It’s been six years since Idaho State hosted the Big Sky Tournament. The last time the Bengals hosted the tournament, in 2006, they won the title. They will be hoping for similar results this weekend.
The Big Sky Tournament gets underway Friday, Nov. 2, and Sunday, Nov. 4, at Davis Field. The first game on the schedule is the No. 2 seed Portland State Vikings against No. 3 seed Montana at 11:30 a.m. Following that game, our Bengals will take on No. 4 seed Weber State at 3 p.m.
On Sunday at 1 p.m., the two winners from Friday’s matches will face off for the tournament title and the chance to go to the NCAA tournament.
Tickets for adults are $7, children (12 and under) are $5, seniors are $5, and students with valid IDs from all four universities are $2.
No. 1 Seed
Idaho State Bengals
Overall 11-5-1 Conf. 6-2-1
ISU has not lost at Davis Field all year and will look to continue its unbeaten streak during the tournament. The crowd has been supportive and the Bengals will need the same type of fan support to cap off a great season.
The last two weeks of the regular season were amazing for the Bengals. They went from being in sixth place and on the outside looking in, to winning out and hosting the tournament.
This year they finished games well and they plan on finishing their season by winning the Big Sky Title.
“It’s going to take focusing on ourselves,” said ISU head coach Allison Gibson. “We need to continue the momentum that we have. It’s an exciting time and my message to my team will be to not focus on the things going on outside of us and just focus on our team.”
No. 2 Seed
Portland State Vikings
Overall 8-7-0 Conf. 6-2-0
Portland State was favored to win the conference in the preseason and has shown why the coaches picked them all season. Portland State has been at the top of the conference for the majority of the season and will be the Bengal’s toughest competition.
PSU has a well-balanced offensive attack. Amanda Howie led the team with four goals, while three other players had three goals on the season.
If the two teams meet up, ISU goalkeeper Sheridan Hapsic will have her hands full against the Vikings. PSU led the Big Sky in shots per game and was second in scoring behind our Bengals.
Not only do the Vikings have a dominant offense, the defense has been the driving force for this team. They have given up the fewest goals allowed (0.88) all season. They have also shut out five different teams in the regular season.
No. 3 Seed
Montana Grizzlies
Overall 9-6-0 Conf. 5-2-0
The Montana Grizzlies will be coming into the tournament as the defending champs and will not go down easily. They are riding a six game win streak and will be playing the aforementioned Portland State Vikings on Friday at 11:30 a.m.
For the Grizzlies, they have confidence in their ability to win the tournament from any seed. They won the Big Sky tournament title last year with a pair of shootout victories over the No. 1 and 3 seeds and advanced to the program’s first NCAA tournament since 2000.
The Grizzlies’ offense is led by Erin Craig. She scored six goals and had four assists.
The Bengals will need to capitalize on any shots they can muster against the Grizzlies defense. Not many teams were able to get a shot off against them. Montana led the conference with 9 shutouts and is third in goals allowed per game.
No. 4 Seed
Weber State
Overall 7-10-0 Conf. 5-3
The Bengals drew conference rival Weber State for the first game of the tournament and are excited to redeem themselves from their only loss in the past six weeks.
When teams faced the Wildcats they had no idea where the goals were going to come from, as nine different players kicked in a goal for Weber State this season.
WSU plays a very distinct style of soccer, one that Gibson said is different from any other team in the nation.
The Wildcats are led by the foot of Mackenzie Harrison. She led the Wildcats with four goals on the season. Aki Ari and Chansi Crompton have both scored three goals this season.
Only four Wildcats have scored more than one point, which ironically is how many goals they have averaged for the season.
