Driving through the center of Sacramento State territory, Montana sophomore midfielder Lydia Robertson spotted redshirt freshman midfielder Caylee Kerr.
Robertson played through a ball between the Hornet defense and into the path of Kerr. Sac State freshman goalkeeper Cynthia Waller rushed towards Kerr as she entered the box with the ball.
Kerr sent the ball towards the right side of the Hornets goal, getting the best of Waller and giving the Grizzlies a 1-0 lead against the Hornets in the 61st minute.
“We just have to try to make ourselves big,” head coach Randy Dedini said. “It’s tough. She would have to make a great save in a one-on-one situation and they did a good job putting it away.”
Waller filled in for redshirt junior goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier, who suffered a concussion the training session before the game.
“Overall, I thought she played pretty well for a freshman coming into a big game,” Dedini said. “I think she has a great future with us.”
Following the Grizzlies’ goal, Sac State was on the attack, in search of an equaliser. The Hornets had created chances throughout the game, but failed to capitalize on any of them.
“We got to put the ball in the back of the net,” Dedini said. “That’s kinda the name of the game.”
In the dying moments of the game, junior defender Dalen Lau sent the ball forward in a last ditch effort for the Hornets. The ball from Lau found its way out of bounds, allowing the Grizzlies to then run out the remainder of the clock.
The 1-0 defeat concludes a winless three-game road trip for the Hornets, where they faced an aggregate score of 10-0.
“I felt like both teams had about similar levels of chances. We had a one-on-one and they had a one-on-one. They put theirs away and we didn’t,” Dedini said. “Overall, we were happy with the way the girls played. They came out with a lot of energy.”
In the previous game against Weber State, the Hornets struggled to get the ball forward throughout the game. Although they tasted defeat yet again, the Hornets had several positives throughout the game.
Against Montana, the Hornets were able to play through the lines and create several opportunities throughout.
“I thought there was a lot more fluidity to our play, I thought we kept the ball pretty well,” Dedini said. “We were happy with the way we played, we are obviously not happy with the result.”
The defense prevented the Grizzlies from scoring on various occasions, and the Hornets bounced back from the 6-0 defeat in the previous game with a defensive performance to be proud of.
The positive back line performance can set an example for the team going into next week.
Three consecutive defeats for the Hornets now puts them in a do or die situation. With seven points in the Big Sky Conference standings, the Hornets will need to pick up all three points against Portland State if they wish to qualify for the Big Sky tournament.
The game kicks off on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. in the Hornets’ last game at home this season and potentially their final game of the season.
“I don’t need to tell them much. I think we all know the scenario,” Dedini said. “We need to get three points, and we need to play our best game of the year.”
