Box Score BILLINGS, Mont. – Wrapping up a spot in the 2014 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer championships, Montana State University Billings defeated Western Oregon 1-0 Saturday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field.
 
Dana Lubieniecki scored her first goal of the season in the first half, and the 'Jackets earned their third-straight shutout in the victory. "I called for the ball, and Jessica Spang was holding it," Lubieniecki said. "She decided to continue her run, she looked up and played it to me. I just picked my head up, and knew she was going to lay it off, saw the net and went for it."
 
"The whole play was really good, there was a lot of passing and Jessica did an awesome job of holding the ball," said MSUB head coach Wojtek Krakowiak. "Dana did an awesome job reading and feeding off of Jessica. The finish was high quality with her left foot into the corner. There was no chance for the keeper, and that is just smart play and it was a smart finish."
 
MSUB held an 11-3 shots advantage, and placed seven of its shots on target. The Yellowjackets' defense prevented a single shot on goal by the Wolves, while WOU goalkeeper Amanda Rose Johnson tallied six saves on the match.
 
"It's great to get a win and a shutout, and it puts us into the GNAC tournament," Krakowiak said. "We were very disciplined in the last six minutes, we didn't panic and we controlled the game."
 
Krystal Daniels earned her seventh shutout of the season, and the Yellowjackets improved to 9-3-2 overall and 7-3-2 in GNAC play this season. The Wolves fell to 6-6-4 overall and an even 4-4-4 in conference action.
 
"We defended really well as a team today, and we had high pressure in the attacking third," said sophomore defender Kari Kastelic. "Winning balls in the air was key in the game today, and our seniors Jennifer Johnson and Jessie Mancilla did great. Krystal has been solid in goal, directing the defensive line."
 
MSUB's defensive unit continued its streak of having played in every minute this season, with Kastelic, Johnson, Mancilla and Haley McFarlane holding down the back line for the team's third shutout in-a-row.
 
"Chelsea Shuman also did a great job creating opportunities up front," Kastelic said.
 
Katlyn Lokay had the first shot of the game, firing a left-footed attempt from the top of the 18-yard box that missed wide.
 
Kastelic came up big for the 'Jackets 15 minutes into the match, stepping up for a strong header clearance on a long ball played in off of a free kick.
 
Earning a free kick just outside of the box on the right side of the field, Alisa Sagdahl placed a curling shot on target that was saved by Johnson midway through the first half.
 
Fresh into the game, Lubieniecki found herself with space along the right side of the field. The sophomore played a ball in to Spang, who slipped it back to Lubieniecki at the top of the box. Lubieniecki took a touch and let loose a left-footed strike that pierced the upper left corner of the net to give MSUB a 1-0 lead.
 
Brittney Greenback had a promising look towards goal with 10 minutes left in the first, as her lofty shot carried just over the crossbar and into the netting above the goal.
 
Early on in the second half, WOU had a scoring chance as Makana Pundyke carried the ball into the goal box. It took a sliding tackle from Lokay to prevent Pundyke's shot from reaching the goal, as the junior captain's effort kept the lead in the hands of the 'Jackets.
 
The Yellowjackets earned a golden opportunity with seven minutes remaining, as Sagdahl was tackled in the box for a penalty kick. Johnson came through with a huge save on the shot from 12 yards out, as she corralled the low drive to her right to prevent a second MSUB goal.
 
Lubieniecki nearly doubled her scoring total two minutes later, but Johnson came up with a huge tip save to push the on-target shot wide of the far post.
 
The 'Jackets held tough through a strong WOU offensive effort, closing the match without allowing a serious attempt on goal.
 
MSUB honored its seven graduating seniors before the game, in a ceremony on the field. Hali Henwood, Sami Hansen, Agen Heffernan, Daniels, Johnson, Mancilla and Shuman were each presented flowers as their parents escorted them onto the field before kickoff. During a postgame dinner at the Big Horn resort, the graduating seniors were presented with plaques and honored for the contributions they have made to the MSUB program throughout their careers.
 
"We will go game-by-game, and we have to come out and play just like we did today," Krakowiak said regarding the Yellowjackets' final two regular season games. "We aren't going to do anything different."
 
"This year we have just played so well as a team, we are very compact, and we are always there for each other," Lubieniecki said. "We are all excited about (the GNAC tournament), and we are going to come out in our next two games and try to get two wins."
 
"The team has worked really hard this season so we are excited to make the GNAC tournament," Kastelic said. "This has been one of our goals since we started."
 
COMING UP: The Yellowjackets wrap up their regular-season schedule next weekend, beginning with a home contest against Simon Fraser on Oct. 30 at 3 p.m. MSUB will then travel to Nampa, Idaho, to challenge Northwest Nazarene on Nov. 1 at noon.