The Montana soccer team will host Nevada Friday at South Campus Stadium in the Grizzlies’ final match before beginning Big Sky Conference play next week. The match begins at 4 p.m.
Nevada will be making its first trip to Missoula. The only other matchup between the Grizzlies and Wolf Pack came in 2010 in Reno. Nevada won that match 3-1.
Coverage: Fans can follow Friday’s match from afar through live stats and live video. Links to both services can be found on the soccer schedule page at GoGriz.com. Calling Friday’s match for GoGriz.com will be Shaun Radley.
Upcoming: Montana will open Big Sky Conference play next week when the Grizzlies play at Weber State and Idaho State. It will be a key opening weekend for the three teams, all of which were picked to finish in the top four in the preseason coaches’ poll.
Where they stand: Montana is 2-3-3 after last weekend’s 0-1-1 trip to Omaha, Neb. The Grizzlies opened their weekend with a wild 3-3 draw with Nebraska-Omaha on Friday.
Montana went up 1-0 in the ninth minute on a goal by senior India Watne, then allowed two goals within a six-minute window to fall behind 2-1 at the half. Junior Tyler Adair tied it in the 80th minute, and sophomore Mackenzie Akins scored the potential game-winner in the 83rd minute.
But the Mavericks scored the equalizer in the 86th minute, and the teams played two scoreless overtime periods.
On Sunday Montana lost 2-1 in overtime at Creighton. The victory gave the Bluejays their sixth straight win.
Redshirt junior Stephanie Carl’s first career goal in the 67th minute opened the scoring, and for the second consecutive match the Grizzlies were unable to hold a late lead.
Creighton scored the equalizer in the 87th minute and the game-winner 3:48 into the first overtime.
Nevada enters Friday’s match with a record of 2-3-2. The Wolf Pack scored just two goals through its first six matches before finding the net three times in its 3-2 win over Sacramento State on Sunday.
Streak on the line: Montana is unbeaten at South Campus Stadium in its last 11 matches (6-0-5). The last team to beat the Grizzlies at home was Sacramento State, a 1-0 winner on Oct. 7, 2011.
Akins named Player of the Week: Though Montana did not come up with a win last weekend, College Sports Madness still named sophomore Mackenzie Akins its Big Sky Conference Player of the Week.
Akins assisted on Watne’s goal to open the scoring in Friday’s draw with Nebraska-Omaha and added an unassisted goal in the 83rd minute. She took a game-high eight shots in the match while playing 101 minutes.
In Sunday’s loss, Akins took two shots, putting both on goal, in 71 minutes.
Nine days of brilliance: In a span of nine days, from Montana’s 1-0 win over Houston Baptist to the Grizzlies’ 3-1 win over Utah Valley to their 3-3 draw with Nebraska-Omaha, Montana scored seven goals.
Akins played a role in six of the seven goals, scoring twice and adding four assists. Her four assists lead the Big Sky Conference.
How a 6-1-1 team has a 2-3-3 record: Montana has held second-half leads in four matches in which the Grizzlies have either finished with ties or losses.
Air Force came back from a 1-0 deficit to forge a 1-1 tie. Loyola Marymount rallied from a 1-0 hole to win 2-1. And last weekend both Nebraska-Omaha and Creighton scored goals in the closing minutes of regulation to hand Montana a tie and a loss.
Friday oddities: Montana allowed Nebraska-Omaha just eight shots last Friday, which was not odd. What was far from normal was what came from those shots.
Melanie McCormick’s goal in the 16th minute was the first first-half goal allowed by the Grizzlies this season, and when Chelsi Rohloff scored in the 22nd minute, it sent Montana to the locker room facing a deficit for the first time in its last 17 matches.
McCormick’s game-tying goal in the 86th minute gave the Mavericks three for the match, a total not allowed by the Grizzlies since a 3-1 loss at UNLV more than a year ago.
Nevada notes: The Wolf Pack has two wins this season. Both have come in their only other matchups against teams from the Big Sky Conference. Nevada defeated Eastern Washington 2-0 in a neutral-site match at Sacramento, Calif., and topped Sac State 3-2 on Sunday in Reno. … In that match, the Wolf Pack scored the game-winner in the 76th minute. … Nevada has five goals through seven matches, with five shutouts and five goals against the Eagles and Hornets. … The Wolf Pack has allowed seven goals, six of which have been scored in the first half. … Five different players have scored one goal apiece this season, and Nevada has a single assist on its five goals. … Kelsey Quintos has started all seven matches in goal and has three shutouts. … Nevada was picked eighth out of 11 teams in the Mountain West Conference preseason coaches’ poll. … The Wolf Pack plays at Gonzaga on Sunday.
Montana notes: Watne leads the Big Sky Conference in shots (3.25/g), Akins ranks second (2.88/g). … In Montana’s eight matches this season, the Grizzlies and their opponent have combined to score four first-half goals and 17 after halftime. … Akins leads Montana with eight points (2 goals, 4 assists), all of which she has scored the last two weekends. … The Grizzlies have nine injured players. None is expected to play against Nevada. … With injuries suffered last Friday keeping midfielders Britta Hjalmarsson and Ashley Robertson out of Sunday’s match against Creighton, freshman Jenna Castillo, who did not play a minute in Montana’s first four matches, got her first collegiate start and played 82 minutes.
Montana Sports Information
Montana Sports Information
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