Boone, Henrikson named 2024 captains

Charley Boone and Ally Henrikson have been named captains for the upcoming season, Montana soccer coach Chris Citowicki announced recently.

The Grizzlies, who went 13-3-3 a year ago and won the Big Sky Conference regular-season championship, begin their season on Tuesday, July 30, with their first practice.

Montana will play its first matches when it hosts the Rumble in the Rockies on Thursday, Aug. 15, and Sunday, Aug. 18. The tournament will feature Colorado College, Iowa and Oregon State.

Boone, a center back, is a fifth-year senior who is coming off first-team All-Big Sky Conference honors after helping Montana set a Big Sky record for goals allowed in 2023.

Henrikson is a redshirt junior. She was voted the team's Heart of a Grizzly award winner the last two years despite playing in only nine games because of injury.

"They are both trusted and loved so much because they are such good people. That's who the team wanted to lead them," said Citowicki, last season's Big Sky Coach of the Year.

"Everyone wants to be a leader, so you let the leadership process play out over the spring. By the end of it, you start asking people their thoughts, and Charley and Ricky scored off the charts."

Boone has started every match the last two seasons. Last fall she was a key player for a defensive unit that allowed only nine goals in 19 matches, multiple goals only once, in a 2-2 draw with Ohio State.

Montana led the nation last season in save percentage at .903.

While Boone was logging more than 3,400 minutes played the last two seasons, Henrikson was sidelined for most of that time after suffering an injury in early September 2022.

She missed the rest of the 2022 season and played just 32 minutes in three matches a year ago after enduring numerous setbacks in recovery. She returned to mostly full health over the spring.

"She already had a ton of the team's respect without even playing, then she comes back and starts training in the spring, and by the end of it, she's one of our best players," said Citowicki.

Henrikson will move up the formation in 2024, from the back line to the midfield. "She's the kind of kid you can play anywhere and she'll be successful. She can fit anywhere on this team."

Boone and Henrikson will lead a team with high expectations and a deep and talented senior class. Montana will have 18 upperclassmen on the field when practice opens next week.

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Charley Boone

Ally Henrikson

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