BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State Billings men's soccer team returns home for a four-game home stand beginning Thursday, to close out the regular season.  The Yellowjackets host Western Washington at 12:30 p.m., and then host league-leading Simon Fraser Saturday at 3 p.m. at Yellowjacket Field.  The Yellowjackets enter the week with a 7-6-1 record overall and a 2-5 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

MSUB returns home after going 2-2 on its last and longest road trip of the season.  The Jackets split two matches this past week with a 2-0 win at Saint Martin's and suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss at Seattle Pacific.  MSUB sophomore Conner Moe scored his first two goals as a Yellowjacket as he had the game-winner against SMU and scored the equalizer against SPU.  Senior Chris Andre added a goal and two assists.

Andre tied the GNAC record for career assists with his 23^rd and 24^th of his career this past weekend.  He now is tied with Pat Doran of Seattle University who tallied 24 between 2002 and 2005.

The Yellowjackets currently sit in fourth-place in the league standings, one game behind Northwest Nazarene.  MSUB has a chance to make up some ground with the final three conference games at home.  The Jackets close out the regular season with two more home games Nov. 3 versus non-conference and cross-town rival Rocky Mountain College, and then Nov. 6 versus GNAC rival Northwest Nazarene on Senior Day. 

The four-game stretch won't be easy, as Western Washington always is a challenge.  Despite a 1-4-1 record in league play, the Vikings have been very good in Billings as they are 2-1 at Yellowjacket Field.  MSUB won just its third game in school history (3-11) and second consecutive victory in Bellingham this season with a 3-2 victory Sept. 25.  The Jackets now are 2-7 all-time in Bellingham.  WWU owns a 2-0 record in neutral site contests. 

Simon Fraser enters the week with a 6-0 record in conference play and a 14-0 record overall.  The Clan is the newest member of the GNAC, and is transitioning to Division II.  SFU has scored a league-high 45 goals on the year and allowed just eight scores. 

The Clan cannot compete in the NCAA Tournament this season, but is ranked No. 1 in the latest NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) poll.  SFU defeated MSUB earlier this season in Burnaby, B.C., 3-1.  The Yellowjackets scored the equalizer off a corner kick from Andre and a header from senior James Henry at the 77:37 mark.  However, the Clan scored two goals in a matter of four minutes to reclaim the lead and capture the victory.

This is the first trip for SFU back to Billings since a 1-0 victory over MSUB Sept. 12, 2008.  The Clan owns an 8-0 record in the series, and is 2-0 in Billings.

Leading the way for the Yellowjackets this season is Andre who leads the team with seven goals, six assists and 20 points.  He also leads the team with 40 shots (.175 average) and 22 on goal (.550 average).  Andre is tied for the team-lead in game winners with two and is a perfect 3 for 3 in penalty kicks.  Andre ranks third in the league in points (20), points per game (1.43), goals (7) and assists (6).

Second on the team in scoring is sophomore Thomas Sheets with nine points.  He has scored three goals and has three assists in his first year as a Yellowjacket.  Junior Garion Holian is third in scoring, but is second in goals with four scores.  Holian is second in shots with 35 (.114) and second in shots on goal with 21 for a .600 average.  Holian also has two game winners.

Along with Sheets, junior Peter Davies and senior Ryan Covey each have three assists.

In goal, the Jackets are led by senior Matt Mitchell who has played all 1284:19 minutes.  He has a 1.40 goals against average with a league-high 59 saves and a .747 save percentage.  Mitchell is 7-6-1 on the year with three shutouts.

As a team, the Yellowjackets have scored 23 goals with 19 assists for 65 points.  They have fired 183 shots for a .126 average and 97 shots on goal for a .530 average.  MSUB has seven game winners and is a perfect 3 for 3 in penalty kicks.

Conversely, the Jackets have allowed 20 goals, 15 assists and 55 points.  The opposition has shot 178 shots for a .112 average and 81 shots on goal for a .455 clip.  They are 1 for 2 in penalty kicks.

The Vikings enter the match with a 6-6-2 record overall and a 1-4-1 record in conference play.  WWU is coming off a tough 4-3 home loss to Simon Fraser last Saturday. 

Leading the way for the Vikings is Gibson Bardsley, who leads the team and the GNAC in about every offensive category.  Bardsley has scored 14 goals and three assists for 31 points.  He has 58 shots on the year for a .241 average, and 27 shots on goal for a .466 average.  He has two game winners and is 1 for 1 in penalty kicks.  Kellan Brown and Oscar Jimenez are tied for second on the team with 12 points.  Both have scored four goals and four assists. 

Andrew Weishaar is second on the team in goals (5), and third in points with 11.  Jin Dangvan is fourth in points with 10, and also has four assists on the year to tie for the team lead. 

In goal, Christian Warman leads the team in minutes played with 999:53.  He has allowed 20 goals and has a 1.80 goals against average.  Warman has stopped 53 changes for a .726 average.  He is 4-5-2 on the year with one shutout.  Leo Cohen also has seen action in 309:24 minutes.  He has a 2-1 record with one shutout and a 2.04 goals against average.

As a team, the Vikings have scored 37 goals with 24 assists and 98 points.  They have fired 265 shots (.140) and 109 on goal for a .411 average. 

Simon Fraser travels to Northwest Nazarene Thursday before its trip to Billings.  The Clan has had a balanced scoring attack this season as 18 different players have scored at least one goal, while 12 players have scored two or more goals.  In addition, Simon Fraser leads the league in about every team category.

Leading the way for SFU is Carlo Basso who has a team-high seven goals and 16 points.  He leads the team with 31 shots (.226) and 18 shots on goal (.581).  Lucas Ferritto is second in scoring with 14 points and has five goals on the year.  Roman Doutkevitch leads the team with eight assists on the year and is tied for third in scoring with 12 points.

In goal, Hide Ozawa has logged 1159:31 minutes to lead the team.  He has allowed just seven goals on the year for a league-best 0.54 goals against average.  Ozawa has 36 saves and a .837 average.  He is 13-0 with eight shutouts.  JD Blakely has seen action in two games with one start. 

As a team, the Clan has been outstanding offensively to the tune of 45 goals and 45 assists and 135 points.  SFU has fired 283 shots for a .159 average and had 137 on goal for a .484 average.  They only have allowed eight goals on the year and five assists.  Opponents are shooting just .078 against them.