Griz add goalkeeper
5/20/2022 12:21:00 PM | Soccer
The Montana soccer program has added some depth to its goalkeeper position with the addition of Shelby Stordahl, who signed a National Letter of Intent recently.
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Stordahl, who comes out of the Washington Premier Football Club, is from Gig Harbor, Wash., and is a senior at Gig Harbor High.
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"We were in need of adding a little more competition to the goalkeeping fold, and Shelby allows us to do that," said fifth-year coach Chris Citowicki, whose program has produced the last two Big Sky Conference Goalkeepers of the Year.
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One of those is Camellia Xu, who last year had a program-record 11 shutouts as a redshirt freshman.
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Elizabeth Todd, who would have been a senior in the fall, opted to graduate early, leaving Citowicki without the numbers he prefers at the position.
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Xu and second-year player Sophia Pierce are returning goalkeepers. Ashlyn Dvorak, of Billings, joins Stordahl as incoming freshmen.
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"To be honest, it's a miracle that somebody so talented was still uncommitted this late in the game," said Citowicki. "She had just emailed us and we watched her video and saw someone who is very talented.
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"We got her here for a visit and within a couple of days it was done. I don't know how it happened, but we're very happy it did. It's one of those things that only happens in Missoula, Montana. It's the Missoula Magic. I don't know how else to describe it. This place just draws goalkeepers."
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Stordahl was a freshman on the Gig Harbor High team that won the Washington Class 3A state title in 2018, the first in school history.
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"You need competition because it raises everybody. You need people in your training environment who can turn up the heat. Now we've got an environment that's just insane," said Citowicki.
Â
"I'm really looking forward to putting Shelby into this. Her competitive mindset is next-level. She's loud, she's organizing, just ferocious in goal. That's what I want. She just wants to be the best she can be."
Â
Stordahl, who comes out of the Washington Premier Football Club, is from Gig Harbor, Wash., and is a senior at Gig Harbor High.
Â
"We were in need of adding a little more competition to the goalkeeping fold, and Shelby allows us to do that," said fifth-year coach Chris Citowicki, whose program has produced the last two Big Sky Conference Goalkeepers of the Year.
Â
One of those is Camellia Xu, who last year had a program-record 11 shutouts as a redshirt freshman.
Â
Elizabeth Todd, who would have been a senior in the fall, opted to graduate early, leaving Citowicki without the numbers he prefers at the position.
Â
Xu and second-year player Sophia Pierce are returning goalkeepers. Ashlyn Dvorak, of Billings, joins Stordahl as incoming freshmen.
Â
"To be honest, it's a miracle that somebody so talented was still uncommitted this late in the game," said Citowicki. "She had just emailed us and we watched her video and saw someone who is very talented.
Â
"We got her here for a visit and within a couple of days it was done. I don't know how it happened, but we're very happy it did. It's one of those things that only happens in Missoula, Montana. It's the Missoula Magic. I don't know how else to describe it. This place just draws goalkeepers."
Â
Stordahl was a freshman on the Gig Harbor High team that won the Washington Class 3A state title in 2018, the first in school history.
Â
"You need competition because it raises everybody. You need people in your training environment who can turn up the heat. Now we've got an environment that's just insane," said Citowicki.
Â
"I'm really looking forward to putting Shelby into this. Her competitive mindset is next-level. She's loud, she's organizing, just ferocious in goal. That's what I want. She just wants to be the best she can be."
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