Friday, April 9
Missoula, Mont.
7 PM
Montana
vs
Eastern Washington
Photo by: Derek Johnson
Griz host Eagles as regular season concludes
4/7/2021 3:35:00 PM | Soccer
The Montana soccer team will wrap up its abbreviated regular-season schedule this weekend with a pair of home matches against Eastern Washington.
The Grizzlies (7-0-0, 6-0-0 BSC) and Eagles (4-3-2, 3-1-2 BSC) will play at 7 p.m. on Friday, at noon on Sunday at Missoula County Stadium at Big Sky High School.
Montana clinched its eighth Big Sky Conference regular-season title last weekend with a road sweep of Sacramento State. The wins locked up the Northwest Division title for the Grizzlies.
Montana will be the Northwest Division's No. 1 seed at next week's Big Sky tournament in Ogden, Utah. It will face the No. 2 seed from the Southeast Division in a semifinal match on Thursday at 3 p.m.
The tournament championship match will be played on Saturday, April 17, at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday will be Senior Day for seven players who will be wrapping up their Griz careers this spring: Avery Adams, Catie Buck, Raye Burton, Mimi Eiden, Claire Howard, Brooke Johnston and Rita Lang.
Where they stand (Montana): The Grizzlies remain not only unbeaten this spring but untied as well. They are one of just five teams that can make that claim (as of Wednesday), along with the nation's top team, Florida State (11-0-0), High Point (8-0-0), Army (4-0-0) and Central Connecticut State (4-0-0).
Montana sits atop the Northwest Division at 6-0-0 and can't be caught in the standings, even with two matches yet to be played. The Grizzlies haven't gone without a loss or tie through their Big Sky schedule since 1997, when Betsy Duerksen's fourth team went 5-0-0 in the first year the league sponsored soccer.
Where they stand (Eastern Washington): The Eagles are in second place in the Northwest Division by win percentage at 3-1-2. They suffered their first league loss on Friday with a 2-0 home setback to Idaho but kept their postseason hopes alive with a 2-0 win over the Vandals on Sunday.
Eastern Washington opened league with a pair of 3-1 home wins over Portland State, then traveled to Sacramento State and returned home with two 0-0 draws.
What's at stake (Montana): The Grizzlies have already clinched the Northwest Division title and the division's No. 1 seed at next week's four-team Big Sky tournament in Ogden.
Montana will take a 19-match (14-0-5) regular-season unbeaten streak against Big Sky opponents into this week's contests. The Grizzlies went 2-0-2 against league teams to close the 2018 regular season and 6-0-3 in 2019, and are off to a 6-0-0 start this season.
What's at stake (Eastern Washington): The Eagles are in second place in the division but will need, at a minimum, a win and a tie in Missoula this weekend to claim the division's No. 2 seed from Idaho (5-3-0), which has already concluded its schedule.
If Eastern Washington doesn't win twice or get a win and a tie, Idaho will be the division's No. 2 seed at next week's tournament and face the No. 1 seed from the Southeast Division.
Series notes:
* Montana leads the all-time series 15-7-2 and has gone 5-2-2 against the Eagles in Missoula.
* The Grizzlies won last year's matchup in Cheney, 1-0, on the final day of the regular season. It gave Montana a 6-0-3 league record and the regular-season title.
* Montana won that game on a header by Kendall Furrow in the 79th minute, with an assist from Avery Adams off a corner kick.
* Montana is 3-0-1 against Eastern Washington in the teams' last four matchups in Missoula. The Eagles' last win in Missoula came in 2009.
* Third-year Montana coach Chris Citowicki is 1-0-1 against Eastern Washington. Seventh-year Eastern Washington coach Chad Bodnar is 2-4-1 against Montana.
* Montana is 3-0-0 at home this season, with a win over MSU Billings and two against Portland State. Eastern Washington is 0-2-2 on the road, with losses at Washington State and Gonzaga and a pair of draws at Sacramento State.
