MISSOULA, Mont. – Montana scored the game's only goal in the 43rd minute while the Hornets were held to just two shots on goal – one of which came on a missed penalty kick – as the Grizzlies pulled out a 1-0 win on Sunday in Missoula.

Sacramento State (6-11-0, 4-5-0 Big Sky) remains at 12 points in league play with one game to go. More bad news came from Flagstaff as Northern Arizona rallied for a 2-1 win in overtime against Weber State to move to 13 points and pass the Hornets into sixth place, the last qualifying spot for the Big Sky Tournament.

Hosting Portland State in its final regular season game this coming Friday, the Hornets will need a positive result and some help to reach the conference tournament. A Sacramento State win and an NAU loss or tie at Southern Utah would get the Hornets into the field. A draw for the Hornets and a Southern Utah win over Northern Arizona would create a three-way tie between the teams and Sacramento State would earn the tiebreaker having beaten both of those opponents during the regular season.

On a chilly day in Missoula neither team could get much offensive pressure going as the teams combined for just six shots on goal. Sacramento State was credited with just five total shots, its lowest shot total of the season in Big Sky play, while the Grizzlies had 12.

Montana (8-9-2, 5-4-1 Big Sky) got its goal late in the first half. Off a corner kick into the box by Mary Gintz her Montana teammate Ashlee Pedersen dropped a short pass to Aspen Peifer, who roofed a shot from five yards out into the Sacramento State net.

The visitors had their best chance to draw even when issued a penalty kick off a Montana foul in the box in the 55th minute. Junior Jennifer Lum took the penalty but Montana goalkeeper Kailey Norman made the save.

Montana nearly doubled its lead in the 73rd minute but a Hornet defender cleared one shot off the goal line and keeper Molly McConnell made an ensuing save on the rebound. Sacramento State totaled just two shots in the second half with the PK the only attempt on goal.

Goalkeepers McConnell and Norman each finished with two saves. Lum had two of the five Hornet shots while Dani Morris led Montana with four shots. The missed penalty kick was the first PK miss for Sacramento State since 2010.

The win clinched a Big Sky Tournament berth for the Grizzlies as five of the six spots in the league tournament have been secured. Idaho, still undefeated at 9-0 in league play, clinched the regular season title and will host the Big Sky Tournament in two weeks in Moscow.

Portland State has been eliminated from postseason contention and will enter its match with the Hornets on Friday with a 5-12-0 overall record and 3-6-0 Big Sky mark for nine points. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Hornet Field.