Larsen, Kilpatrick named 2022 soccer captains

Seniors McKenzie Kilpatrick and Allie Larsen have been named captains of the 2022 Montana soccer team, coach Chris Citowicki announced this week.

Captaincy within the program is based on voting by the team's players near the conclusion of its spring training block.

"I don't think the end of the (previous) season is the right time to select captains. New leadership hasn't had a chance to grow and replace the leadership that's just left," said Citowicki.

"You need to give it months for the next ones to rise to the top, and these two players did a very good job of developing into the next two leaders in the program. I think they are wonderful choices."

Taylor Hansen and Ali Monroe captained the 2021 team to 13 wins, the most for the program since 2000, a Big Sky tournament championship and the team's sixth appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Next up to lead the Grizzlies are Kilpatrick and Larsen.

Kilpatrick, an outside back, will be a fifth-year senior in the fall, an extra season allowed by the COVID disruption.

She has already played in 69 career matches and made 44 starts. Over four seasons she has totaled two goals and three assists, and been part of a defense that is annually among the Big Sky's best.

She has played in three NCAA tournaments, starting the last two, against South Carolina last spring and Washington State in November.

"She just has this depth of maturity to her because she's been in the program a little bit longer," said Citowicki, "so she gets it. She was the first name on pretty much everyone's ballot.

"She's been through the process and she's won tons of trophies, so she knows what it takes. She was the first choice for everyone. Then it became, okay, who's going to be the partner to Z?"

That turned out to be Larsen, who has added to Montana's long line of excellent center backs.

The one-time All-Big Sky selection has been starting since her freshman season in 2019 and has been getting votes for captain ever since.

"She has previously received votes but it's always been from her class and people she's closest to who understand her leadership ability," said Citowicki.

"Her challenge, if she wanted to lead this whole thing, was she had to be able to influence everyone across the board.

"For the past year she's been working really hard at becoming more professional and trying to reach out and communicate with everybody on the team. She's really evolved. I'm really impressed by her."

While not complete opposites in their on-field personalities, Kilpatrick and Larsen do bring different characteristics to their teammates.

"With Z you have this really caring aspect," said Citowicki. "She also has expectations and can raise her voice when she needs to be heard."

If the 2022 captains are fire and ice, Larsen brings the heat and intensity of the former. Time and again Citowicki has heard the stories from Larsen's teammates.

"When we're playing at practice, everyone wants to be on her team. She holds everyone to extremely high standards, but they would rather have that than playing against her," said Citowicki.

"You never want to play against Allie. She just has that certain level of fierceness and competitiveness."

Montana will open its 2022 match schedule in mid-August. The specifics of the team's nonconference schedule are still being finalized.

The Grizzlies will open league at Sacramento State on Friday, Sept. 23, against the team it knocked out of the Big Sky semifinals in Greeley, Colo., in November with a goal in the closing minutes.

This year's tournament will return to Greeley the first week of November.

University of Montana Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Hansen

McKenzie Kilpatrick

Allie Larsen

Ali Monroe

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