Griz host Big Sky leaders this weekend

The Montana soccer team will host Big Sky Conference leaders Idaho and Eastern Washington this weekend at South Campus Stadium in Missoula as the league schedule enters week No. 2.

The Grizzlies (4-3-5, 1-1-0 BSC) will play the Vandals (7-1-2, 2-0-0 BSC) on Friday at 3 p.m., the Eagles at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Idaho and Eastern Washington are tied with Portland State atop the Big Sky standings after all three teams opened league with a pair of wins last week.

This week's matches will pair the Big Sky's highest-ranked teams in the NCAA RPI. Idaho is 162, Montana is 176, Eastern Washington is 208.

The Eagles open their weekend playing at the Big Sky's No. 4 ranked team, Northern Colorado, on Friday night. The Bears are 228 in the RPI.

The matches are the start of a three-week, four-match home stand for the Grizzlies, who will host preseason favorite Northern Colorado on Sunday, Oct. 9, Northern Arizona on Sunday, Oct. 16.

Montana will wrap up the regular season with road matches at Idaho State and Weber State on Oct. 21 and 23, with the six-team Big Sky tournament opening on Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Greeley, Colo.

At a glance (Montana): The Grizzlies opened league last week with a road split at Sacramento State and Portland State.

Montana fell behind Sacramento State on Friday when the Hornets converted a penalty kick in the 37th minute.

Bella O'Brien sent the Grizzlies into the locker room in a 1-1 deadlock when she scored her first goal of the season in the 45th minute. Skyleigh Thompson scored the game-winner in the 62nd minute.

Maddie Ditta assisted on O'Brien's goal for season assist No. 2. O'Brien, who had played just 38 minutes before Friday's match, made it three career goals. She scored twice as a freshman last fall.

The victory extended Montana's winning streak over Sacramento State to five, its unbeaten streak against the Hornets to 11.

On Sunday at Portland State, Montana fell behind once again, this time in the 28th minute. But this time there would be no comeback.

The Grizzlies outshot the Vikings 18-12, created more corner kicks and had a 58-42 time of possession advantage but still walked away with a loss.

How rare was it? Montana's only other losses this season had come against Pittsburgh, now 10-1-0 and ranked No. 14 nationally, and against Portland, now 6-0-4 and ranked 18th.

The loss was just the sixth for Montana in 44 matches against Big Sky opponents under fifth-year coach Chris Citowicki and snapped the Grizzlies' six-match unbeaten streak against the Vikings.

Montana is 129-63-29 all-time at home, 61-18-17 in Big Sky matches. The Grizzlies are 25-3-9 in Big Sky home matches since the start of the 2014 season.

Maysa Walters, with five, continues to lead the Big Sky in assists. Delaney Lou Schorr, with five, is tied for the lead in goals.

Montana has outshot 10 of its 12 opponents this season, has taken 20 more corner kicks and has outscored the opposition 17-9.

Camellia Xu ranks second in the Big Sky in shutouts with six. She is tied for ninth nationally.

At a glance (Idaho): The Vandals will enter Friday's match with a record of 7-1-2 and on an eight-match unbeaten streak, all of which have come by shutout.

Idaho, which has nine shutouts in 10 matches this season, has not allowed a goal since Aug. 21, a span of more than 751 minutes.

Idaho has allowed seven goals this season. All seven came in a 7-2 road loss at San Diego State back on Aug. 21.

Freshman Kira Witte, from Bühren, Germany, has started all 10 matches in goal. She leads the NCAA with nine shutouts.

Idaho's lone common opponent with Montana is North Dakota State. The Vandals played to a 0-0 draw with the Bison on Sept. 18. Two days later, Montana defeated North Dakota State 3-0.

Junior forward Maddy Lasher leads Idaho on the offensive end. She has three goals and four assists. Her 10 points are tied for second in the Big Sky.

Idaho is 3-1-1 away from home this season. The Vandals opened league last week with a 1-0 road win at Weber State and a 1-0 home win over Idaho State.

Series history (Montana-Idaho): The Grizzlies lead the all-time series against the Vandals 12-7-1. Montana is 4-1-1 in Missoula against Idaho. The teams haven't played in Missoula since 2018.

Montana has won four straight against Idaho and is unbeaten (5-0-1) against the Vandals in the teams' last six matchups.

In last year's matchup in Moscow, the Vandals went up 1-0 in the fourth minute, but it was all Montana after that. The Grizzlies outshot the Vandals 22-5 over the final 86 minutes.

Taylor Stoeger scored in the 47th and 52nd minutes and Montana created 15 corner kicks, one off the program record and the most for the Grizzlies since 2017.

At a glance (Eastern Washington): The Eagles, picked seventh in the preseason poll, have been the surprise of the league this fall.

It started in Eastern's season opener when the Eagles took a 1-0 lead into the 88th minute at Oregon State, a match that would end in a 1-1 draw after a late goal by the Beavers.

The next weekend, Eastern Washington was in a 1-1 match at the half at Washington State, a team that is now 7-1-1 and ranked 15th nationally. The Cougars eventually won 3-1.

The week after that, the Eagles won 1-0 at home over Denver, the team picked to repeat as champion of the Summit Leauge.

There have been some ugly losses as well, a 6-0 setback at Portland and a 4-0 loss at Boise State, EWU's common opponents with Montana.

The Eagles opened league last week with home wins over Idaho State, 1-0, and Weber State, 3-1.

Eastern Washington has had nine goal scorers this season, only one of which is a senior, and its two goalkeepers who have seen the field are both underclassmen, so the rise of the Eagles should continue.

The Eagles are 5-0-1 at home this season, 0-5-1 away from Cheney.

Series history (Montana-Eastern Washington): The Grizzlies lead the all-time series with the Eagles 17-8-2 and have gone 6-3-2 against EWU in Missoula.

Montana has won two straight over Eastern Washington.

In last fall's matchup in Cheney, Skyleigh Thompson scored in the 15th minute, then added an insurance goal in the 65th minute as Montana outshot the Eagles 19-4 and won 2-0.

Around the Big Sky:

* Idaho, Eastern Washington and Portland State, which last week knocked off the top two teams in the preseason poll – Northern Colorado and Montana – sit atop the standings at 2-0-0.

* Montana and Sacramento State are both 1-1-0. The Hornets handed preseason favorite Northern Colorado its second loss of opening week with a 1-0 win in Sacramento on Sunday.

* Northern Colorado, Idaho State and Weber State are 0-2-0. Northern Arizona has not yet played a Big Sky match.

* Thursday's schedule: NAU at WSU – The Lumberjacks open league facing a 1-9-0 Wildcat team that was picked third in the preseason poll but has been outscored 22-5 this fall.

* Friday's schedule: UI at UM, EWU at UNC – The Eagles try to pick up road win No. 1, the preseason favorites try to avoid a 0-3-0 start to league.

* Sunday's schedule: EWU at UM, UI at UNC, NAU at ISU, SAC at PSU

Upcoming: The teams picked first (Northern Colorado) and second (Montana) in the preseason poll will square off in Missoula on Sunday, Oct. 9, at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Maddie Ditta

Bella O'Brien

Delaney Lou Schorr

Taylor Stoeger

Skyleigh Thompson

Maysa Walters

Camellia Xu

University of Montana Athletics