By MICHAEL HEINBACH of the Missoulian
The difference between this year's University of Montana soccer team and last year's squad was glaring in the Grizzlies' home opener Friday evening at South Campus Stadium.
The win moved the Grizzlies to 4-5 and surpassed the win total of the 2005 UM team, a squad that likely would have lost a similar match to previously undefeated MSU-B, which began the week ranked 18th in D-II.
Montana outshot the Yellowjackets 16-8, but unlike the Grizzlies of a year ago who finished 3-13-1, UM rallied past its missed opportunities and came out a winner.
“I think we're a lot more mature than we were last year,” said third-year Montana head coach Neil Sedgwick. “These girls fight all the way through and are going to find a way to win. They're never going to give up.”
After 90 minutes of regulation that saw some tough saves by MSU-B senior goalkeeper Megan Plank and two Montana shots ricochet off the crossbar, the contest moved to overtime. In the first 10 minutes of extra play, the Yellowjackets (10-1) began to put some offensive pressure on the UM defense and redshirt freshman keeper Grace Harris.
But the best scoring chance of the period came in the final seconds, when UM senior MacKenzie Murphy ran down a short lob off a free kick and nearly sent a header past Plank as time expired.
That effort surely inspired the Grizzlies in the opening moments of the second overtime.
The game-winning sequence began as freshman midfielder Sarah Stevens took a loose ball and charged down the right side halfway into MSU-B territory. She beat a defender and sent a pass toward another freshman, Kristyn Shapka. The St. Albert, Alberta, native then fed a line-drive ball toward Winans, who was stationed in the middle of the 18-yard box.
Winans redirected the pass with her head off the inside of the left post and into the goal for her team-leading fourth goal of the season.
“I love to score header goals,” said Winans after her 25th tally at Montana tied her for fifth on the all-time UM scoring list with Jodi Campbell (1997-00). “Those are a lot of fun, getting up in the air and placing it just right.”
Though the Grizzly offense struggled to finish its scoring chances, UM's defense had little trouble containing the high-octane Yellowjackets, who entered averaging 4.5 goals per game.
“We have a strong defense and we have a lot of faith in them,” Winans said. “They've worked really hard and have come a long way throughout the year and we're really proud of them. They did a great job today.”
Harris made two saves in the Montana net and notched her third shutout of the season.
The contest began a five-game homestand for Montana, which hosts North Dakota State next Friday and South Dakota State the following Sunday in the Montana Nike Cup.
“We kind of had a rough season last year and put a lot of things together this summer,” Winans said. “I think we've built a lot as a team and we're coming along great.”
MSU-B 0 0 0 0 - 0
Montana 0 0 0 1 - 1
UM - Lindsay Winans (Kristyn Shapka) 100:38
Shots - MSU-B 8, Montana 16. Corner kicks - MSU-B 1, Montana 13. Saves - MSU-B 9 (Megan Plank), Montana 2 (Grace Harris). Total fouls - MSU-B 10, Montana 9. Yellow cards - MSU-B 2, Red Cards - none.
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