Griz open season with 1-0 road win

Thursday, August 17

Grand Forks, N.D.

2 PM (MT)

Montana

1-0-0

North Dakota

0-1-0

Team	1	2	Final F
Montana	0	1	1
North Dakota	0	0	0

Photo by: Tommy Martino/UM Athletics

8/17/2023 5:17:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana soccer team opened its season with a 1-0 road win over North Dakota on Thursday afternoon at Bronson Field in Grand Forks.

Delaney Lou Schorr, who led the Big Sky Conference in goals last season, scored on a header in the 58th minute off a sweet pass from Ava Samuelson, who was set up by Sydney Haustein.

Ashlyn Dvorak made four saves in her collegiate debut to collect the shutout in goal.

It was Montana's first road win to open the season since 2017, the Grizzlies' first victory in Grand Forks since 2013.

"I'm really pleased with it overall," said sixth-year coach Chris Citowicki, whose team outshot North Dakota 17-7, with nine of those shots on goal.

"I thought it was steps ahead of where we have been in previous years at this time."

Montana had been held scoreless in its last two matchups against North Dakota, playing to a 0-0 draw in Missoula in 2018 and the same result in Grand Forks in 2019.

Thursday's match was 0-0 at the half despite the Grizzlies outshooting the Fighting Hawks 10-0 through the opening 45 minutes.

"The message before the game was that we want to be able to attack, we want to defend with energy and we're going to do it as long as we can and nothing is going to pull us off of that," said Citowicki.

"If we're losing, I don't care. If we're winning, I don't care. This is the way we're going to play for the duration or at least attempt to. The message at halftime was continue doing the same thing."

The breakthrough came in the 58th minute, when Molly Quarry stepped in front of a North Dakota throw-in and got the ball moving toward the middle of the field.

From there, it was a chain of on-target passes, from Maysa Walters to Haustein to Samuelson, who lofted a ball toward the right post, where Schorr outjumped everyone to give Montana the lead.

It was Samuelson's seventh career assist, Haustein's third.

"The goal was a piece of work, beautiful for us to exit from pressure, swing through the midfield to find Ava to find Delaney. It was perfection. It was a beautiful ball for her to head in," said Citowicki.

That was enough for Dvorak, who didn't face a shot until the 51st minute but had to handle four North Dakota corner kicks and a dangerous sideline flip throw that functions like a corner.

"She did really well," said Citowicki. "She was unoccupied except for those tremendous long throws North Dakota had and their corners. She organized and managed those moments well."

Schorr took five of Montana's 17 shots, with Walters, Kathleen Aitchison, Skyleigh Thompson and Eliza Bentler each taking two.

Montana will face North Dakota State on Sunday at noon (MT) at Dacotah Field in Fargo. The Bison host Boise State on Thursday night.