Weber State soccer falls 1-0 to Montana in Big Sky title match
WOODY MYERS, University of Northern Colorado
Weber State's Sadie Newsom (6) and Montana's Skyleigh Thompson (18) battle for the ball during the Big Sky Conference tournament championship match Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, in Greeley, Colo.Trailing 1-0 with barely a shot on goal, Weber State created a flurry of activity in Montana’s end in the final 25 minutes of the Big Sky soccer tournament championship Sunday in Greeley, Colorado.
But much of it resulted in only mildly threatening shots on goal, which Griz keeper Camellia Xu turned away six times, and made her team’s lead stand up, sending Montana to the conference title and into the NCAA Tournament.
The loss ends a promising Weber State season at 11-9 overall, going 6-3 in league play and upsetting No. 1 Northern Colorado in the tournament semifinals in the first full season for head coach Craig Sanders. It was Weber’s first title-match appearance since 2013.
The first big scoring chance came in the 17th minute when Montana sent a lining cross but the touch in front of goal was mishit and allowed WSU keeper Kaytlin Bradley to dive and make one of her four saves.
The Griz broke through in the 36th minute. A through ball went to a streaking Zoe Transtrum, who touched with her left to Jaden Griggs cutting to the Weber goal. She touched the ball past a sliding Wildcat, then punched in a high, hard ball from close range past Bradley and into the net.
Weber State took the opening kick of the second half and made a run to the goal but, unlike the score in Friday’s semifinals, Sunday’s run would typify the kinds of looks WSU would get in the second frame. That attack got into the box but passed without a shot.
Later, Lily Webster would fire a low liner from 20 yards out that Xu took easily from her knees. In the 66th minute, Sadie Newsom sent a ball in to Taylor Slack near the goal, but Slack was not near enough for a header to cause Xu any problems.
In the 69th minute, the first corner kick of the match went to Weber but Yira Yoggerst’s kick was headed wide.
Newsom, Slack, Yoggerst and Morgan Furmaniak were named to the all-tournament team.
Weber State will look to replace eight seniors: Bradley, Newsom, Slack, Aubrey Hadley, Nixie Hernandez, Kinsley Napoli, Harlee Turnbow and Amy Kenney.