By Spencer Rodak, For Iron County Today
Missoula, Mont. – Facing a future Big Sky opponent to open the season, the SUU soccer team fell 3-0 on Thursday night.
Coming off a 2-10-5 campaign in 2024, the T-birds were hoping for a strong result to turn the page to the 2025 season.
The Grizzlies proved too much to overcome, however, as the two-time reigning Big Sky champions kept the visitors off the score sheet while Chloe Seelhoff secured a brace in the win.
Montana began the scoring with a goal in the 26th minute, using a deep set piece near midfield. The ball was sent in and bounced through multiple SUU defenders to an open Maddie Ditta, who slotted the ball past Jazmyn Brass for the 1-0 advantage.
It didn’t take long for the Grizzlies to add to their lead, making it 2-0 in the 33rd minute for a scoreline that would last until halftime.
Following the halftime break, the home team would make it 3-0 in the 65th minute.
Ultimately, the score would remain over the final 25 minutes, as the T-birds suffered a defeat in the 2025 season opener.
Southern Utah struggled to hold the ball and create consistent chances against the preseason Big Sky favorite, being outshot 21-6 (6-2 shots on goal).
“We didn’t defend the set play well in the first half, and that was the difference in the game,” SUU head coach Kai Edwards said of the defeat.
“We did much better in the second half and created very good chances. Time to get ready for a well-coached Eastern Washington on Sunday.”
Looking for the goals
Dating back to the end of last season, the T-birds have struggled to put the ball in the back of the net, regardless of the number of chances created.
Including the loss to Montana, SUU has now gone three matches without a goal, while being shut out in five of their last seven matches dating to last season.
Thunderbird debuts
With the start of a new season now underway, a plethora of Thunderbird newcomers made their debut for the program in today’s game.
The Starting XI alone featured seven T-birds making their program debut, as Avery Kyle, Nao Yasuda, Dakota Hansen, Brooklyn Bradley, Bridget Guevara, Sophia Memory, and Aubrie Labno wore an SUU kit for the first time.
Seven players also made their program debut off the bench. Those players were Kayleigh Acree, Karolina Jasaityte, Reagan Doty, Sicily Clark, Tanah Huffines, and Carly Radke.
Up next
SUU (0-1-0) travels to face another Big Sky program, Eastern Washington, on Sunday, Aug. 17.
The T-birds and Eagles matchup will kick off at 1 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN+.