Griz fall in shootout in semifinals

Friday, November 8

Missoula, Mont.

2 PM

Montana

12-2-5

Sacramento State

5-6-8

Sacramento State

Montana

Photo by: Tommy Martino/University of Montana

11/8/2024 7:51:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

Technically it will go down as a tie in the record book, a 0-0 draw after 110 minutes of tense, scoreless soccer on Friday afternoon in a Big Sky Conference Championship semifinal between top seed Montana and No. 5 Sacramento State at South Campus Stadium in Missoula.

The cheers and celebrating afterwards by the Hornets and the tears shed by the Grizzlies, who fell short of advancing to the championship match for the second straight year as the No. 1 seed, revealed the drama that took place after the tie was finalized.

Sacramento State converted four of its five penalty kicks in the deciding shootout, winning 4-3 and sending the Hornets to Sunday's championship match where they will face No. 2 Idaho, which rallied past No. 6 Portland State in Friday's early semifinal, winning 2-1.

Montana had the advantage through two rounds of penalty kicks after Sacramento State's second shooter put her shot off the crossbar. At that point it was Grizzlies 2, Hornets 1.

But Sierra Sonko, who came in for the shootout after Izzy Palmatier made seven saves through 110 minutes of regulation and two overtimes to get her team there, stopped Montana's next two shooters, allowing Sacramento State to go up 3-2.

In the fifth round, Montana's Chloe Seelhoff extended the drama in the darkening afternoon by scoring to make it 3-3, but Sydney Sharts ended the match and the Grizzlies' season when she converted inside the left post.

"We started going opposite a few times of our normal ways, which got them, and they went opposite of their traditional ways, which got us," said coach Chris Citowicki of the shootout. "Then it came down to who misses, and we missed."

After playing to a frustrating 0-0 draw at Sacramento State last month, a match the Grizzlies outshot the Hornets 22-8, Montana ended the season with three straight wins, outscoring Portland State, Idaho State and Weber State 6-0 to clinch the Big Sky regular-season championship.

It was only the third time Montana had been shut out all season, the first two coming against Washington State and Air Force.

The Hornets were at it again on Friday, holding the Grizzlies to four shots in the first half, none of which were on goal, stymieing an attack that seemed to be peaking for the postseason.

"Today it was our inability to change the point to get to the other side of the field," said Citowicki. "That comes down to their ability to lock us into one side of the field.

"Congratulations to Sacramento. I thought they had a great game plan and they executed, stayed in it and ended up winning the shootout."

Montana was more dangerous in the second half and overtimes, coming out of the locker room and putting three shots on goal in the opening three minutes of the second period.

There were no golden chances for either team in the match, a handful of silver and plenty of bronze, which both defenses and goalkeepers cleaned up.

Montana's best opportunity to score was a free kick taken by Ally Henrikson in the 80th minute that hit off the crossbar, came straight down into a mix of bodies in front of goal before it was cleared away.

The Grizzlies would take 16 shots in the match, the Hornets 15. Palmatier made seven saves, Bayliss Flynn five, each of them critical, as she recorded her 11th shutout to equal a program record. Her season-ending goals-against average (0.35) and save percentage (.925) are new program records.

"They had a great game plan. They got lucky a few times, we got lucky a few times, Bayliss made some huge saves, their goalkeeper made some great saves. That's what happens in playoffs. There you go," said Citowicki.

The result ends a second consecutive magical season for Montana, which finishes with a record of 12-2-5 one year after going 13-3-3. No Griz team has even gone through a full season with only two losses, which is saying something for a program with the history of success that Montana has.

The Grizzlies were regionally ranked all 11 weeks of the regular season, became the first team in Big Sky history to go unbeaten through league in back-to-back seasons and secured hosting rights to next year's tournament. And drew more than 1,100 fans for a Friday afternoon match in November.

And all that will feel good in due time. Just not right now. "We're building something big but you also want to win these things, so it's going to sting for a while," Citowicki said.