Summary:
While Montana has clinched the Northwest Division ahead of next week's Big Sky tournament in Ogden, that doesn't mean this weekend's series against Eastern Washington comes without any drama.
Montana is trying to finish off a perfect regular season and post a perfect league record, something that hasn't been done in the Big Sky in two decades, since Weber State went 6-0-0 in 2001.
And then there is the matter of going into the postseason on a high. "We can always improve," said third-year coach Chris Citowicki. "There are some things we have to tighten up after last weekend."
And it's a critical weekend for the Eagles, who need at least a win and a draw to surpass Idaho in the standings and advance to Ogden next week. Otherwise Eastern's season comes to an end on Sunday.
"This has been the most difficult season in my time here, because there are only two teams that advance from our division," said Citowicki.
"You're leaving either Idaho or Eastern behind, and they are both good enough to compete in the final. It's been very, very stressful. You can't drop any points, so I'm grateful we've locked it in."
Beyond that, it's Eastern Washington, which won tournament championships in 2016 and '17, and played in the championship match in '19.
The Eagles are led by Chad Bodnar, who has the best winning percentage of any active coach in the league.
"It's one of my favorite rivalries in the conference. Chad has been incredibly successful, and he runs a program that has swagger to it and confidence and is always competing," said Citowicki.
"How do you not look forward to a game like that? As stressful as it is to play them, you want that, because it makes our conference better. It pushes everything higher.
"We get to test ourselves against an extremely high-level team. What better preparation do you want going into playoffs?"
Montana notes:
* At 7-0-0, the Grizzlies are off to their best seven-game start in program history, surpassing the 6-1-0 start by the 1996 team.
* Montana has outscored its opponents 14-1. Its goals-against average of 0.14 ranks third in the nation. Only Georgetown, which is ranked No. 12 nationally, has allowed as few goals in at least seven matches played.
* The Grizzlies' save percentage of .947, with one goal allowed in 19 shots put on goal by their opponents, is tied for second nationally. Their shutout percentage (.857), with six in seven matches, ranks third
* Montana is tied for 46th nationally in scoring at 2.0 goals per match, which is significant. Through coach Chris Citowicki's first two seasons, the Grizzlies scored more than one goal just four times in 41 matches.
* Montana has a national RPI of 68, best in the Big Sky. Northern Arizona is 90, Northern Colorado 182, Idaho 185, Sacramento State 210, Eastern Washington 257, Southern Utah 259, Portland State 296, Weber State 302 and Idaho State 313 out of 316 teams.
* Montana's road sweep of Sacramento State last weekend upped the Grizzlies' record against the Hornets to 6-0-2 since 2013.
* The Grizzlies won 1-0 in overtime on Friday, when Sami Siems headed in a pass from Avery Adams in the 96th minute.
* Coupled with Montana's 1-0 overtime win at Idaho last month, the Grizzlies have two overtime victories in a season for the first time since 2017.
* Siems added to her weekend total when she scored twice in the first half on Sunday to give Montana a 2-0 halftime lead. Alexa Coyle scored in the 53rd minute to give the Grizzlies a 3-0 win.
* Siems' first goal on Sunday came off a cross from Jaden Griggs. Her second goal was unassisted. Coyle's goal came off assists from Taylor Hansen and Mimi Eiden.
* Siems was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for the first time in her career.
* Montana outshot Sacramento State 28-8 in two matches and allowed just five shots on goal. All were saved by Claire Howard, who was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for the second time this season, the fifth time in her career.
* Siems entered the road trip with one goal for her career, scored in the fall of 2019 in a home win over Portland State.
* Siems pulled even with Coyle for the team lead in goals with three when she scored twice in the first half on Sunday. Coyle retook the lead with her fourth goal of the season early in the second half.
* Adams had her first assist of the season, the fourth of her career, on Friday. Griggs had her first point of the season, the second assist of her career, when she aided Siems' opening goal on Sunday.
