 33-25 but owns a 5-0 advantage in goals scored.
Around the Big Sky Conference:
* Montana leads the Northwest Division with a 2-0-0 league record. Northern Arizona, at 3-0-0, leads the Southeast Division with a home win over Weber State and a road sweep last week at Southern Utah.
* Eastern Washington (2-3-2), which played to a pair of 0-0 draws at Sacramento State last weekend, outshooting the Hornets 33-17, is ranked No. 10 this week in the West Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
* In the other league matchup last weekend, Northern Colorado won twice at Idaho State, 2-0 and 1-0.
* This week's matchups: Portland State at Montana, Idaho State at Northern Arizona, Southern Utah at Weber State and Sacramento State at Idaho, which will be of some significance in the Northwest Division race.
* Eastern Washington of the Northwest Division and Northern Colorado of the Southeast Division are both off this weekend.
Upcoming: Montana will play at Sacramento State next week, with matches on Friday and Sunday afternoon. At the same time, Idaho will play two matches at Eastern Washington on a big weekend for the Northwest Division.
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