Soccer Preview: ISU Hosts Griz Friday Afternoon

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POCATELLO, Idaho – The Idaho State soccer game welcomes the Montana Grizzlies to Davis Field on Friday, Oct. 16 in its lone match this week. The Bengals are on the hunt for their first conference win and their first home win at Davis Field this season.

SCOUTING MONTANA
Montana is 5-8-2 overall this season with a 2-3-1 mark in conference play. The defending Big Sky Champs handed Eastern Washington its first conference loss on Oct. 9 but lost to league-leading Idaho 1-3 in Moscow on Oct. 11.
 
Montana returns 16 letter winners and eight starters from last year's squad that finished first in conference with a 8-0-2 conference record and a 12-6-2 overall record. Freshman forward Dani Morris leads the Griz with four goals, while senior midfielder Mackenzie Akins has three goals and two assists on the year.
UM averages 1.07 goals per game with a .399 shots on goal percentage. The Griz average 12.2 shots per game with a .093 shot percentage.
Montana is coached by Head Coach Mark Plakorus who is in his fifth season and carries a 42-40-15 overall record.

LAST MATCH: ISU FALLS TO SACRAMENTO STATE 3-2
Idaho State soccer dropped a tough match Sunday afternoon, losing to Sacramento State 3-2 in one of the most physical matches this season at Davis Field.
 
The Bengals (1-13-1, 0-6 BSC) started their youth for the second-straight match with all but one starter either a freshman or sophomore in standing. ISU came out strong with a noticeable aggression and controlled the ball for the better part of the first 25 minutes of the starting half.

Sacramento State (5-9-0, 3-3 BSC) turned on the burners, and connected in the 28th minute with its first goal; just over a minute later the Hornets knocked in their second. The Bengals headed into halftime facing a 2-0 deficit.

However, things changed for the Bengals in the second. ISU rattled off 13 shots to Sac State's five, including seven to two on goal. ISU sophomore forward Maria Sanchez saw an opening in the 49th minute, dribbled around the Hornets' defender on the left side of the penalty box and fired a beauty past the last line of defense for her 14th goal of the season.

Sac State responded just over 10 minutes later with its third goal of the match in the 61st minute, but ISU continued their relentless attack which paid off in the 77th minute. Sanchez battled with a few defenders in the penalty box and was awarded a penalty kick when Sac State was whistled for the foul. Sanchez knocked the PK past goalkeeper Molly McConnell for her 15th goal of the season.

ISU played with a heighten sense of urgency the last 13 minutes, but the Bengals were unable to produce another score and fell 3-2 to the Hornets after 90 minutes of play.