Griz open Big Sky play on the road

The Montana soccer team, which went 6-2-2 through nonconference, will open its Big Sky Conference schedule this week when it plays matches at Eastern Washington and Idaho.

The Grizzlies (6-2-2, 0-0-0 BSC) will face the Eagles (2-9-0, 1-1-0 BSC) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (MT) at EWU Soccer Field in Cheney, the Vandals (6-2-2, 1-0-1 BSC) at 2 p.m. (MT) on Sunday at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

Montana had last week off from matches after going 6-2-2 through its nonconference schedule. The Grizzlies will take their most wins into league since 1998.

Montana's most recent match was a 0-0 draw at Oregon State. The Grizzlies went 1-0-2 against its three Power 5 nonconference opponents, defeating Oklahoma in Spokane and drawing with Ohio State and Oregon State.

Coverage: Both matches this week will have coverage on ESPN+.

At a glance (Montana): The Grizzlies, picked fourth in the preseason coaches' poll, will be the last Big Sky team to open league when they open on the road this week.

Montana, this year's lone wolf in the league schedule, will play a Thursday-Sunday schedule from here on out, through the end of the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 22.

The Grizzlies outscored their 10 nonconference opponents 19-5, which has Montana sitting No. 66 in the latest NCAA RPI and No. 10 in last week's United Soccer Coaches West Region poll.

Idaho, at No. 194, is the only other Big Sky team with an RPI better than 240.

Montana has received goals from 11 different scorers through 10 matches, with Sydney Haustein, Skyleigh Thompson and Eliza Bentler leading the way with three each.

Redshirt freshman Ashlyn Dvorak, a two-time Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week this season, has played all 900 minutes in goal.

She leads the Big Sky in goals-against average (0.50), save percentage (.881) and shutouts (6). She is tied for sixth nationally in shutouts and ranks 15th in save percentage, 22nd in goals-against average.

Montana's next win will be the 50th for sixth-year coach Chris Citowicki leading the Grizzlies. He has 96 career wins as a head coach.

Montana went 1-0-1 in its most recent matches, defeating Miami (Ohio) 4-0 at home and playing Oregon State to a 0-0 draw on the road.

In the win over the RedHawks, Montana led 1-0 at the half, then broke the match open in the second half with three more goals, two coming from Thompson.

It was the third time this season the Grizzlies won 4-0, following similar victories over MSU Billings and Utah Tech. It's the first time since 2000 that Montana has three times scored four goals in a match.

At a glance (Eastern Washington): The Eagles picked up their first Division I victory of the season on Sunday when they won 2-1 at Weber State, which followed a 3-2 loss at Idaho State on Thursday.

Eastern Washington's only other victory this season was a 16-1 home win over Providence (MT).

The Eagles lead the Big Sky in goals scored by a margin of 12, but that stat is heavily influenced by the lopsided result against the Argos.

Eastern Washington, which is still seeking its first shutout of the season, has allowed 35 goals. That goals-against average of 3.18 ranks last in the Big Sky and is tied for 326th nationally out of 336 Division I teams.

Senior forward Maddie Morgan, last year's Big Sky co-Offensive MVP and first-team All-Big Sky selection, leads the league with 13 goals on just 33 shots. She scored five against Providence, three against Saint Mary's, two against Boise State and enters Thursday's game on a three-match goal-scoring streak.

She scored one at Nevada in a 3-2 loss, one at Idaho State in a 3-2 loss and netted the equalizer on Sunday at Weber State in the 17th minute, a match the Eagles would win on a goal in the 57th minute despite getting outshot 20-9.

Series history: Montana leads the all-time series with Eastern Washington 17-8-3 and has gone 10-5-0 against the Eagles in Cheney.

The Grizzlies' last trip to Cheney, in 2021, was a 2-0 victory behind two goals from Skyleigh Thompson. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Missoula last season.

At a glance (Idaho): The Vandals went 12-3-3 last season, which ended in penalty kicks against Northern Arizona in the Big Sky tournament championship match.

Two of those wins were 1-0 victories over Montana, 1-0 in Missoula during the regular season and 1-0 in Greeley, Colo., in the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament.

With a lot back from that team, Idaho was picked second in this year's preseason poll behind Northern Arizona.

The Vandals' lone losses this season came at home, 3-1 against Washington, and 1-0 at UC Santa Barbara.

