FARMINGTON, Utah (Oct. 29, 2021) - Less than a week remains before action gets underway in Greeley, Colorado for the 2021 Big Sky Soccer Championships, hosted by the University of Northern Colorado.
Championship Page | Ticket Info | PDF Bracket | ESPN+
The first round will be played on Wednesday, Nov. 3 with No. 3 Northern Arizona taking on No. 6 Sacramento State in the first game from Greeley at 11:00 a.m. MT. Wednesday's second game will begin at 2:00 p.m. MT with No. 4 Weber State taking on No. 5 Idaho.
In Friday's semifinal, No. 2 Montana will play the winner of NAU-Sac State at 11:00 a.m. MT, while No. 1 Northern Colorado takes on the winner of Weber State-Idaho at 2:00 p.m. MT.
Sunday's championship match will feature the winners of both semifinal matches, with first kick slated for 12:00 p.m. MT that day. The winner of the championship will receive the Big Sky's automatic berth to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
All matches from Greeley, Colorado will stream on ESPN+.
Below Is a preview from each team that will compete at the 2021 Big Sky Soccer Championships In Greeley, Colorado.
1. Northern Colorado (10-7-2, 8-1 BSC)
Northern Colorado won its first Big Sky regular-season title since 2011 and its first-ever outright championship since joining the conference in 2006. The Bears are led by forward Lexi Pulley, who tops the league in goals with 12 on the season while chipping in three assists. Morgan Bury has played the majority between the posts, earning a .768 save percentage which ranks as the fifth-best in the league.
2. Montana (11-5-1, 7-1-1 BSC)
Montana has won Its last four matches, with wins over fellow tourney teams Weber State and Idaho to secure the No. 2 seed. Taylor Stoeger has scored a team-best seven goals, which is tied for the second-most in the conference. Freshman Camellia Xu has posted nine shutouts, while earning a conference-best .869 save percentage at goal.
3. Northern Arizona (8-10, 6-3 BSC)
Northern Arizona has won six-straight matches heading into the Big Sky Championships, with wins over Weber State and Sacramento State during that stretch. Madison Montgomery has scored seven goals and added a six assists, which is tied for the most in the league. Natalie Manzo has earned 86 saves for the Lumberjacks between the posts.
4. Weber State (9-8, 6-3 BSC)
The Wildcats have on three of their last five matches, but have dropped the last two contests to No. 1 and No. 2 seeds Northern Colorado and Montana to close out the regular season. Morgan Furmaniak has scored six goals and chipped in five assists to lead the Weber State attack.
5. Idaho (10-5-2, 4-4-1 BSC)
The Vandals have won their last two matches, including a 3-2 win over regular-season champion Northern Colorado on Oct. 17, to clinch the No. 5 seed. Jadyn Hanks and Savannah Foster have scored five goals each to lead the Vandals, while Avrie Fox has earned a .829 save percentage to rank second overall in the league for the category.
6. Sacramento State (4-11-2, 3-6 BSC)
The Hornets finished 3-5 in the month of October, but earned wins over Eastern Washington, Idaho and Idaho State to claim the last spot in the 2021 Big Sky Soccer Championships. Ele Avery and Abigail Lopez each chipped in four goals to lead the Hornets on offense.
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