Griz open league with 2-0 win

Sunday, September 29

Missoula, Mont.

1 PM

Montana

7-2-2, 1-0-0BSC

Northern Arizona

0-5-4, 0-1-0BSC

Northern Arizona

Montana

Photo by: Ella Palulis/University of Montana

9/29/2024 5:16:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana soccer team won its Big Sky Conference opener on Sunday afternoon, shutting out Northern Arizona 2-0 at South Campus Stadium in Missoula.

The Grizzlies (7-2-2, 1-0-0 BSC) used first-half goals from Maddie Ditta and Chloe Seelhoff to take control and remain unbeaten at home this season.

Montana is now 7-0-0 at South Campus Stadium without a goal allowed, the most home wins in a season since 2000 with at least three more to go.

The Grizzlies out-shot the Lumberjacks (0-5-4, 0-1-0 BSC) 20-8 and only allowed two shots on goal, both of which were saved by Bayliss Flynn, who improved to 4-0-2 in six starts with five shutouts.

"When conference time begins and nobody has played a game yet, it's like the start of the season. Everybody believes, everybody thinks they have a chance," said coach Chris Citowicki.

"It takes three or four games for teams to fall into a rhythm. Some teams will maintain belief, some teams will lose belief, but at the start, everybody wants points. I thought we played quite well today."

Ditta opened the scoring in the 14th minute when she scored from 20 yards in front of goal. She created space for herself and ripped a shot inside the right post.

It was Ditta's second goal of the season, the sixth of her career. She was assisted by Carly Whalen, who has three assists and a goal in Montana's last three matches.

"She was hitting some shots in pregame where you think, nobody is going to save that in the game," said Citowicki. "Then she hits something like that and it's un-savable. It was perfect."

Seelhoff made it 2-0 in the 33rd minute, giving her four goals in the last three matches.

Jen Estes got the ball in the box with her back to goal. She touched a pass out to Seelhoff, who scored from the same spot Ditta did.

"Chloe's technique on a bouncing ball to hit something like that, it's special," said Citowicki. "I wasn't surprised. She is on a different planet right now with her confidence."

That was plenty of buffer for Montana, which allowed NAU to take three shots in the first half, five in the second, most of them from a safe distance.

The clean sheet made it eight shutouts in 11 matches this season. Montana lowered its goals-against average to 0.73.

But the most important number on Sunday was three, the three points the Grizzlies collected in starting 1-0-0 in league.

"This is huge for us, a really great start to conference play," said senior center back Charley Boone, who has played the full 90 minutes in all of Montana's matches this season.

"I'm just so excited for this team. We have a lot of potential and I don't think we've reached it yet. First one down, next to go."

Montana, which went unbeaten in September (4-0-2), will try to get October started the right way when it plays at Northern Colorado (3-10-0, 1-1-0 BSC) next Sunday at noon in Greeley.

The Bears opened league with a 3-1 win at Weber State on Thursday before falling 1-0 at Idaho State on Sunday.