NAMPA, Idaho. – Facing the second-leading offensive team in all of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Montana State University Billings fell 2-0 to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday afternoon at Finkbeiner Park.
 
The Crusaders got on the board early as Erik Anderson scored his GNAC-leading fifth goal of the season, and a late score by Rene Duevel doubled NNU's lead and ensured the victory.
 
"We started the game slow and conceded a goal on an individual error," commented MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "The guys picked it up and came out flying in the second half, but two red cards halted our momentum."
 
NNU (4-1-0, 1-0-0 GNAC) took a whopping 27 shots, compared with 10 by MSUB. NNU won nine corners and MSUB tallied four, and MSUB's Tom Lohmann reeled in seven saves. NNU goalkeeper Alfredo E. Ontiveros earned the shutout and had six saves on the match.
 
With the loss, MSUB falls to 0-3-2 on the season and is 0-1-0 in GNAC play. Fernando Perez had a team-best five shots, including two on target for the 'Jackets.
 
Looking to start the game with a bang, Sam Butterworth placed a shot on frame within the first minute of the match. Ontiveros came up with his first save of the game for the Crusaders, preventing an early MSUB lead.
 
NNU began knocking on the door as Duevel fired a pair of shots towards the goal within the span of two minutes, but missed the target.
 
The GNAC leading scorer from 2013, Fredy Razo, tested Lohmann with a shot on frame that was deflected out-of-bounds for a Crusader corner kick.
 
On a loose ball off the corner, Anderson notched his GNAC-leading fifth goal of the season just 12 minutes into the game, finding the net thanks to an assist by Julio Castillo.
 
Duevel took another shot in the 15th minute, this time forcing a save by Lohmann as the ball was headed towards the net.
 
Thomas Saltwell broke a drought in shots by the 'Jackets, cutting loose a strike in the 29th minute that Ontiveros prevented from crossing the line.
 
Perez tested his luck in the 38th minute, but his shot on target was knocked down by Ontiveros.
 
Lohmann responded well on another shot by Anderson, making a save of his own to prevent a second NNU goal just before halftime.
 
Coming out of the break, MSUB dealt with three-straight Crusader corner kicks, holding strong to prevent NNU from doubling its lead.
 
Intensity picked up in the second period, as the 'Jackets placed four shots on frame in rapid succession. Ontiveros saved the first and third, but it took a team effort by Yannick Petzschke and Luke Broz to prevent the other two shots from crossing the line.
 
Midway through the second, Jaime Verdin came inches away from extending NNU's lead as his shot glanced off of the post in the 59th minute.
 
Perez continued his attack on goal, directing a header off of a corner kick by David Loeung towards frame but missing high.
 
Losing a pair of players to red cards, MSUB conceded a second goal when Duevel broke through with a header on a through ball by Stephen Davidson and Razo. The Crusaders refused to let up, as Castillo and Anderson forced two-straight saves by Lohmann four minutes later.
 
The 'Saders earned a pair of corner kicks in the waning minutes of the match, but ultimately didn't find the net for a third time.
 
"Although we ended the game with nine players, we never stopped fighting and working," Balog said. "All in all it was a disappointing result where individual mistakes and missed chances cost us the game."
 
COMING UP: MSUB remains on the road for two more GNAC games next weekend. The 'Jackets face Western Washington on Thursday in Bellingham, Wash., before crossing the border into Canada to challenge Simon Fraser next Saturday.