* Hansen had her second assist of the season, the eighth of her career, on Coyle's second-half goal on Sunday. Eiden also assisted on the play, her first point as a Grizzly.
* Howard is 7-0-0 on the season with six shutouts. She has needed to make just 18 saves over the season's first seven matches.
* Howard has upped her Big Sky-record career shutout total to 32.
* Alexa Coyle is tied for second in the Big Sky in goals with two other players with four. Madison Montgomery of Northern Arizona leads the league with eight.
* Howard ranks fourth nationally in goals-against average (0.14/g). She has lowered her career goals-against average to 0.79. She has 32 shutouts in 69 matches played.
* Taylor Hansen and Allie Larsen both played every minute on last weekend's road trip.
* Sunday's goal gave Alexa Coyle 18 for her career. She ranks 10th in program history and is one goal behind Sheralyn Fowler (1995-96), two behind Erin Craig (2009-12).
* Coyle, Craig and Lindsay Winans (2003-06) are the only three players in the top 10 for career goals who did not play part of their careers in the 90s.
Around the Big Sky Conference:
* Montana will be the No. 1 seed from the Northwest Division at next week's Big Sky tournament. None of the other three seeds have been determined, though Northern Arizona is locked into a spot from the Southeast Division.
* The No. 2 seed from the Northwest will be either Idaho or Eastern Washington.
* Joining Northern Arizona out of the Southeast will be either Northern Colorado or Weber State. Those two teams will settle it head-to-head this week in Ogden.
* Weekend schedule: EWU at UM, UNC at WSU, ISU at SUU, SAC at PSU
* The Big Sky tournament champion will earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, which will be made up of 48 teams and played at locations throughout North Carolina starting April 27.
Upcoming: Montana will play Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona or Weber State next Thursday at 3 p.m. when the Big Sky tournament opens in Ogden.
The Grizzlies (7-0-0, 6-0-0 BSC) and Eagles (4-3-2, 3-1-2 BSC) will play at 7 p.m. on Friday, at noon on Sunday at Missoula County Stadium at Big Sky High School.
Montana clinched its eighth Big Sky Conference regular-season title last weekend with a road sweep of Sacramento State. The wins locked up the Northwest Division title for the Grizzlies.
Montana will be the Northwest Division's No. 1 seed at next week's Big Sky tournament in Ogden, Utah. It will face the No. 2 seed from the Southeast Division in a semifinal match on Thursday at 3 p.m.
The tournament championship match will be played on Saturday, April 17, at 3:30 p.m.
Sunday will be Senior Day for seven players who will be wrapping up their Griz careers this spring: Avery Adams, Catie Buck, Raye Burton, Mimi Eiden, Claire Howard, Brooke Johnston and Rita Lang.
Where they stand (Montana): The Grizzlies remain not only unbeaten this spring but untied as well. They are one of just five teams that can make that claim (as of Wednesday), along with the nation's top team, Florida State (11-0-0), High Point (8-0-0), Army (4-0-0) and Central Connecticut State (4-0-0).
Montana sits atop the Northwest Division at 6-0-0 and can't be caught in the standings, even with two matches yet to be played. The Grizzlies haven't gone without a loss or tie through their Big Sky schedule since 1997, when Betsy Duerksen's fourth team went 5-0-0 in the first year the league sponsored soccer.
Where they stand (Eastern Washington): The Eagles are in second place in the Northwest Division by win percentage at 3-1-2. They suffered their first league loss on Friday with a 2-0 home setback to Idaho but kept their postseason hopes alive with a 2-0 win over the Vandals on Sunday.
Eastern Washington opened league with a pair of 3-1 home wins over Portland State, then traveled to Sacramento State and returned home with two 0-0 draws.
What's at stake (Montana): The Grizzlies have already clinched the Northwest Division title and the division's No. 1 seed at next week's four-team Big Sky tournament in Ogden.
