Bears Roll Past Montana - University of Northern Colorado Athletics

Sunday, October 25

Greeley, Colo.

12 p.m. MT

University of Northern Colorado

7-5-4, 4-0-2

Montana

3-10-1, 1-4-1

Team	1	2	Final F
Montana	0	0	0
Northern Colo.	2	1	3

Photo by: Ally McCutchen

10/25/2026 2:49:00 PM | Women's Soccer

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By: Aiden Tank, Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado closed out its home weekend with a 3-0 win over Montana Sunday at Jackson Stadium, moving to 7-5-4 overall and 4-0-2 in Big Sky play.

It is the Bears' largest margin of victory overall and in conference play since a 3-0 win over Idaho State at home last season on Oct. 17, and their first win over the Grizzlies since 2021.

Marshall Opens It
Ava Marshall scored the opener in the 28th minute, finishing off an assist from Francesca Jordan for her fourth goal of the season. Marshall had three shots on the day, all on target.

Mori Doubles It Before the Break
Maddie Mori made it 2-0 just before halftime, scoring in the 44th minute off a Nora Dougherty assist. It was Mori's fourth goal of the season, giving her and Marshall the team lead.

An Own Goal Seals It
The Bears added a third in the 69th minute on an own goal, closing out the scoring at 3-0.

Northern Colorado controlled the match throughout, holding 66 percent of possession and outshooting the Grizzlies 17-10. The Bears put eight shots on target to Montana's two, and Thordis Melsted made two saves for her sixth shutout of the season.

Depth Shows
Head coach Tim Barrera pointed to the team's rotation as the reason the Bears kept creating chances.

"We asked them to do certain things, and they came through on it," Barrera said. "We got a really good team effort from a ton of players, and I think you see that in who's scoring goals. We get goals from the starters, but we also get plenty from players coming in and giving us a big boost. Our depth is something that's really starting to show through all over the field."

Dougherty, who assisted on the second goal, said the win carried extra weight.

"It feels so great. We haven't beat them since I've been here," Dougherty said. "To share that with all my teammates and get that win, it was huge, and it could drive us into the conference tournament."

Conference Streak
The win keeps Northern Colorado unbeaten in conference play and extends the run to six matches without a loss. That is the longest conference start without a loss in the program's Division I era. The 2021 team opened 5-0 before dropping its sixth match. The Bears now have 14 points in conference play.

The Road Ahead
Two matches remain on the road before the regular-season finale at home, and the stakes are clear on both ends. Weber State sits atop the Big Sky table, and Idaho State and Northern Arizona are all still ahead on the schedule as the Bears push for both a tournament berth and the best possible seed.

Barrera said the approach doesn't change.

"We play day by day," Barrera said. "Fourteen points should probably get us in, but you never know. We'll look at the other results and prepare for Weber State. They're sitting on top of the table right now, so that'd be a real test for us out there."

Dougherty said the team sees a chance at more than just qualifying.

"Now that we have a better shot of being in conference, we also have that shot to still win the whole thing," she said. "I think that brings enough motivation for us to just keep going."

Up Next
Northern Colorado travels to Weber State on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. MT, then plays at Idaho State on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. MT. The Bears close the regular season at home against Northern Arizona on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. MT.

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