Bears draw a familiar foe at Big Sky Tournament

OGDEN, Utah. - UNC drew Montana as their opponent for its first game of the 2021 Spring Big Sky Tournament. Kickoff for the Bears is set for Thursday, April 15 at 3 p.m. MT.

The two teams have a history of competing against one another in the tournament, meeting each of the last three years. Since 2017, UNC has a 2-1-0 record over Montana in the tournament, and a 3-1-2 mark overall. In the last matchup between the Bears and the Grizzlies, UNC defeated Montana, 2-1, to advance to the Big Sky Championships where they would go on to beat Eastern Washington.

Senior Maddie Barkow will be playing in her final Big Sky tournament as a Bear and is grateful to have had an opportunity to represent UNC in the tournament every year she has played for Northern Colorado.

"The team and I are ready to go out tomorrow and leave everything on the field," Barkow said. "We have trained all spring for moments like these."

Kaitlyn Meeder will also be making her last appearance at the Big Sky tournament at UNC. Her final season has been very special and making it to the tournament another year makes it even more memorable.

"I am excited to play Montana in the semifinals again," Meeder explained. "They are always a fun team to play, and it is always a very competitive game."

The last time junior Maddie Duren played in the Big Sky tournament, the Bears won the title. This year she is back and hopeful to win another one.

"I know we are all hungry for another championship, so I am excited to see how our team does in the battle against Montana.," said Duren. "The Grizzlies have a lot of experience and are some of our toughest competitions."

Head coach Tim Barrera's comments, "We are excited to be playing in the Big Sky Tournament. It is never a given that you will make the tournament, so we are glad to be here (which is the 8th year in a row for us)."

Regarding the game against Montana, Barrera says they are a veteran team and since the Bears did not get a chance to play the Griz in conference play, he thinks everyone is up for the challenge.

What to Expect from Montana

The Grizzlies enter the postseason with an 8-1-0 record with its only loss against Eastern Washington in overtime. Montana lost 2-3, giving up the most goals in one game than they had all season. In total, opponents have scored five goals against them and they have scored 19 goals. Tomorrow afternoon's game against the Bears will be a competitive one.

In the last matchup between UNC and Montana, the Griz's Alexa Coyle scored their only goal. This season, Coyle is leading the team in goals with five and will return to the field tomorrow afternoon against the Bears.

Head coach, Chris Citowicki is coaching his third season with Montana. Under Citowicki, Montana has won one Big Sky title and that was in his first season with the team. He is looking to secure his second title this season and feels the pressure due to Montana being voted to win it all in the preseason polls.

What is Ahead?

If the Bears beat the Grizzlies, they will secure a spot in the Big Sky Championship against the winner of the Idaho and Northern Arizona. The championship game will be played on Saturday, April 17 at 3:30 p.m. MT.

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