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Griz Soccer 2026

I live in Seattle, and plenty of my family went to UW, but I root for another West Coast university where I spent a few formative years.

As for the recent Griz soccer team, I prefer to celebrate those girls and Chris' coaching that got them into the NCAA Tournament.

Keep in perspective that two of the Griz four losses were to #8-ranked UW and #13-ranked Baylor. Click the link below.

Go Griz!

https://masseyratings.com/csocw/ncaa-d1/ratings
 
WAGrizFan said:
This summary on Lorelei Rustay was written by a sports reporter for the State Press in Arizona. He featured 16 girls who stood out on day 3 of that showcase, and the writing style for all 16 was similar and professional. Two of the 16 featured players were GK, and the other GK signed with University of Illinois.

I'm trusting Coach Gore and Coach J on the GK situation for fall, and probably they will bring in a third player to battle it out. Go Griz!!
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There going with Jill, she’s also 5’10 and trained all year with J, Bayless and D, and is red shirt freshman. If they get a goalie maybe a senior if not will have 4 goalies as they
have a 2027 goalie from Canada.
 
AZDoc said:
I like this guy…a lot. This guy may be not just a home run, but a grand slam. I hope we find out he treats the team well.
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Seems with the articles coming out that the team is really enjoying coach Gore and the direction there on right now. What’s others thoughts? Big transfer portal coming up tho.
 
Griz til I die said:
According to the Montana Kaimin, Coach Gore has hired Amanda Attanasi as his second assistant coach. Looks like she played at JMU and was on staff at Temple last year.
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UptheGriz said:
Seems with the articles coming out that the team is really enjoying coach Gore and the direction there on right now. What’s others thoughts? Big transfer portal coming up tho.
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If you want an indication of style of play look at James Madison, games are on espn plus and YouTube. Coach Gore was there under coach Walters. Possession based with speed on top and speed at the OB position to make the run and join the attack.
 
To be honest I love coach Gore’s honesty, humor and clear drive on the podcast. He seems to paint a picture of what he wants. He always tips his hat to coach Chris which is good to see. He definitely identified what he’s looking for out of the portal.
 
Trapped at my desk so I had my company's paid AI account pull together write-ups on the five original 2026 signees. Absent Griz soccer depth many display, I was trying to get a sense of all recruits given comments about competitiveness and maturity. Maybe it is biased given AI's traits, but write-ups support a solid original group. Posting these just for information, as I have them and some may want to read (maybe), with the caveat all AI produced.
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The University of Montana’s 2026 recruiting intake represents a high-pedigree acquisition of West Coast talent, characterized by defensive discipline. The following profiles have been synthesized from official school records, news archives, recruiting sites, and verified club data to provide a comprehensive view of each athlete’s collegiate potential.

Sofia Ballesteros – M | 5'2" | Westview HS (OR) | Portland Thorns Academy ECNL
Sofia Ballesteros is a technically gifted playmaker who developed within the elite Portland Thorns Academy ECNL and Bridge City Soccer Academy (GA) systems. Known for her vision and "non-disputed pass connection ability," she earned OSAA 6A All-State Third Team and First Team All-Metro League honors in 2025. Her tactical sophistication, honed through a professional academy pipeline, allows her to dictate game tempo with high precision. This recruitment continues the Griz’s established history of acquiring top-tier talent from Oregon’s 6A division to maintain a technically dominant midfield.

Josephine Frischknecht – D (OB/FB) | 5'6" | Jesuit HS (OR) | Portland Thorns Academy ECNL
Josephine Frischknecht joins the Griz with a distinguished championship pedigree, having anchored a Jesuit High School program that secured three state titles and a record of 73-2-1. She achieved national elite status as the sole Oregonian selected for the 2025 High School All-American West Coast Team. Her 2025 accolades include First Team All-State and First Team All-Metro League honors, where she was recognized for her consistent ability to neutralize high-level attackers while providing a strong outside attack. Frischknecht, who competed in the ECNL National Selection Game (2024, 2025), which identified her as a top-tier national prospect, noted that her All-American experience served as a major confidence builder, proving her ability to "battle with college level talent" on a national stage.

Cate Gusick – CB | 5'11" | Coronado HS (NV) | Las Vegas Heat Surf ECNL / Slammers FC HB Køge ECNL
Cate Gusick is a foundational defensive prospect with ambipedal proficiency, and arguably one of the strongest defensive prospects in recent years. Her pedigree is anchored by play with the 2008 ECNL National Champions (Slammers FC HB Køge, 2022-2024) followed by a 2024 return to Las Vegas Heat Surf after commitment to Montana. Her status as a 2025 High School All-American National XI Team selection and West Coast Team Captain is reinforced by consecutive Nevada 5A Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2024 and 2025. Along with her leadership of a 2023 5A State Championship, this perennial All-State and All-Conference honoree (2023, 2024, 2025) anchored a defense noted for high-frequency shutouts achieved through conference all-time low shots on goal over her four-year varsity tenure.

