Montana soccer picked to win Big Sky Conference again

MISSOULA — After finishing atop the Big Sky Conference standings the past two years, you’d think maybe the Montana women’s soccer team would be due for a rebuidling year.

The Grizzlies, who went undefeated in league play in 2023 and 2024, have been picked to win the Big Sky once again by coaches in the loop. Montana, who was also pegged to take first last August, garnered six of nine first-place votes.

The Grizzlies are shooting for history this fall. No team has ever won three consecutive outright Big Sky soccer titles. 

Eastern Washington, Idaho, Northern Arizona and Sacramento State rounded out the top five in the Big Sky poll, with the Eagles picking up two first-place votes. The Hornets, who bounced Montana in last year’s Big Sky tournament on their way to the postseason title, had one first-place vote.

People are also reading…

The Grizzlies have four players on the first Preseason All-Big Sky team, including midfielders Maddie Ditta and Chloe Seelhoff, defender Ally Henrikson and goalkeeper Bayliss Flynn.

Ditta was voted first team All-Big Sky last fall. Seelhoff, who scored six goals in 2024 and is the league’s second-leading returning goal scorer behind Eastern Washington’s Chloe Pattison, was voted second team.

Henrikson leads a defense that recorded a program-record 14 shutouts last fall and has allowed only 19 goals in 38 matches the last two seasons.

Flynn, who hadn’t played in a collegiate match before last September, went 9-0-5 in 2024 with 11 shutouts in 14 games, leading the NCAA in save percentage (.925). She was voted the Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year and first team all-league.

Pattison, who led the league last year with 11 goals, was named the Big Sky Preseason MVP.

Montana will be challenged early in its Big Sky schedule, opening with a night match at Northern Arizona. On Week 2, UM will play at Eastern Washington and Idaho.

The Grizzlies are 13-0-3 in league play the last two seasons but have not defeated the Eagles, playing them to 1-1 draws in both 2023 and 2024. Idaho has finished second behind Montana the last two seasons, going 10-4-2 in league.

Montana will make its regular-season debut against Southern Utah at 5 p.m. on Thursday at South Campus Stadium, where the Grizzlies are unbeaten (14-0-2) in their last 16 matches. The Grizzlies will host the Big Sky tournament for the second straight year in November.

Bill Speltz is Missoulian sports editor. Contact him at bill.speltz@406mtsports.com or on Twitter @billspeltz

Be the first to know

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}