Montana will take a 19-match (14-0-5) regular-season unbeaten streak against Big Sky opponents into this week's contests. The Grizzlies went 2-0-2 against league teams to close the 2018 regular season and 6-0-3 in 2019, and are off to a 6-0-0 start this season.
What's at stake (Eastern Washington): The Eagles are in second place in the division but will need, at a minimum, a win and a tie in Missoula this weekend to claim the division's No. 2 seed from Idaho (5-3-0), which has already concluded its schedule.
If Eastern Washington doesn't win twice or get a win and a tie, Idaho will be the division's No. 2 seed at next week's tournament and face the No. 1 seed from the Southeast Division.
Series notes:
* Montana leads the all-time series 15-7-2 and has gone 5-2-2 against the Eagles in Missoula.
* The Grizzlies won last year's matchup in Cheney, 1-0, on the final day of the regular season. It gave Montana a 6-0-3 league record and the regular-season title.
* Montana won that game on a header by Kendall Furrow in the 79th minute, with an assist from Avery Adams off a corner kick.
* Montana is 3-0-1 against Eastern Washington in the teams' last four matchups in Missoula. The Eagles' last win in Missoula came in 2009.
* Third-year Montana coach Chris Citowicki is 1-0-1 against Eastern Washington. Seventh-year Eastern Washington coach Chad Bodnar is 2-4-1 against Montana.
* Montana is 3-0-0 at home this season, with a win over MSU Billings and two against Portland State. Eastern Washington is 0-2-2 on the road, with losses at Washington State and Gonzaga and a pair of draws at Sacramento State.
Summary:
While Montana has clinched the Northwest Division ahead of next week's Big Sky tournament in Ogden, that doesn't mean this weekend's series against Eastern Washington comes without any drama.
Montana is trying to finish off a perfect regular season and post a perfect league record, something that hasn't been done in the Big Sky in two decades, since Weber State went 6-0-0 in 2001.
And then there is the matter of going into the postseason on a high. "We can always improve," said third-year coach Chris Citowicki. "There are some things we have to tighten up after last weekend."
And it's a critical weekend for the Eagles, who need at least a win and a draw to surpass Idaho in the standings and advance to Ogden next week. Otherwise Eastern's season comes to an end on Sunday.
"This has been the most difficult season in my time here, because there are only two teams that advance from our division," said Citowicki.
"You're leaving either Idaho or Eastern behind, and they are both good enough to compete in the final. It's been very, very stressful. You can't drop any points, so I'm grateful we've locked it in."
Beyond that, it's Eastern Washington, which won tournament championships in 2016 and '17, and played in the championship match in '19.
The Eagles are led by Chad Bodnar, who has the best winning percentage of any active coach in the league.
"It's one of my favorite rivalries in the conference. Chad has been incredibly successful, and he runs a program that has swagger to it and confidence and is always competing," said Citowicki.
"How do you not look forward to a game like that? As stressful as it is to play them, you want that, because it makes our conference better. It pushes everything higher.
"We get to test ourselves against an extremely high-level team. What better preparation do you want going into playoffs?"
Montana notes:
* At 7-0-0, the Grizzlies are off to their best seven-game start in program history, surpassing the 6-1-0 start by the 1996 team.
* Montana has outscored its opponents 14-1. Its goals-against average of 0.14 ranks third in the nation. Only Georgetown, which is ranked No. 12 nationally, has allowed as few goals in at least seven matches played.
* The Grizzlies' save percentage of .947, with one goal allowed in 19 shots put on goal by their opponents, is tied for second nationally. Their shutout percentage (.857), with six in seven matches, ranks third
* Montana is tied for 46th nationally in scoring at 2.0 goals per match, which is significant. Through coach Chris Citowicki's first two seasons, the Grizzlies scored more than one goal just four times in 41 matches.
