Griz gut out scoreless draw at Boise State

Thursday, September 15

Boise, Idaho

5 PM

Montana

2-2-5

Boise State

3-2-3

Montana

Boise State

Photos: Boise State Athletics

9/15/2022 8:15:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Boise State, which hadn't defeated Montana in eight tries since 2008 and knew it, brought its best on Thursday evening at the Boas Soccer Complex in Boise. And the shorthanded Grizzlies matched it.

When the Broncos, who had scored 10 goals in their last three matches -- three coming in a 3-1 road win at Oregon -- but were scoreless into the second half on Thursday, upped their effort to find the game-winner, Montana matched it again.

The result was a highly satisfying -- from Montana's perspective -- 0-0 draw that had Griz coach Chris Citowicki even more fired up than normal afterwards.

"Talk about adrenaline-pumping excitement," he said. "That is the best I've seen Boise look. They were motivated, they were energized and we needed to respond. I'm proud of our response. It was a fun game to be a part of."

The tie improved Montana's record against Boise State to 7-0-2 since 2008 and kept the Grizzlies unbeaten this season against its four Mountain West Conference opponents, two of which -- Boise State and Fresno State -- were picked for top-four finishes in the league.

"There are some I'll look back and say we should have won, but overall I'm pretty satisfied how we did against the Mountain West," said Citowicki, whose team will play its final nonconference match on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. against North Dakota State at South Campus Stadium in Missoula.

If Citowicki was ecstatic afterwards, he would have been apprehensive at kickoff.

His team traveled to Boise without breakout sophomore Ally Henrikson and Molly Quarry, both defenders, which forced Citowicki to start Ava Samuelson at left back for the first time this season.

She and McKenzie Kilpatrick on the right, along with center backs Allie Larsen and Charley Boone, plus goalkeeper Camellia Xu, all played 90 minutes.

If Boise State took 13 shots and put five on goal, at least as many were stopped by the back line before they could materialize into anything dangerous.

"It just shows the depth of competition within that group. They'll do whatever it takes to not lose a game. So proud of them for that," said Citowicki.

"They played the full 90 and were exhausted by the end. They were dragging their bodies around the field, and they were still going because they didn't want to lose."

After a scoreless first half, Boise State brought the energy from the opening minute of the second half, when Xu and Kilpatrick teamed up to stop a dangerous opportunity right in front of goal.

The Broncos would take eight second-half shots, putting five of them on goal.

Midway through the half, when Maysa Walters stopped the game for a few minutes when she developed a leg cramp, Citowicki had an opportunity to huddle his on-field players.

"We pulled them in and said, we're not losing this game because of effort," he said. "We're going all out.

"We've been competing well, but they are trying to push to another level. We need to get to another level, and we're not going to let them win this game."

Boise State got off four shots in the final eight minutes. Xu saved two, one was blocked by the defenders in front of her, one went wide of goal.

It was career shutout No. 16 for Xu.

While Boise had the more dangerous looks in the match, Montana still owned 55 percent of the possession and only got outshot 13-8, just the second time this season the Grizzlies have been outshot.

Their best look at goal came late in the first half, when Walters stole a ball near the sideline and played it back to the middle where Maddie Ditta took a shot that went just over the crossbar.

Ditta took two shots off the bench, as did Delaney Lou Schorr.

Sunday's opponent, North Dakota State, is 4-2-2 and plays at Idaho on Friday night.