Comeback bid comes up short - University of Montana Athletics

Sunday, November 1

Missoula, Mont.

1 PM

Montana

3-12-1, 1-6-1BSC

Idaho

10-3-5, 4-1-3BSC

Team	1	2	Final F
Idaho	1	1	2
Montana	0	1	1

The University of Montana Grizzly soccer team takes on the Idaho Vandals on Nov. 1, 2026, at Dornblaser Field, in Missoula.

Photo by: Casandra Evans/University of Montana

11/1/2026 5:07:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana soccer team lost 2-1 to Idaho on Sunday afternoon at South Campus Stadium in Missoula.

The Vandals opened the match's scoring in the 12th minute and went up 2-0 in the 57th before Grace Morton scored her second goal of the season in the 61st minute to cut the Grizzlies' deficit to 2-1.

Montana made a spirited effort over the final half hour to pull even but Idaho held on to pick up its first victory over the Grizzlies in Missoula since 2022.

The loss ended Montana's chances of making the six-team Big Sky Conference Championship, which will be held in Missoula starting on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The last time the Grizzlies failed to make the Big Sky Championship was in 2013.

Idaho went up 1-0 at the 11:44 mark when Tori Peters scored her second goal of the season, inside the right post from the top of the 18-yard box.

The Vandals made it 2-0 at 56:34 when Calli Chiarelli's cross from the left side was kicked in by Miranda Goldner, her first goal of the season.

With Idaho holding 11 shutouts through its first 17 matches of the season, things looked dire for Montana, but Morton's goal less than four minutes later kept the match's result in question.

In the 61st minute, Josephine Frischknecht played the ball to Mia Draper on the left wing. The sophomore's cross into the box was headed out by an Idaho defender but went right to Morton.

Morton allowed the clearance to take one bounce, then ripped a shot from 23 yards out that scored inside the left post on Idaho goalkeeper Paula Flores, who entered the match with 10 shutouts.

Montana's best chance to tie it came in the 77th minute, when Megan Wilson-Sofield's shot from 25 yards out was blocked by an Idaho defender.

The loose ball was picked up by Elli Lewis seven yards in front of goal. Her shot went right into Flores's hands.

Montana took 15 shots to Idaho's 14, with the Vandals holding a 9-5 edge in corner kicks. Wilson-Sofield took six of the Grizzlies' shots while playing 90 minutes.

Draper, who left her mark on the match with her second-half hustle, played 90 minutes, as did Morton, Malli Rude and Cate Gusick. Avery Heeb made four saves in goal.

The Big Sky Conference regular-season schedule will wrap up on Thursday with all 10 teams in action, everyone playing at 1 p.m. (MT).

Though Montana is out of postseason contention, Thursday will bring plenty of drama around the rest of the league.

Weber State (10-6-2, 6-1-1 BSC) will take a two-point lead into the final day over Northern Colorado (8-6-4, 5-1-2 BSC), the only two teams in the running to win the regular-season championship.

Weber State hosts Idaho State, while Northern Colorado hosts Northern Arizona.

Idaho, Northern Arizona and Utah Tech are safely in the six-team field, while one point separates sixth-place Idaho State and seventh-place Southern Utah for the field's No. 6 seed.

Montana (3-12-1, 1-6-1 BSC) will host Portland State (3-13-1, 1-6-1 BSC) on Thursday at 1 p.m. in the Grizzlies' final match of the season.