Parity is defined as the state or condition of being equal. The condition defines the Big Sky Conference soccer standings as teams head into the final stretch of the season.
With two weeks left before the Big Sky Tournament begins on Nov. 6, 10 of the 11 teams in the conference are still alive for the six berths in the tournament.
Of those 10, eight of them are still mathematically alive for the regular season title albeit not all of them have a realistic shot at the title.
“There isn’t much separating the top team from the bottom which shows a lot of parity,” Idaho coach Derek Pittman said. “It shows that there is a lot of close teams in regards to competition level.”
The regular season title is more than just a championship t-shirt and banner. The regular season champion also earns the right to host the Big Sky Tournament. It all comes down to who has the most points, as a win counts as three points and a tie counts as one in the conference standings.
Montana has established itself as the odds-on favorite in the conference. Before last weekend the team was a perfect 5-0 in Big Sky play, including wins over Portland State and Idaho.
Although the Grizzlies, Pilots and Vandals are currently sitting in the top three spots in the conference and appear to be the teams to beat, this season has shown anything is possible on the pitch. Last Friday the 10th place Weber State Wildcats defeated the Vandals in double overtime, which made the already muddy conference standings that much more competitive. Had Weber State lost that game they would have been mathematically eliminated from tournament contention.
Going into this weekend Montana leads the conference by three points over Idaho and Portland State. Mathematically, all it takes is a win and a tie in Montana’s final three games to clinch the regular season title and right to host the tournament.
The game between Portland State and Idaho this weekend could eliminate one, if not both from contention as a tie by either team would put their season total to 15 points compared to Montana’s 17.
“We know the standings but our main focus is Friday,” said sophomore defender Gabby Leong. “We aren’t even thinking about Sunday yet.”
With wins over each of the two, all it would take is one point in their final three games to seal the conference title for Montana. The game between PSU and Idaho could also be the battle for the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
Should either Idaho or PSU win both of their games this weekend, a win in any of Montana’s three final games of the season or three ties would clinch the regular season title. That would put their point total at 21 and no other team could pass them in points. But should Eastern Washington sweep this weekend and Montana earn those four points, it would make the season finale between EWU and Montana the de-facto conference championship game as the two wins would bring their total points to 18 and an EWU win and head-to-head victory over Montana would give them the conference title and the right to host the tournament.
As it currently stands, the six teams slated for the Big Sky Tournament are Montana, Portland State, Idaho, Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona and Southern Utah.
But with three wins separating first from tenth place, Northern Colorado, Idaho State, Sacramento State and Weber State are all in contention for the tournament going into this weekend, and besides Montana, no team has a guaranteed spot in the tournament.
“Any game is up for grabs for anyone, it all comes down to who wants to more,” said senior defender Emily Ngan. “Every game can go either way.”
Joshua Gamez can be reached at [email protected]
Sophomore forward Kavita Battan jukes past an Idaho teammate during Wednesday’s practice at Guy Wicks Field. Battan is tied for the team lead in goals with 3 on the season.