MONMOUTH, Ore. – Savannah Bogan gave Western Oregon momentum with a goal two minutes before halftime, and Montana State Billings could not respond in a 2-0 loss to the Wolves Thursday afternoon in the opening game of the 2014 Great Northwest Athletic Conference season.
2013 WOU leading scorer Makana Pundyke tallied her second goal of the season in the 60th minute, and Taylor Higa supplied her GNAC-leading fourth assist of the season on the play that gave the Wolves the 2-0 advantage.
"We are disappointed with the loss but I thought that we played well," said head coach
Wojtek Krakowiak. "I'm happy with the chances we created, we just need to put them away. We are looking forward to playing on Saturday."
Overall on the game, the 'Jackets outshot the Wolves 14-9, and placed nine shots on target compared with WOU's eight. WOU goalkeeper Amanda Rose Johnson came up with nine saves en route to the shutout, while MSUB's
Krystal Daniels logged six saves on the match.
The loss was the first of the season for MSUB (2-1, 0-1 GNAC), while Western Oregon moved above .500 at 3-2 with the win and is 1-0 in GNAC play.
Higa fired a pair of shots on frame with seven minutes gone in the match, and Daniels came up with her first saves to prevent an early goal.
Alisa Sagdahl cut loose the Yellowjackets' first two shots of the game, missing wide in the 12th minute and high in the 15th. Higa got another shot off in between Sagdahl's, as her relentless pursuit of the goal was again halted by Daniels with a save.
After another shot by Sagdahl missed high, neither team generated much momentum moving into the latter part of the first half.
Fresh into the game in the 35th minute,
Chelsea Shuman tested Johnson with a shot on target that was saved.
Five minutes before the halftime break, Mariah Konyn placed a shot on frame off of a corner kick by Kealakekua Makekau, but Daniels again came up with a save for the 'Jackets.
The Wolves found the net several minutes later, as Bogan finished a shot from 18 yards out after a pass by Makekau.
A save apiece by Daniels and Johnson kept the score at 1-0 in favor of WOU at halftime.
MSUB came out of the break firing, as Sagdahl wasted no time with two quick shots in the first three minutes. Johnson brought her save total up to four by preventing the first from finding the net, and the second sailed high over the crossbar.
The Wolves doubled their tally just before the one hour mark, as reigning first-team all-GNAC pick Pundyke scored her second goal of the season to make the score 2-0.
With a strong advantage, WOU bolstered its defense and prevented MSUB with a serious scoring opportunity through the middle part of the second half. With less than 15 minutes remaining, Shuman got off another shot on frame, but Johnson once again secured it to preserve the shutout.
Sagdahl managed one last attempt on target in the waning minutes, but Johnson's ninth save of the afternoon preserved the shutout.
UP NEXT: MSUB remains on the road to face GNAC opponent Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Wash., on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Pacific time.