Mackenzie Hildebrand – D (OB/FB) | 5'3" | Timberline HS (ID) | Boise Thorns ECNL
Mackenzie Hildebrand is a high-motor, versatile defender known for a "blue collar" work rate and elite tactical flexibility. She possesses the speed and acceleration of a multi-sport athlete—formerly competing in hurdles and relay track events—which she utilizes to transition from an Outside Back to an Attacking Midfield role. Her statistical dominance includes ranking 10th in assists within the 5A SIC and 7th in District 3 during her sophomore season. A two-year letter winner and 5A SIC All-Academic honoree (2024, 2025), Hildebrand arrives in Missoula with back-to-back ECNL Playoff experience and a reputation for putting the team first, while demanding top performance from herself, marking her as a future leader for the Griz.

Grace Morton – F/M | 5'4" | Valley Christian HS (CA) | De Anza Force ECNL
Grace Morton is a dynamic attacking prospect who brings maturity to the 2026 intake after deferring from the 2025 class. Her pedigree is defined by elite performance within the De Anza Force ECNL program, where she earned ECNL Northern Cal All-Conference honors in consecutive years (2023, 2024). Morton’s national standing was established early with a selection for the 2022 ECNL National Selection Game in Arizona. Characterized by coaching staff for her scoring instincts and creative presence on the ball, Grace provides the Griz with a mature offensive threat capable of impacting the final third and providing immediate depth across the forward line.
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GrizLars said:
Not so sure on the WSU players - Citowicki has a tidy roster right now of 28 -inc. incoming freshman, and team seems solid. Caught their spring game vs. EWU and it was a blowout (well, 3-0, but coulda been 7-0). Essentially the ‘25 Griz defense with Cougar offensive firepower.
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Trying to understand this last sentence- @GrizLars can you explain? (Also heard rumor that WSU suffered another ACL recently.)
 
I wasn't at the exhibition game (WSU vs Zephyr) but I did hear that #24, for WSU, likely tore her ACL. Happens too often.
 
GrizzlyBen said:
Yes, you're right. Also can be from overtraining as well. Either way, still unfortunate for an athlete. I think this might have been her second season ending injury too.
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Feel bad if she did tear it, they now have 10 forwards and 2 forwards in the 2027 class verbally committed. They also added a 2026 defender giving them 29 players.
 
IDGrizFan said:
Trying to understand this last sentence- @GrizLars can you explain? (Also heard rumor that WSU suffered another ACL recently.)
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What I meant is that the defense what Montana played in the conference tournament & UW game. Dvorak in goal, the two 6’ CBs paired with speedy outside backs (Sandow & ?) playing possession ball out of the back. It was pretty impressive-the WSU fan I was with said that this is the best their D has looked in years.

The offensive side of the ball looked to be primarily original WSU players. They put EWU on their heels with constant pressure & runs on goal - which is something the Griz (like most of Big Sky teams) have had issues with the past couple years.
Hope that makes sense.

Interested to see how they do against Idaho this week
 
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GrizLars said:
What I meant is that the defense what Montana played in the conference tournament & UW game. Dvorak in goal, the two 6’ CBs paired with speedy outside backs (Sandow & ?) playing possession ball out of the back. It was pretty impressive-the WSU fan I was with said that this is the best their D has looked in years.

The offensive side of the ball looked to be primarily original WSU players. They put EWU on their heels with constant pressure & runs on goal - which is something the Griz (like most of Big Sky teams) have had issues with the past couple years.
Hope that makes sense.

Interested to see how they do against Idaho this week
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Thanks for the update,

Idaho is looking good, they beat Gonzaga 4-1 last week. Will be both teams last spring game before portal opens May 1. WSU is trying to mimic Boise State and Utah State, they are the 2 best teams in the conference and typically have 8-10 fast forwards, they continue to rotate out forwards during the game putting pressure on the Mid and backline.
 
With the portal opening May 1, starting to see players publicity announce their intent to transfer, some intriguing players so far: Based on last years numbers could expect 200-300 players to enter.

Chloe Shimkin - Winger/FWD- University of Texas - Incoming Junior
Allie Cifuentes - Center Mid - UTRGV - Incoming Junior
Ava Kooker - Outside Mid/Fwd - Stetson University - Incoming Junior
Jordan Matthews - Forward- UTRGV - Incoming Junior
Jordan Williams - Forward - Alabama State - Incoming Soph
Gabrielle Williams - Forward -Tarleton State - Incoming Junior
Kylie Briscoe - Center Back - Colorado State - Incoming Junior
 
MontanaGrizSoccer said:
With the portal opening May 1, starting to see players publicity announce their intent to transfer, some intriguing players so far: Based on last years numbers could expect 200-300 players to enter.

Chloe Shimkin - Winger/FWD- University of Texas - Incoming Junior
Allie Cifuentes - Center Mid - UTRGV - Incoming Junior
Ava Kooker - Outside Mid/Fwd - Stetson University - Incoming Junior
Jordan Matthews - Forward- UTRGV - Incoming Junior
Jordan Williams - Forward - Alabama State - Incoming Soph
Gabrielle Williams - Forward -Tarleton State - Incoming Junior
Kylie Briscoe - Center Back - Colorado State - Incoming Junior
Click to expand...
Madisyn Marchesi - Centerback - NAU - Incoming Junior (has played lots of minutes).
 
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