Sacramento State finds itself in a three-way tie for second place in the Big Sky Conference standings after a 1-0-1 effort over the weekend. With home field advantage on their side, the Hornets battled Montana to a 1-1 tie last Friday, before earning a 2-1 victory over Eastern Washington on Sunday.

During Friday’s match, the Grizzlies scored first on a corner kick in the 69th minute when Lindsay Winans reached a loose ball in front of Sacramento State’s goal. Montana goalkeeper Grace Harris kept the Hornets off the scoreboard for 85 minutes with a match-high nine saves, but senior forward Kayelyn Satkowski scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season to send the match into overtime. Sacramento State freshman Beverly Goebel appeared to have the golden goal with a header in the 94th minute, but Harris again contributed a big stop with a one-handed punch over the crossbar.

On Sunday, the Hornets again surrendered the first goal of the match, but for the third time this season, came back from an early deficit to score the game winner. The Eagles’ Shelly Ikerd gave Eastern Washington its initial lead, burying a shot to the upper right corner in the 16th minute after breaking free along the left sideline. It was the Eagles only shot of the first half. The Hornets tied the match with less than one minute remaining in the first half after junior Katie McCoy was pulled down in the box and awarded a penalty kick. The La Mesa, Calif., native hit a bending shot to the left corner for her fourth goal of the season. It was again the efforts of the opposing goalkeeper, 2005 co-Big Sky Defensive MVP, Tiera Como, that kept Sacramento State from taking the lead. The Hornets outshot the Eagles 27-5, but Como made a match-high nine saves until senior Kelly Novak scored her second game-winning goal of the season in the 84th minute. Novak’s first shot was stopped by Como, but the fourth-year senior followed up the rebound and one-timed her second attempt to the back of the net.

The Week Ahead

This weekend’s results will have serious consequences for the league’s standings. The top four teams advance to the Big Sky postseason tournament with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA College Cup. Currently Idaho State holds the top spot with a 3-1-0 Big Sky record, while a three-way tie exists for second between Montana, Weber State and Sacramento State, teams that all possess 2-1-1 records. Matches will start on Thursday, when Weber State travels to Eastern Washington and Idaho State visits Montana. The Hornets will host Northern Colorado on Friday, while Northern Arizona visits Portland State. Sacramento State will then hit the road on Sunday for an away match against Lumberjacks.

Northern Colorado (5-10-0) is 1-3 in the Big Sky with the team’s sole victory coming in a 2-1 win at Montana. The Bears recently fell to Weber State, 2-1, and were shutout by Idaho State, 3-0. Teresa Paris leads Northern Colorado with six goals and one assist and goalkeeper Chrissy Marvin is second in the conference with 91 saves on the year.

Northern Arizona (6-8-1) knocked off Sacramento State last season in the first round of the postseason tournament, but this year the preseason favorites have gotten off to a slow start with a 1-2-1 Big Sky record. The Lumberjacks recently suffered a 2-1 overtime loss to Idaho State before playing to a 1-1 tie with Weber State. Cee Cee Odorfer leads the team with five goals and three assists.

Senior Farewell

Friday’s match will be the final home game for three Sacramento State seniors, Maggie Murphy, Kelly Novak and Natalia Romo. Murphy, a fourth-year senior from Walnut Creek, Calif., has earned all-Big Sky honors twice and has played in 70 career matches, ranking fifth in program history. Her career stats include three goals and 10 assists. This season, she is one of only five players to start all 16 matches, and recorded the assist on Novak’s game winner in a 1-0 victory over Weber State on Oct. 5.

Novak has been one of the program’s top goal scorers over the past four years. The Clayton, Calif., native received all-Big Sky accolades for the first time a year ago after a career year with four goals and one assist. This season, Novak has three goals, including two game winners, and four assists, improving her career totals to 10 goals and nine assists in 67 matches.

Romo is a co-captain this season and is in her fifth year with the program. The Las Vegas native has recovered from two knee injuries in her collegiate career to return to the field. She received all-Big Sky honors in 2004, playing on the defensive side of the ball. One of the Hornets’ most versatile players, Romo has played all three field positions in her time 54 matches Sacramento State.

The Real McCoy

Sacramento State’s Katie McCoy has been one of the Hornets’ most consistent offensive players the last three seasons. Whether controlling the offense from the central midfield or running at defenses from the forward line, McCoy continues to crash the program record books. This season, McCoy is second on the team in scoring with four goals and five assists. She has played a huge role in close games, providing the assist on three game-winning goals and scoring two game-tying goals.

A look at McCoy’s career stats explains her significance to the program the past three seasons. She has 13 career goals, tying for fourth in program history and her 13 career assists rank second all-time. The La Mesa, Calif., native also has 39 career points, ranking fourth all-time.

Record Watch

Sacramento State’s eight victories this season tie the program’s wins from a year ago. The Hornets have three regular season matches left and need one victory to match the program’s single season win total set in 1994, 1998 and 2000.