Griz to host preseason favorites on Sunday

The Montana women's soccer team will continue its four-match home stand this weekend when it hosts Big Sky Conference preseason favorite Northern Colorado at South Campus Stadium.

The Grizzlies (4-4-6, 1-2-1 BSC) and Bears (4-7-3, 0-3-1 BSC) will kick off at 1 p.m.

Northern Colorado, which won last year's regular-season title and will host November's Big Sky tournament, was picked first in this fall's preseason coaches' poll. Montana was picked second.

History of success: Montana and Northern Colorado have been the Big Sky's most consistently successful programs over the last decade-plus.

The Bears have had a winning Big Sky record every season since 2009, advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2015 and '19 and are hosting the Big Sky tournament for the third time in four years.

The Grizzlies have had just one losing season in league since 2010 and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2011, '18, '20 and '21. Montana hosted the league tournament in 2014.

Northern Colorado has qualified for nine straight Big Sky tournaments and has missed just one since 2009.

Montana has made the Big Sky tournament eight straight times and has missed the postseason just once since 2010.

At a glance (Montana): The Grizzlies are tied for fourth in the Big Sky standings and have uncharacteristically gone winless in three consecutive Big Sky matches.

After opening league with a 2-1 win at Sacramento State, the Grizzlies have dropped 1-0 decisions to Portland State and Idaho, and on Sunday played Eastern Washington to a 0-0 draw.

It's the first time Montana has gone scoreless in three consecutive matches since 2019, the first time the Grizzlies have gone scoreless in three straight Big Sky matches since 2010.

It's not for lack of opportunities. Montana has outshot its last five opponents and has outshot 12 of its 14 opponents on the season, and the Grizzlies lead the Big Sky in corner kicks created (62).

Over Montana's last 10 matches, the Grizzlies have allowed just four goals and haven't allowed multiple goals in a match since a 2-0 loss at Portland on Aug. 28.

Maysa Walters continues to lead the Big Sky in assists (5), Delaney Lou Schorr is tied for the league lead in goals (5), Camellia Xu ranks second in goals-against average (.714) and shutouts (7).

At a glance (Northern Colorado): The Bears looked like the Big Sky's heavyweight program through the season's first three weekends, opening 4-0-2 and outscoring their opponents 14-2.

Since then UNC has gone 0-7-1 and has scored just one goal over its last six matches.

Northern Colorado opened league with 1-0 losses to Portland State and Sacramento State, then played Eastern Washington to a 1-1 draw on Friday. On Sunday, Idaho won in Greeley 1-0.

Sophomore forward Lauren Woodhull is tied for the Big Sky lead with five goals. She hasn't scored since Northern Colorado's 5-2 loss at Virginia Tech on Sept. 11.

Junior goalkeeper Kaya Lindberg (1.46 goals-against average/.794 save percentage) has played all but 31 minutes in goal this season.

In common nonleague opponents with Montana, UNC defeated Wyoming 2-0 and North Dakota State 5-0. The Grizzlies and Cowgirls played to a 2-2 draw, Montana defeated NDSU 3-0.

Series history: Northern Colorado leads the all-time series with Montana 9-6-5. The Bears are the only Big Sky school that owns a winning record against the Grizzlies.

Montana is 3-2-2 against Northern Colorado in Missoula, where the teams have not played since 2018, when the Bears won 2-1 in double overtime.

The teams have played five times since then, three times in Greeley, twice in Ogden, Utah.

Northern Colorado won last year's matchup 1-0 in Greeley on a goal late in the first half.

The host Bears were knocked out of last season's Big Sky tournament in the semifinals by Weber State. The Wildcats advanced to face Montana in the title match.

Summary: When the Big Sky announced the league schedule for this fall, Northern Colorado at Montana was going to be perhaps the highlight match, No. 1 against No. 2 in the preseason poll.

The teams are consistently battling for Big Sky supremacy, are postseason regulars and have played 11 straight matches that have ended in a draw or a one-goal differential.

