Claire Howard

Photo by: © Derek Johnson 2019

Photo by: Dean Hare/Washington State Unive

Photo by: Todd Goodrich

Team bonding retreat to Kalispell/Glacier National Park

Year:
Redshirt Senior
Position:
G
Hometown:
Santa Rosa, Calif.
Previous School:
Maria Carrillo HS

2020-21 (senior season):

United Soccer Coaches first-team Scholar All-West Region
Academic All-Big Sky Conference
United Soccer Coaches first-team All-West Region
Became the Big Sky Conference leader in career shutouts (32)
Big Sky Conference Goalkeeper of the Year
First-team All-Big Sky Conference
Voted to the Big Sky Conference All-Tournament Team
A two-time Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Started all 11 matches and played every minute in goal for team that went 9-2-0 and advanced to the NCAA tournament
Allowed seven goals, posted six shutouts
Tied for 28th nationally in shutouts, ranked 36th in goals-against average (0.62)
Finished career with 0.83 goals-against average, best in program history
Didn’t allow a goal the season’s first 308 minutes
Made career-high nine saves in 1-0 loss to South Carolina in NCAA tournament match

2019 (junior season):

United Soccer Coaches second-team Scholar All-West Region
Academic All-Big Sky Conference
Second-team All-Big Sky Conference
A one-time Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Voted team's Defensive Most Valuable Player
Started all 19 matches in goal, played all 1,839 minutes
Went 7-6-6 with nine shutouts
Finished the season with a .820 save percentage, a 0.78 goals-against average
Posted nine shutouts to up career total to 26
Broke the Montana record for career shutouts, previously 24, in a 4-0 home victory over Portland State
Did not allow more than a single goal in regulation in 18 of the team’s 19 matches
Went 6-0-3 through team’s nine-match Big Sky schedule, with seven shutouts and just two goals allowed
Had a 0.21 goals-against average and .935 save percentage during league play, with seven shutouts, all the top marks in the Big Sky

2018 (sophomore season):

Academic All-Big Sky Conference
Honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference
Voted to the Big Sky Conference All-Tournament Team
A one-time Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Started all 22 matches in goal
Played a program-record 2,062 minutes
Went 7-9-6 with 10 shutouts
Tied for the Big Sky lead and matched the single-season program record for shutouts
Had a 1.09 goals-against average, a .783 save percentage
Voted to the Big Sky All-Tournament Team after posting three shutouts in five days over higher-seeded opponents as the Grizzlies won their first postseason championship since 2011
Posted consecutive home shutouts over Vermont and North Dakota to earn Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week honors

2017 (freshman season):

Academic All-Big Sky Conference
Honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference
A one-time Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Voted team’s Newcomer of the Year
Played in all 21 matches, getting 20 starts
Led the Big Sky in goals-against average (0.70)
Goals-against average ranked second in program history, the best average since 1996
Had a league-leading goals-against average of 0.49 in 10 Big Sky matches, allowing five goals
Played the second-most minutes in program history for a goalkeeper
Recorded seven shutouts
Allowed more than one goal on just two occasions
Recorded shutout in collegiate debut, making one save in a 1-0 victory at Boise State
Named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after holding Oregon and Washington State to a single goal
Shut out the regionally ranked Cougars, a team that would make the NCAA tournament’s round of 16

2016: Redshirt season

Career Highs
Minutes played: 110, 15 times
Shots faced: 33 (Washington State, 11.9.18)
Saves: 9 (South Carolina, 4.28.21)
Goals allowed: 6 (Washington State, 8.30.19)
Career shutouts: 32

Personal: A 2016 graduate of Maria Carrillo High ... The daughter of Tim and Ingrid Howard ... Has a younger sister, Brynn … A communication studies major.