(Editor's note: University of Montana media release)
MISSOULA -- The Montana soccer team has swept the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.
Seniors Taylor Stoeger and Taylor Hansen were named the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, after the Grizzlies had a 2-0 home stand, with wins over Texas Southern and regionally ranked Boise State.
Stoeger, the MVP of last spring’s Big Sky tournament, scored twice on Friday in Montana’s 6-0 win over Texas Southern. Her two first-half goals sparked the Grizzlies to a 5-0 halftime lead.
This is Stoeger’s first Big Sky Player of the Week honor.
Hansen, an outside back who gets farther up the field more often than most at her position, helped Montana post a pair of shutouts against the Tigers and Broncos.
The Grizzlies limited their opponents to just 12 shots over 180 minutes, only three on goal.
Hansen also got in on the action on the offensive end in Friday’s lopsided victory. She assisted on Stoeger’s goal in the fifth minute, then assisted on Stoeger’s second goal in the 23rd minute.
She added her first goal of the season in the 37th minute, a well-placed shot from distance, to make it 4-0.
The assists gave Hansen 13 for her career and moved her into the top 10 in program history. She is currently tied for ninth with Sheralyn Fowler (1995-96).
The fifth-year senior has twice been voted first-team all-league and twice named all-region, but this is her first Big Sky Player of the Week award.
Coming off its only one-sided loss of the fall, a 3-0 setback at Gonzaga on Sept. 5, Montana bounced back in a big way on Friday, routing Texas Southern 6-0, the most goals scored by the Grizzlies since 2014.
Montana followed its win over Texas Southern on Friday with a 1-0 victory over then one-loss Boise State on Sunday. It was the biggest out-of-league win for the Grizzlies in four seasons under Citowicki.
Montana (3-4-0) will wrap up its nonconference schedule with a match at Long Beach State (3-2-1) on Thursday night.