Four of the last seven matchups have been decided in overtime, three of those coming in the Big Sky tournament.

Northern Colorado was Montana's first Big Sky opponent ever faced by Chris Citowicki as coach of the Grizzlies, in 2018.

He had his team in a 1-0 lead before Northern Colorado scored in the 88th minute to tie it. The Bears won it in the fifth minute of double overtime.

Montana would defeat Northern Colorado and longtime coach Tim Barrera later that season, 1-0 in the Big Sky title match. And it's been a must-see matchup ever since.

"It's one of my favorite ones of the year, every year," said Citowicki. "They way they play, the way they view us, the way we view them. I think it's a professional rivalry.

"There is something about the game I look forward to every single year, and I think they do as well."

Barrera's first season at Northern Colorado was in 1999, when the Bears were still a Division II program. He ushered them through the transition to Division I and into the Big Sky Conference.

UNC has been a contender ever since.

"He's done this for so long that he's very secure in his identity and how his teams play," said Citowicki. "You know what you're coming up against.

"He will have a good game plan, he knows how to execute it and he does it consistently. He knows exactly what he wants and knows how to get the players who can execute it.

"He's figured it out over time and now he has a machine. Every year you look at who he lost to graduation and then his team is still good. That's why he's the guy to look up to in my opinion."

So, it would have been expected that Sunday's match would be between two teams near the top of the Big Sky standings.

That's not the case, with Montana holding just four points through four matches and Northern Colorado with just one, with three of its final four matches on the road.

With only six of the Big Sky's nine teams making the tournament, math starts to come into play.

Montana and Northern Colorado have back-to-back single-match weeks, on Sunday and then hosting Northern Arizona next weekend. Then it's on the road to Idaho State and Weber State.

There is the possibility that Northern Colorado could host the Big Sky tournament and not be in the field. Sunday's match is important for Montana. It's critical for Northern Colorado.

Beyond the matchup, Montana is trying to put an end to its scoring woes. The Grizzlies haven't scored since the second half at Sacramento State, a span of 298 minutes.

"I think we're doing everything right," said Citowicki, who speaks for soccer coaches everywhere, who know the cruel nature of soccer.

When Summit League favorite Denver played at Eastern Washington on Sept. 1, the Pioneers lost 1-0 on a goal in the 82nd minute. That was the score but not necessarily the story.

"I remember reading a quote from (Denver coach) Jeff Hooker after that match. He said, 'I don't think my players were rewarded for the amount of work they put in today,' said Citowicki.

"The game can be unfair. You can defend well, attack well, create well, and the game doesn't always reward you for that hard work. Weeks later I'm thinking of that very quote.

"We've got some ideas. We'll figure it out. We've just got to keep chugging along and hope it rewards us at some point."

Around the Big Sky Conference:

* Idaho, at 4-0-0 and coming off a sweep of the Montana-Northern Colorado road trip, has a stranglehold on the Big Sky, with three of its final four league matches at home.

* The Vandals, who haven't been scored on since Aug. 21, lead the nation with 11 shutouts.

* Eastern Washington (2-0-2), which picked up two important points with road draws at Northern Colorado and Montana last week, is in second place with eight points.

* Surprising Portland State, which is 2-0-1 and holding wins over Northern Colorado and Montana, is in third.

* Sacramento State (1-1-1), Montana (1-2-1), Northern Arizona (1-1-0) and Weber State (1-2-0) all have a Big Sky win. Northern Colorado (0-3-1) and Idaho State (0-3-0) are looking for their first.

* Thursday in the Big Sky: EWU at NAU

* Friday in the Big Sky: ISU at PSU, WSU at SAC

* Sunday in the Big Sky: UNC at UM, UI at NAU, WSU at PSU, ISU at SAC

Upcoming: Montana will have its second straight single-match week when the Grizzlies host Northern Arizona at South Campus Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 16.

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Players Mentioned

Delaney Lou Schorr

Maysa Walters

Camellia Xu

University of Montana Athletics