Griz close out nonconference with Broncos

The Montana soccer team will wrap up its nonconference schedule this week with a home match against Boise State.

The Grizzlies (5-2-2) and Broncos (6-1-0) will face off at 4 p.m. on Thursday at South Campus Stadium.

It will be a match-up of teams ranked in their respective regions. Montana is No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches West Region poll, Boise State is No. 3 in the Pacific Region.

The Grizzlies will open Big Sky Conference play with a home match against Northern Arizona on Sunday, Sept. 29.

The Broncos will play at Eastern Washington on Sunday before starting their Mountain West Conference schedule with a match at Fresno State, ranked No. 4 in the Pacific Region, on Thursday, Sept. 26.

Coverage: Thursday's match will stream on ESPN+ with Ace Sauerwein calling the action.

At a glance (Montana): The Grizzlies will take a four-match unbeaten streak into Thursday's match against Boise State.

Montana began its streak with a 1-0 home win over IU Indianapolis, then played to road draws at Air Force and Wyoming, tying the Falcons 0-0, the Cowgirls 3-3.

After losing their second all-region player this season to injury, the Grizzlies regrouped and took out their frustrations in a 4-0 home victory over North Dakota on Thursday in Missoula.

Montana, on the offensive from the start, scored less than five minutes into the match and led 2-0 at the half. The Grizzlies scored two second-half goals to hand North Dakota its worst loss of the season.

Freshman Carly Whalen scored in the fifth minute from 20 yards out, her first collegiate goal. She was assisted on the goal by Riley O'Brien and Ava Samuelson.

Samuelson's assist was the 14th of her career, moving her into a tie for seventh in program history. O'Brien's assist was the second of her career.

Kayla Rendon Bushmaker made it 2-0 in the 36th minute when she scored unassisted, also from 20 yards out. It was her second career goal, her first coming against MSU Billings in a 6-0 win in 2022.

Montana went up 3-0 in the 55th minute when a clearing attempt on a corner kick made its way to Charley Boone, who scored from the top of the box.

It was the center back's second career goal. She scored the game-winner in the 87th minute in Montana's 1-0 victory over Sacramento State in the semifinal round of the 2021 Big Sky tournament.

Chloe Seelhoff capped the scoring in the 90th minute, netting her first goal as a Grizzly. She was assisted on the play by Whalen, giving the freshman midfielder a three-point match.

It was the third time this season a Grizzly has had a goal and an assist in a match. Bella O'Brien did it against Colorado College, Ava Samuelson against Wyoming.

Bayliss Flynn made her fourth start in goal and recorded her third shutout, making five saves. Through four matches she has a 0.75 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage.

Montana improved to 10-2-2 all-time against North Dakota with the win.

At a glance (Boise State): The Broncos are 6-1-0 with three of those wins coming at home against Big Sky Conference opponents.

Boise State defeated Portland State 2-1, Idaho State 3-1 and Idaho 3-1, all in Boise, then added a 3-0 victory over former Big Sky member Southern Utah on Sunday, also at home.

The Broncos' lone loss came in a 2-0 setback on the road at BYU, the team that played in the 2021 national championship match.

Boise State has outscored its opponents this season 17-5, getting shut out just once in seven matches, against BYU. The team's 2.43 goal-scoring average ranks 41st nationally.

Redshirt sophomore forward Avery McBride has scored five goals, senior forward Carly Cross has scored four.

McBride was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after totaling three goals in home wins over Utah Tech and Southern Utah.

Thursday's match will be the Broncos' third on the road this season. They won 4-0 at UC Riverside before getting blanked by BYU in Provo.

Boise State went 11-4-6 a year ago and finished third in the Mountain West in a tight race with an 8-2-1 league record.

The Broncos ended their season with a 1-0 overtime loss to Utah State in the Mountain West semifinals.

Boise State tied for third in this year's Mountain West preseason poll, tying with Colorado State, both programs coming in behind San Diego State and Utah State.

Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Genevieve Crenshaw, who has played every minute in goal this season and has a 0.71 goals-against average, made the Mountain West Preseason Watch List.

Also making the list were Cross and fifth-year senior midfielder Morgan Padour. Both players were voted second-team All-Mountain West last season.

Boise State is coached by Jim Thomas. The 2018 Mountain West Coach of the Year has been leading the Broncos since the 2013 season. He has a record at the school of 120-72-38.

Series history: Montana leads the all-time series with Boise State 9-5-2. The teams have split their matches in Missoula, both teams going 3-3-1.

All five of the Broncos' wins in the series came in a five-year stretch between 2004 and '08. Since then, the Grizzlies have been on a remarkable nine-match unbeaten streak against Boise, going 7-0-2.

Montana is 2-0-1 in its last three matches against Boise State in Missoula, winning 1-0 in both 2021 and '16, and tying 1-1 in 2010.

Of the teams' 14 matches that have not ended in a draw, 13 of them have been one-goal decisions. The only multiple-goal outcome was Boise State's 2-0 win in Missoula in 2007.

The teams' last meeting resulted in a 0-0 draw in Boise in 2022.

Match notes:

* In the NCAA's first RPI of the season, released on Monday, Boise State is 90, Montana is 153. The Grizzlies lead the Big Sky, the Broncos rank second in the Mountain West behind No. 14 Utah State.

* Montana is 5-0-0 at home this season with five shutout victories. The Grizzlies have gone 29-7-8 (.750) at South Campus Stadium since the start of the 2019 season.

* In 14 home matches since the start of the 2023 season, Montana has allowed only five goals.

* Griz coach Chris Citowicki improved to 61-35-24 at Montana with Thursday's win over North Dakota. He is five wins away from becoming the second-winningest coach in program history.

* Bayliss Flynn was named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. The injured player she replaced in the lineup, Ashlyn Dvorak, also was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week this season.

It's the first time in program history that two different Montana goalkeepers have been named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week in the same season.

* Montana has allowed only five second-half goals over its last 30 matches, dating back to the 2022 season.

* It was the first goal of the season for all four of Montana's goal-scorers in Thursday's 4-0 home win over North Dakota: Whalen, Rendon Bushmaker, Boone, Seelhoff.

* Montana's 0.89 goals-against average leads the Big Sky, as does the Grizzlies' save percentage of .822.

Upcoming: Montana will open its Big Sky schedule with a home match against Northern Arizona on Sunday, Sept. 29.

The Lumberjacks ended the Grizzlies' season last year, defeating Montana 1-0 in Flagstaff in the semifinals of the Big Sky tournament.

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Players Mentioned

Charley Boone

Ashlyn Dvorak

Bayliss Flynn

Bella O'Brien

Riley O'Brien

Kayla Rendon Bushmaker

Ava Samuelson

Chloe Seelhoff

Carly Whalen

University of Montana Athletics