Griz make it worth the wait

Friday, August 16

Missoula, Mont.

10 AM

Montana

1-0-0

Colorado College

0-1-0

Colorado College

Montana

Photo by: Tommy Martino

8/16/2024 2:44:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

Whether by head or by foot, Delaney Lou Schorr continues to prove she's one of the most dangerous players around when she gets herself anywhere near the front of the net.

Schorr's goal less than four minutes into the second half proved to be the game-winner as Montana won its season opener on Friday morning at South Campus Stadium, shutting out Colorado College 1-0 in a weather-delayed match as part of the Rumble in the Rockies.

Originally scheduled to be played on Thursday night, the postponement to Friday morning did little to knock Montana off its game. The Grizzlies looked more mid-season than early-season, finishing with 55 percent of the match's possession and out-shooting the Tigers 12-5.

"It wasn't perfect, but soccer is never perfect," said Schorr, who scored her 14th career goal on Friday, leaving her five away from breaking into the top 10 in program history.

"The energy was there, the effort was there, everyone was giving into the program, into the things we live by. It was just dig deep, win those 50-50's, and we got a result out of it."

Remarkably, the goal was the ninth game-winner of Schorr's career. A bulk of those have come off her head, her job to get noggin to ball at the peak of her jump, her 5-foot-11 frame and athleticism making her the ideal front-of-goal target for Montana's table-setters.

On Friday, in the 49th minute, she had to take a different approach. With a bouncing ball at her feet, she had to delicately and deftly touch it over the goalkeeper's outstretched hands and under the crossbar, a space of maybe 18 inches. She couldn't have set the ball into the goal with sweeter precision.

"I knew where (the goalkeeper) was and knew I had to chip it over her," said Schorr, who was assisted on the play by Kayla Rendon Bushmaker, the third assist of her career. "I couldn't hit it with a lot of power because I don't think that would have worked out."

It worked out well enough to give Montana a 1-0 victory in its season opener for the second straight season and make the Grizzlies 9-1-2 over their last dozen matches dating back to last season.

"It ended up feeling like a conference game," said coach Chris Citowicki. "We were forced to go out wide and weren't getting the runs in. We just had to wait for the moment when somebody breaks through and scores."

The breakthrough came just minutes into the second half, when Rendon Bushmaker played the ball into the box from the left side. With a defender at her side, Schorr used her long leg to poke the ball toward goal.

"She had to be creative," said Citowicki. "Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. That's the type of goal you expect out of a senior. She has confidence that I've never seen from her before."

Montana controlled play for the opening 20 minutes of the first half, with Skyleigh Thompson bringing a nice crowd of 295 to the edge of its seats again and again. But the final touch couldn't be found.

"The whole game we had great energy, great momentum," said Schorr. "Yes, we weren't getting the final shot and the goal, but I think our energy was there. We were creating chances, we were going at them and connecting really well."

Finally, the game-winner arrived. "When that goal happened, it was this tension easing off our shoulders," added Schorr. "Then it was Grizzly Soccer, how we authentically play."

Ashlyn Dvorak needed to make four saves on the five shots she faced, two of them requiring her to be at her best, which means one of the top goalkeepers in the nation.

She was up for the challenge and opened her redshirt sophomore campaign with her 12th career shutout, aided largely by the back line in front of her, which kept the Tigers from getting more than just a handful of good looks.

It was a classic Grizzly win, from Dvorak in goal to the backline to the midfield to the forward who gave Montana the victory.

"We definitely learned some lessons, which was nice" said Citowicki. "Ashlyn did her job, Reeve (Borseth) and Charley (Boone) did their job, D-Lou and Kayla did their job. It's not a perfect performance but it's our first game of the year and it's a shutout and we won."

The Rumble in the Rockies will conclude on Sunday. Iowa will face Colorado College at 11 a.m., Montana will play Oregon State at 2 p.m.