By Benjamin Siepak (@benjaminsiepak ) :
After winning its opening match of the Montana Cup, SJSU (1-3-0) was unable to carry over the momentum into Sunday’s championship match-up as it lost 4-1 to tournament host Montana (3-1-0).
These two teams faced each other last season in what turned out to be a defensive showcase. Neither team scored a goal in 120 minutes of play, and the game ended in a draw. Today’s game was much different as three goals were scored in the first 38 minutes.
The Grizzlies took control of the game early by scoring twice in the first 22 minutes of play and once more before the first half ended. After dominating early, they never looked back.
Senior forward Dorthe Hoppius was the only Spartan to net a goal as she scored in the 57th minute, giving her team some momentum with a 3-1 deficit. The goal marked Hoppius’ fifth point of the season and 49th of her career, moving her into fourth all-time on San Jose State’s career points list as she passed Julie Brum (1997-2000).
The momentum swing didn’t last long as the Grizzlies were able to put another goal on the board. Despite the lopsided score, the Spartans outshot the Grizzlies 15-11, but eight of Montana’s shots were on goal compared to SJSU’s six.
This was the first time in 37 matches that the Spartans gave up four goals in a game, but they will look to bounce back this week as they begin a six-game home stand.
The first of the six straight home games will begin on Friday at 2 p.m. when the Spartans host Rice (1-1-1).