MISSOULA, Mont. - The Sacramento State women's soccer team posted a 0-0 tie against Montana in a Big Sky Conference matchup held Friday, Oct. 19 at South Campus Stadium.
With the tie, the Hornets move to 7-3-4, 1-0-2 in the Big Sky, while Montana moves to 3-9-1, 1-1-1 in Big Sky action.
The contest proved to be a defensive duel on what was a mild October day in Montana. The first half went by with little fanfare, as the Hornets outshot the Grizzlies 4-3, but only of the combined seven shots was on net.
The start of the second half saw the Grizzlies offense take over the game for a short period of time. In a span of 46 seconds from the 51st minute to the 52nd minute, the Grizzlies posted four chances. Kaitlyn Heinsohn had the inital chance blocked by the Hornet defense, then Frankie Brady's shot was saved by Hornet sophomore 'keeper Mandy Trojan. The third chance was again off the foot of Heinsohn, and the Hornets defense collected a team save, before Trojan saved the final chance of the run off the foot of Abby Graft.
Sacramento State had several chances in the second half, most of which came on attempted chips over Montana 'keeper Grace Harris from outside the 18-yard box. However, neither team posted a shot the final 10 minutes of regulation, leading to extra soccer.
In the two extra periods, each team posted two shots, with Montana getting a shot on goal each period that was saved by Trojan. The Grizzlies had looked to score the game winner in the 99th minute, as a shot found the back of the net by Montana was whistled for being offside.
Trojan ended the day with five saves for the Hornets, while Harris added three for Montana. For Trojan, it was her fifth clean sheet of the year, marking her seventh career shutout, which moves her past follow teammate Jenny Lawrence for fourth place all-time. The five shutouts this season also mark the second most in school history.
Sacramento State outshot the Grizzlies 13-10, while being the aggressors of the match, collected 19 fouls to Montana's 13. Sophomore Katelin Hopping led the way for the Hornets with three shots, while freshmen Kylee Blatz and Erin Tarantino, junior Rebeccah Phillips and senior Katie McCoy each added two shots apiece. Montana had two shots from Malia Hendrix and Heinsohn, with six other Grizzlies posting shots.
The tie marked the third straight tie between these two teams, with the other ties occuring last year. The Hornets defeated the Grizzlies in penalty kicks in the second tied game, which was the Big Sky Tournament semifinal.
The Hornets will be back in action on Sunday, Oct. 21 as they take on Eastern Washington. Kickoff is scheduled for 11am.
MISSOULA, Mont.
