Montana drops Big Sky opener

Friday, September 26

Flagstaff, Ariz.

10:30 AM (MT)

Montana

6-3-1, 0-1-0BSC

Northern Arizona

4-2-4, 1-0-0BSC

Montana

Northern Arizona

Photo by: John Sieber via UM Athletics

9/26/2025 1:24:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana soccer team dropped its Big Sky Conference opener on Friday, losing 2-1 against Northern Arizona in Flagstaff.

The Lumberjacks (4-2-4, 1-0-0 BSC) scored twice in the opening 28 minutes, then held off the Grizzlies (6-3-1, 0-1-0 BSC), who lost their first regular-season league match since October 2022.

Montana out-shot Northern Arizona 19-8 and allowed the home team only three shots over the match's final 60 minutes.

Reagan Brisendine pulled the Grizzlies within a goal in the 75th minute, scoring her first as a Grizzly, and Montana had two shots that went off the crossbar, one in each half.

"It was a good start by NAU and we found ourselves in a hole," said coach Chris Citowicki. "From that point on, we played exceptionally well. How the ball didn't go in the goal more times, I don't know."

The Lumberjacks opened the scoring in the fifth minute off a corner kick.

They played a short corner, then Micala Boex found Avery Ott at the top of the 18-yard box. Her low drive ping-ponged off two Montana defenders before getting past Griz goalkeeper Ashlyn Dvorak.

Northern Arizona's second goal came from nearly the same spot, 17 yards out at the back end of another corner kick.

Dvorak punched the initial corner kick out of harm's way, but the ball found its way back to Ott, who scored just under the crossbar.

From that point on, it was all Montana, but in the end, it wasn't enough to pull even.

"As I told the team after the game, I can't accept our 2-1 loss to Boise State because I don't think we played well," said Citowicki.

"I can accept this one because sometimes you lose soccer games. But you still want to play well and create chances and do things right, and I think we did."

Brisendine's goal came in the 75th minute, after putting one off the crossbar earlier in the second half.

Brisendine's initial shot was saved off the line by a Northern Arizona defender. Her follow-up from eight yards out went straight to the net.

Northern Arizona freshman goalkeeper Reece Reichwald made five saves to earn the win. Dvorak took her first loss since late August.

Brisendine took four shots, Seelhoff, who also put one off the crossbar and had a close-in shot in the first half saved off the line by an NAU defender, took three.

Montana hosts Northern Colorado (1-7-4, 0-1-0 BSC) at noon on Sunday at South Campus Stadium.

The Bears lost their Big Sky opener at home on Thursday night, falling 1-0 to Sacramento State on a Hornet goal in the 88th minute.