Cougars hand Grizzlies 3-0 defeat

Thursday, August 22

Pullman, Wash.

8 PM (MT)

Montana

2-1-0

Washington State

1-1-0

Montana

Washington State

Photos: Shelly Hanks, WSU Photo Services

Photo by: Washington State University

8/22/2024 10:57:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

Washington State handed the Montana soccer team a 3-0 loss on Thursday night at Lower Soccer Field in Pullman in the Cougars' home opener.

Goals came in the 22nd, 40th and 81st minutes for Washington State, which improved to 12-0-1 against the Grizzlies in the teams' last 13 matchups.

It was the first loss of the season for Montana, which opened 2-0-0 with wins last week at the Rumble in the Rockies in Missoula over Colorado College and Oregon State.

After Montana missed on an opportunity to take the early advantage, Washington State flipped the field and momentum and grabbed hold of the match over the final 25 minutes of the first half.

"That was the moment, the first 20 minutes when I think we could have had something," said Griz coach Chris Citowicki. "Both teams were kind of hesitant with each other and we couldn't take advantage."

The Cougars, picked second in the West Coast Conference, looked more like themselves over the back half of the opening period.

Washington State went up 1-0 on a series of headers off a corner kick.

Late in the first half, a Cougar took the ball up the right side and put a shot on goal from near the end line. Griz goalkeeper Ashlyn Dvorak got her hands on it and sent it into the crossbar before it bounced into the goal.

"We were overthinking certain defensive moves, we started dropping too deep, we gave up free kicks and corners. Against a team like this, that's their bread and butter," said Citowicki.

"It just takes one moment, and once that confidence kicks in, it became hard. They are going to punish you for it."

Washington State outshot Montana 9-3 in the first half and generated four corner kicks.

It was the response from his team to start the second half that Citowicki will use to show his team that it can play with the Washington States of the world.

The Grizzlies unleashed a series of quality shots that could have changed the feel of the match, but WSU goalkeeper Nadia Cooper was too good, her best save stealing a shot to the upper corner by Skyleigh Thompson.

Cooper finished with five saves, four in the second half.

"Super impressed with the response in the second half. Some brilliant saves by their goalkeeper, which would have put us back in it and maybe changes the game," said Citowicki.

"It took us until halftime to realize, we can keep the ball and we can play and actually attack. They have a special goalkeeper who kept us out."

Washington State added its final goal late in the game, a redirect in front of goal from a pass on the end line.

Washington State finished with a 20-8 advantage in shots.

"Are we going to learn from this? You bet. Our speed of play, our ability to hold up the ball, all those things were just off today. If you're not at your best when you play a team like this, you get punished," said Citowicki.

Thompson took three shots for Montana, which hosts MSU Billings at 1 p.m. on Sunday.