Griz finish off two-win homestand

Sunday, August 30

Missoula, Mont.

1 PM

Montana

2-3-0

MSU Billings

Team	1	2	Final F
MSU Billings	0	1	1
Montana	2	0	2

Photo by: cassi evans

8/30/2026 5:32:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana soccer team wrapped up a two-win homestand on Sunday afternoon with a 2-1 victory over MSU Billings at South Campus Stadium in Missoula.

Megan Wilson-Sofield converted a penalty kick in the 16th minute and Elli Lewis scored her second goal in two matches in the 37th to give the Grizzlies (2-3-0) at 2-0 lead at the half.

The Yellowjackets cut their deficit in half in the 55th minute when Ava Curtright scored off a free kick from 45 yards out.

After Montana played some of its sharpest soccer of the season in a one-sided first half, it was MSU Billings who had the edge for much of the second.

The Yellowjackets' second-half goal was their first ever scored against the Grizzlies in eight all-time meetings.

"We didn't come out in the second half," said coach Stuart Gore. "We didn't come out in the second half against Bucknell or against Seattle and didn't come out in the first half against Lethbridge.

"Right now we're a 45-minute team in a 90-minute game."

It was the first half that showed Montana's potential as the Grizzlies created most of the opportunities through the opening 45 minutes.

After Grace Morton was pulled down in the box in the 16th minute, Wilson-Sofield stepped up and confidently drove a strong, low shot inside the left post on the penalty kick.

It was a sequence in the 37th minute that put form to everything Montana has been practicing for more than a month.

With the ball 80 yards from goal, Mia Draper touched a pass to Liv Thorne-Thomsen, who touched the ball to Morton, who immediately played the ball back to Thorne-Thomsen.

The Grizzlies covered 40 yards on three passes and in less than five seconds, right out of the Gore playbook.

The last touch left Thorne-Thomsen in space just beyond the center line, and she rolled a ball through three defenders and onto the foot of a streaking Lewis.

Lewis covered the final third of the field unmarked and beat MSU Billings goalkeeper Tenley Leffler to her right.

"Good for Megan to get off the mark, then for Elli to score in two consecutive games. As a forward, that's their bread and butter," said Gore.

"The second goal, the architect of the build and everything was so nice, the one- and two-touch play and the ball through. It's what we're trying to do on a consistent basis."

Lewis scored 24 goals in two seasons at Northwest College and now has two through five matches at Montana. She made her goal on Sunday look easy, like she's been doing it forever, which she has.

"When I think about (being on a breakaway), I don't think I'm super comfortable but in the moment it felt super comfortable," she said. "I could just look up and place it like we place it in practice."

Thorne-Thomsen had the assist, one match after scoring herself, in Thursday's 2-0 home win over Lethbridge.

"It was a super good pass," added Lewis. "That's what we've been practicing, the one-two touch. It's nice to see the pieces we've been working on in practice get put together in the games."

Curtright changed the game's feel in the 55th minute when she ripped a long free kick that got over the hand of Montana goalkeeper Avery Heeb and went in off the underside of the crossbar.

The Yellowjackets would out-shoot the Grizzlies in the second half, though Montana would finish with a 10-7 edge for the match and had all four of the game's corner kicks.

Heeb improved to 2-2-0 on the season while lowering her goals-against average to 1.59.

Things will get decidedly tougher in the days ahead. Montana will play at Air Force (3-1-0) at more than 7,000 feet elevation on Thursday, then play at Denver (0-3-2) next Sunday.