Idaho joins Montana as the Big Sky's top two defensive teams. The Vandals have allowed eight goals through 10 matches, no more than one in any match outside of the loss to Washington.

Kira Witte gives Sunday's match a goalkeeper-vs.-goalkeeper dynamic. She has a .80 goals-against average, a .830 save percentage and four shutouts.

Seniors Hannah Alfaro and Jadyn Hanks both have four goals, senior Alyssa Peters has seven assists, which leads the Big Sky and is tied for ninth nationally.

Series history: Montana leads the all-time series with Idaho 12-9-1 and has gone 6-5-0 against the Vandals in Moscow.

Idaho's two wins last year – both goals were scored late by Margo Schoesler, a penalty kick in the 88th minute at Missoula, an overtime goal in the 100th minute at Greeley – snapped Montana's streak of going 5-0-1 against the Vandals from 2017 to '21.

The Grizzlies have won the teams' last five matchups in Moscow, four by 1-0 scores, two of those coming in overtime, the other a 2-1 final.

Of the teams' last eight matchups, seven have been one-goal decisions, the other a draw.

Summary:

A midseason break from matches sounds good. In theory. In practice? It's tough. Routines have been established, rhythms created, momentum earned. Then the games just stop.

That was the position Montana was in last week, with more than a week between a draw at Oregon State and this week's Big Sky opener at Eastern Washington. Eleven days between games to be exact.

"We had to frame that time correctly. We said, we have to come out of this technically sharper and tactically better," said coach Chris Citowicki, who also used the break to hold individual meetings.

"Playing 11-v-11 on Saturday morning, I thought we were brilliant over the entire span. I thought we were very good and got better, and the individual evals pushed people.

"Now we're refreshed and hungry. We're hungry to play again, which is an exciting feeling."

Frist up is Eastern Washington, which has scored or allowed 66 goals this season through 11 matches. The fewest goals in an Eagle match this season? Two, a 2-0 home loss to San Diego State. The most against a Division I opponent? Nine in a 6-3 home loss to Saint Mary's.

It's a team that gives itself a chance, like last month when Eastern Washington took a 1-0 lead into the 63rd minutes at Washington State.

"When they have to show up, they are going to show up and do well," said Citowicki.

"They have threats up top and have proven they can hang in against good teams, so we just have to execute in the final third and take care of business, then be very focused and alert when it comes to our defending."

Then comes Sunday's match in Moscow. It not only carries the results of last year, when Idaho ended Montana's season in overtime at the Big Sky tournament, it's just two really good teams going up against each other.

"I think everyone is looking forward to that one," said Citowicki.

Like Montana, Idaho puts together a tough nonconference schedule. This year started with an impressive 3-1 home win over WAC power Seattle. Washington was next, with a match at UNLV coming two games later.

"Kudos to (coach Jeremy Clevenger) on prepping them in the nonconference phase," said Citowicki. "They play good teams and get good results. They get tested and are exceptionally well coached, which is why they keep evolving over the course of a season and are dangerous the closer playoffs come.

"They will be well prepared for us. He's always done a good job having something ready when it comes to us against them. He's always ready and his team performs very well for that reason."

Around the Big Sky Conference:

* Idaho, Portland State and Sacramento State all went 1-0-1 in the opening week of league play and sit atop the Big Sky standings with four points.

* Idaho State and Eastern Washington both picked up wins and are 1-1-0 with three points.

* Northern Arizona, Weber State and Northern Colorado each picked up a point last week with a draw.

* NAU, the preseason favorite, was unable to score on its season-opening road trip, falling 1-0 at Sacramento State and playing to a 0-0 draw at Portland State.

* Montana is this season's lone wolf in the Big Sky schedule, meaning the Grizzlies will be all of their opponents' only match of the week.

* Northern Colorado is 0-21-3 over its last 24 matches dating back to Sept. 4, 2022.

* Big Sky RPI's: Montana (66), Idaho (194), Idaho State (240), Northern Arizona (241), Sacramento State (277), Weber State (282), Eastern Washington (314), Portland State (320), Northern Colorado (324). The rankings include 347 teams.

Upcoming: Montana will play at home for the first time in three weeks when it hosts Weber State at South Campus Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 5. A home match with Idaho State on Sunday, Oct. 8 will follow.

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Players Mentioned

Eliza Bentler

Ashlyn Dvorak

Sydney Haustein

Skyleigh Thompson

University of Montana Athletics