Four Grizzlies recognized by Big Sky

The Montana soccer team, which takes the No. 6 seed into this week's league tournament in Greeley, Colo., had four players recognized by the Big Sky Conference on Monday.

Sophomore forward Delaney Lou Schorr, who led the league in goals during the regular season, was named first-team All-Big Sky Conference.

Senior Allie Larsen and sophomore Ava Samuelson, both defenders, received second-team honors, while junior midfielder Maysa Walters, in her first season as a Grizzly, was honorable mention.

Schorr, who played in 10 of 20 matches as a freshman and totaled just 159 minutes, led the Big Sky with seven goals this fall, which she netted on just 23 shots, fewer than any of the six players who tied for second with five goals.

It matched the most goals scored by a Grizzly since 2011.

"A breakout season, especially for a sophomore who didn't play that much as a freshman. To score the goals she did against the teams she scored against and play the way she did, it's just incredible," said Montana coach Chris Citowicki.

"This is someone who is just starting her journey as a collegiate player and she scored seven goals, so it just shows you how much potential she has as a player. She's only going to get better."

Schorr scored one goal as a freshman. As a sophomore she had four goals before Labor Day, scoring twice against both MSU Billings and CSU Bakersfield to earn Big Sky Offensive Player of the Week honors.

She scored the game-winning goal in home wins over North Dakota State and Northern Colorado, and also scored against Northern Arizona, the only goal allowed by the Lumberjacks during their seven-match winning streak to close the regular season.

All seven of Schorr's goals came from her head.

"She's an outlier. You don't see those types of goal-scorers very often," said Citowicki. "She's finally accepting that that's her strength and is playing to her strength. If that's your greatest talent, you might as well use it.

"It took me a while to understand that that's where we should be putting the ball. You need to change what you're doing to feed somebody special like that. If she's unstoppable, just keep giving her the ball right there."

Larsen has been one of the top center backs in the Big Sky since she joined the program in 2019. She was honorable mention as a freshman and a junior, second-team All-Big Sky as a sophomore.

In addition to helping Montana post a 0.89 goals-against average during the regular season, Larsen also frequently made her way to the other end of the field to join the attack.

She took 15 shots, putting 10 on goal. She scored her second career goal in Montana's 6-0 home win over MSU Billings.

"She came in this year just motivated to be a difference-maker and a leader on this team. Extremely impressed how she's led out of the back," said Citowicki.

"The amount of times she's stopped an opponent with a perfectly timed slide tackle, you couldn't ask for anything more, and she's been a threat going forward for us too. Good year for her."

Samuelson wore No. 23 last season as a freshman. As a sophomore she took on the expectations that would come with wearing No. 12, which was worn with distinction for years by Taylor Hansen.

Starting every match this season in various positions, Samuelson ranked third on the team with six points, collecting her first collegiate goal and adding four assists.

"It took a while for Taylor to get the numbers she did. Ava started hitting them as a sophomore, and I don't think we've even seen how good Ava can be," said Citowicki.

"If you look at it statistically, she was our most consistent player every single game. When she grows the confidence to go with the experience of having done this for two years, then you start getting somebody who is on a completely different level."

Samuelson played outside back as a freshman and used her pinpoint crosses to finish with a pair of assists.

The plan entering the 2022 season was to play her forward, where she could be even more dangerous. That was the case until injuries to other players forced Citowicki to return Samuelson to the back line.

It did nothing to impact her play or her influence on the game. She was great wherever she lined up.

"She bounced between multiple positions this year, yet she continued playing well," said Citowicki. "Now, all of a sudden, she's getting assists.

"That's the next step for Ava. You can't just be a good player. You have to be a good player who contributes when it comes to points. To see her step up and get a lot of points for us this year is really impressive."

Walters, who spent three seasons at New Mexico and played in two NCAA tournaments, joined Montana in the summer, after graduating from UNM in May.

In her first of two years she'll have as a Grizzly, Walters totaled eight points, second on the team, with a highlight goal against Fresno State and six assists, a total that tied for the lead in the Big Sky.

Walters is a continuation of what Citowicki has come to learn about transfers, a lesson he credits to Taylor Stoeger, who played three seasons at Montana and was first-team All-Big Sky by the time she was done.

"It took me a while to understand it. Taylor was anonymous in Year 1, then started picking things up in Year 2 and was explosive in Year 3. That's the usual path for a transfer," said Citowicki.

"Maysa's following the trajectory of any transfer who comes in. Good performances to start with, then, when she finally becomes comfortable, explosive performances."

Walters wasted little time making her presence felt. She assisted on Montana's first goal of the season, against Wyoming, and she added three more against MSU Billings, just the eighth time in program history someone has had three or more assists in a match.

The video of her lone goal of the year set social media ablaze, when she heel-flicked a pass from Kayla Rendon Bushmaker past a surprised Fresno State goalkeeper.

"It was a good season for Maysa. She performed well and at an extremely high level not knowing everybody very well or how she fits into the culture of this team. She just went with the flow," said Citowicki.

"Give her a full semester of getting to know people and the experience from this season and she's going to be even better."

2022 Big Sky Conference Award Winners
Co-Offensive MVP: Maddie Morgan, Eastern Washington/Morgan Furmaniak, Weber State
Defensive MVP: Aubrey Goodwill, Sacramento State
Goalkeeper of the Year: Kira Witte, Idaho
Co-Golden Boot: Maddie Morgan, Eastern Washington/Morgan Furmaniak, Weber State%
Newcomer of the Year: Kira Witte, Idaho
Coach of the Year: Alan Berrios, Northern Arizona

First-team All-Big Sky Conference
GK: Kira Witte, Idaho
D: Aubrey Goodwill, Sacramento State
D: Logan Maszton, Northern Arizona
D: Cassidy Elicker, Idaho
D: Abby Donathan, Northern Arizona
MF: Maddie Shafer, Northern Arizona
MF: Madison Kem, Eastern Washington
MF: Savannah Foster, Idaho
MF: Yira Yoggerst, Weber State
F: Morgan Furmaniak, Weber State
F: Maddie Morgan, Eastern Washington
F: Delaney Lou Schorr, Montana
F: Jasmyne Dunn, Sacramento State

Second-team All-Big Sky Conference
GK: Trinity Corcoran, Northern Arizona
D: Ava Samuelson, Montana
D: Allie Larsen, Montana
D: Mya Elder-Hammond, Eastern Washington
D: Alyssa Peters, Idaho
D: Rachel Twede, Weber State
MF: Abigail Lopez, Sacramento State
MF: Margo Schoesler, Idaho
MF: Jayd Sprague, Idaho
MF: Brynlee Meyerhoffer, Weber State
F: Raniyah Burton, Portland State
F: Danna Restom, Sacramento State

Honorable Mention All-Big Sky Conference
GK: Mekell Moss, Weber State
D: Rebekah Reyes, Idaho
D: Rylie Curran, Northern Arizona
D: Lucy Hart, Northern Colorado
D: Hailey Green, Portland State
MF: Melina Faris, Northern Colorado
MF: Grace Terrill, Eastern Washington
MF: Maysa Walters, Montana
MF: Josie Novak, Northern Arizona
F: Maddy Lasher, Idaho
F: Allison Veloz, Northern Arizona

University of Montana Athletics

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