Boise State soccer wins another Mountain West title. It’ll host the tourney, too
Boise State claimed its latest conference championship Thursday evening when the women’s soccer team beat Grand Canyon 1-0 to claim the Mountain West regular-season title.
The Broncos won thanks to a fifth-minute goal from redshirt senior forward Kenzie MacMillan, who pounced on a rebound before rounding the Grand Canyon goalkeeper and firing home.
The victory claims Boise State’s fourth Mountain West regular-season title, and marks the second time the program has won outright, having also done so last season. The Broncos become the first program to win the Mountain West regular season outright in consecutive seasons since San Diego State won four in a row from 2012 to 2015.
Boise State sits atop the standings with 23 points and is undefeated with seven wins and two draws. The next-closest team, Air Force, has only 16 points with one regular-season game remaining.
Boise State continued to push Grand Canyon after MacMillan’s early goal. Redshirt sophomore Sophia Avalos smashed a shot off the bar in the 14th minute, and redshirt junior midfielder Teryn Newkirk had a low shot from outside the box saved in the 33rd minute.
Broncos freshman goalkeeper Ava de Leest was also called into action a few times. She was forced into making a low diving save in the 70th minute to keep Grand Canyon from leveling the score.
“This match was an embodiment of togetherness. I couldn’t be more grateful for this team,” Boise State associate coach Max Weber said in a news release. “At Boise State, we win championships. Tonight, we did that for all of Bronco Nation.”
Boise State clinched the regular-season title with one game to spare; it will host Utah State in the regular-season finale on Oct. 30.
Boise State also is set to host the Mountain West Tournament in November at the Boas Soccer Complex. The Broncos will be the No. 1 seed and earn a bye to the semifinals on Nov. 5.
The tournament begins on Nov. 2. Matchups will be decided following the final game of the regular season.
