Weber State scored in the 27th minute, and the goal proved to be the game-winner as the Wildcats recorded a 1-0 victory over Montana Sunday afternoon at WSU’s Wildcat Soccer Field in Ogden, Utah.

 

Madison Garlock scored at 26:50, her fourth goal of the season, in a match both teams took 13 shots and put five on goal. Weber State goalkeeper Nikki Pittman made five saves for the shutout victory.

 

The Wildcats (8-7-1, 4-3-0 BSC), who scored eight goals while winning twice at home last weekend, extended their winning streak to three matches.

 

“I thought we played a great game today. The girls competed like crazy and gave themselves a chance. We created enough opportunities. We just didn’t put the ball in the net to get the tie,” said UM coach Mark Plakorus, whose team won 2-1 at Idaho State Friday afternoon.

 

Weber State, which did not play on Friday, took the match’s first four shots before finally breaking through with Garlock’s goal.

 

Montana (6-9-2, 3-4-1 BSC) outshot Weber State 10-5 in the second half and put four of its final five shots on goal, but Pittman was there for the saves.

 

“I’m incredibly proud of the team and the way they competed, and the adjustments we made at halftime,” said Plakorus. “The whole second half I thought we took it to them. I thought we had them scrambling and on the ropes.

 

“We took a big step with our team today. Our focus, our intensity and how hard we competed today was just fantastic. To take on a team that didn’t play on Friday and really pin them back in the second half, we did everything we needed to do but put the ball past the goalkeeper.”

 

Senior Mackenzie Akins, who had an assist and a goal in Friday’s win, took a team-high three shots. Junior goalkeeper Kailey Norman made four saves.

 

Sunday’s loss and the Big Sky Conference’s other results leave Montana sitting alone in sixth place, with just two league matches remaining. The Grizzlies host Portland State on Friday at 3 p.m. at South Campus Stadium and Sacramento State on Sunday at 1 p.m.

 

The Vikings (5-11-0, 3-5-0 BSC) are in seventh place, one point behind the Grizzlies in the chase for the six-team tournament. The Hornets (6-10-0, 4-4-0 BSC) are tied for fifth, two points up on Montana.

 

“We have to take the steps we made today and go forward and get ready for next weekend,” said Plakorus. “We’ve got two more conference games to get as many points as we can.”

 

Montana will close out its regular season with a match at Texas on Friday, Oct. 30.