FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (September 26, 2025) – A first-half brace from
Avery Ott and timely defensive plays in the second half lifted Northern Arizona women's soccer, 2-1, over Montana on Friday morning inside Lumberjack Stadium to open Big Sky Conference play.
"I'm super proud of the girls. Our goal was to come out strong and set the tone, and we did just that." Head Coach
Alan Berrios said. "It was the reason why we went up 2-0. Montana is a very good team; you must give them credit. It's a great win to start conference play, and we have a long way to go still. We have a tough road game coming up and now it's time to shift our focus to Sacramento State."
NAU (4-2-4, 1-0 Big Sky) was paced by Ott with four shots, who records the second brace of her career.
Katie Willoughby added two shots and one assist, while
Valerie Llamas and
Ella Freebury took one shot apiece. NAU was surgical in its shot selection, taking only eight to Montana's (6-3-1, 0-1 Big Sky) 19 for the match.
Reece Reichwald made her tenth start between the posts and played all ninety minutes, making five saves.
NAU's attack got going early, with Ott's first score arriving in the fifth minute. Willoughby played it to
Micala Boex off a corner kick, and the senior put it past the Griz' defensive line for the game's first strike. The goal broke a 535-minute stretch of time without conceding a goal for Montana.
Ott almost got her second score in the 14th minute, taking a shot that the goalie punched over the net. Her second goal would come off another corner kick in the 28th minute, as she gathered a clear attempt from the Griz defensive line and put it past the keeper in the top left corner of the net.
Morgan Caslin made one of the defensive plays of the game late in the first half, as she used her body for a team save in the 44th minute when Reichwald was displaced to keep it 2-0 'Jacks at the intermission.
The match continued in chippy fashion in the second half, with two Lumberjacks being issued a yellow card as Montana searched for its first goal. Reichwald made a save in the 54th minute to keep the Griz off the board, and NAU would hold Montana without another shot until its first goal in the 72nd minute on a second effort from Reagan Brisendine.
With the deficit cut in half, the Lumberjacks were able to lock down defensively and hold on for the win, with each Griz attempt either met by Reichwald or cleared from the NAU back line.
The victory snaps Montana's six-game win streak, as NAU improves its all-time series record to 6-8-4 with the Grizzlies. The Lumberjacks also even their home record to 2-2 and have not lost consecutive games this season. NAU has also yet to lose when being outshot by its opponent this season, standing at 3-0-1 when being outshot. With her assist on Ott's goal,
Micala Boex has scored at least one point in six of ten matches this season.
NAU will head to the capital of California this Sunday to take on Sacramento State. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Mountain Standard Time and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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