College soccer in Columbia Falls draws a crowd

By JON ALLEN

For the Hungry Horse News

More than 1,000 fans gathered at Flip Darling Memorial Field as Montana and Gonzaga met for a women’s soccer exhibition Sunday evening.

The main attraction was a trio of Flathead Valley graduates making their returns: Skyleigh Thompson and Reagan Brisendine for the Grizzlies and Norah Schmidt for the Bulldogs. 

“Usually there’s a lot of nerves with games but being able to be on the bus today knowing I was coming home was exciting,” said Thompson, a senior forward out of Flathead High. “Such an amazing opportunity for not just myself, but for the Griz and Gonzaga girls.”

Thompson started for the Griz and showed early on why she was the Big Sky Offensive MVP in 2023 as she used her speed to get past the Gonzaga defense on multiple occasions, creating scoring opportunities for Montana. 

The score was not kept during the exhibition, which was divided into three 30-minute periods instead of the usual two 45-minute halves. 

The match was a back-and-forth affair with both teams having plenty of chances. 

Brisendine subbed in during the second period, slotting into the Montana attack. She instantly made an impact, getting past the Gonzaga defense for a shot. 

“The amount of people that came out tonight is surreal,” Brisendine, a freshman forward out of Glacier High, said. “It was just amazing, the energy in here when all of us valley girls came on the field. It was amazing.” 

Schmidt came into the game late in the third period, receiving a roar from the crowd and making a couple of stops during her time on the pitch. 

“It was fun to be able to show all the hard work we put into the preseason,” Schmidt, a freshman keeper out of Whitefish, said. “It was kind of a trip coming back to this field. It was funny, the amount of girls that asked me ‘how far away are we from your hometown.’ This is my old crosstown. It’s a little strange, but it’s so much fun.” 

Montana coach Chris Citowicki praised Columbia Falls soccer coach O’Brien Byrd for helping to put together the event. 

“We play our spring games in Billings because we want to try and reach the Billings market ... how do I do that in other pockets,” Citowicki said. “I talked to O’Brien and he’s like, ‘You’ve got to come up here, not only is it a soccer crazy community, but there are good players.’ And over time we have pulled in a Sky Thompson, a Reagan. There are players up here, the community loves it.” 

Citowicki also noted that as much as this game is to help the team for the upcoming season, it’s also to help inspire a younger generation on what they can accomplish. 

“It’s about the kids, it’s about just coming out here and playing in front of other people who sometimes can’t come down and watch a Griz game,” Citowicki said. “That’s why we need to come out here and connect with people.” 

Schmidt shared a similar sentiment. 

“When I signed with Gonzaga, one of my first things is that I wanted to pave a way for everyone,” Schmidt said. “I just wanted to prove that there’s other branches out there and bigger branches out there.” 

When asked if there would be another game in the Valley in the future Citowicki was all for it. 

“I’d hope so,” Citowicki said. “I’d love to do this all the time.”