* Montana has a national RPI of 68, best in the Big Sky. Northern Arizona is 90, Northern Colorado 182, Idaho 185, Sacramento State 210, Eastern Washington 257, Southern Utah 259, Portland State 296, Weber State 302 and Idaho State 313 out of 316 teams.
* Montana's road sweep of Sacramento State last weekend upped the Grizzlies' record against the Hornets to 6-0-2 since 2013.
* The Grizzlies won 1-0 in overtime on Friday, when Sami Siems headed in a pass from Avery Adams in the 96th minute.
* Coupled with Montana's 1-0 overtime win at Idaho last month, the Grizzlies have two overtime victories in a season for the first time since 2017.
* Siems added to her weekend total when she scored twice in the first half on Sunday to give Montana a 2-0 halftime lead. Alexa Coyle scored in the 53rd minute to give the Grizzlies a 3-0 win.
* Siems' first goal on Sunday came off a cross from Jaden Griggs. Her second goal was unassisted. Coyle's goal came off assists from Taylor Hansen and Mimi Eiden.
* Siems was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for the first time in her career.
* Montana outshot Sacramento State 28-8 in two matches and allowed just five shots on goal. All were saved by Claire Howard, who was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for the second time this season, the fifth time in her career.
* Siems entered the road trip with one goal for her career, scored in the fall of 2019 in a home win over Portland State.
* Siems pulled even with Coyle for the team lead in goals with three when she scored twice in the first half on Sunday. Coyle retook the lead with her fourth goal of the season early in the second half.
* Adams had her first assist of the season, the fourth of her career, on Friday. Griggs had her first point of the season, the second assist of her career, when she aided Siems' opening goal on Sunday.
* Hansen had her second assist of the season, the eighth of her career, on Coyle's second-half goal on Sunday. Eiden also assisted on the play, her first point as a Grizzly.
* Howard is 7-0-0 on the season with six shutouts. She has needed to make just 18 saves over the season's first seven matches.
* Howard has upped her Big Sky-record career shutout total to 32.
* Alexa Coyle is tied for second in the Big Sky in goals with two other players with four. Madison Montgomery of Northern Arizona leads the league with eight.
* Howard ranks fourth nationally in goals-against average (0.14/g). She has lowered her career goals-against average to 0.79. She has 32 shutouts in 69 matches played.
* Taylor Hansen and Allie Larsen both played every minute on last weekend's road trip.
* Sunday's goal gave Alexa Coyle 18 for her career. She ranks 10th in program history and is one goal behind Sheralyn Fowler (1995-96), two behind Erin Craig (2009-12).
* Coyle, Craig and Lindsay Winans (2003-06) are the only three players in the top 10 for career goals who did not play part of their careers in the 90s.
Around the Big Sky Conference:
* Montana will be the No. 1 seed from the Northwest Division at next week's Big Sky tournament. None of the other three seeds have been determined, though Northern Arizona is locked into a spot from the Southeast Division.
* The No. 2 seed from the Northwest will be either Idaho or Eastern Washington.
* Joining Northern Arizona out of the Southeast will be either Northern Colorado or Weber State. Those two teams will settle it head-to-head this week in Ogden.
* Weekend schedule: EWU at UM, UNC at WSU, ISU at SUU, SAC at PSU
* The Big Sky tournament champion will earn a spot in the NCAA tournament, which will be made up of 48 teams and played at locations throughout North Carolina starting April 27.
Upcoming: Montana will play Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona or Weber State next Thursday at 3 p.m. when the Big Sky tournament opens in Ogden.
Players Mentioned
M
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
M
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
G
/ Soccer
G
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
M
/ SoccerGriz Basketball vs. Idaho State Highlights - 1/24/26 [N7 Game]
Tuesday, January 27
Griz Basketball vs. Weber State Highlights - 1/22/26
Tuesday, January 27
Lady Griz Basketball vs. Northern Arizona Highlights - 1/19/26
Tuesday, January 20
Griz Basketball vs. Northern Colorado Highlights - 1/3/26
Thursday, January 15
