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BILLINGS, Mont. – Freshman Whitney Siler (Monroe, WA) picked a great time to score her first career goal at Montana State Billings as she scored the game winner in the 76th minute to send the Jackets to a 1-0 win over Northwest Nazarene Saturday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field, and a possible trip the NCAA Tourney.
With the victory, MSUB finishes the 2010 regular season with a 12-5-1 record overall and a 9-5-0 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Depending on the score later tonight between Western Washington and Simon Fraser, the Jackets could finish second in the GNAC, the highest finish ever.
“We took a big step as a program today,” said head coach Don Trentham. “I thought we started the game tight and lacked urgency in the first half, but the team did a great job stepping up in the second half and putting ourselves in a position to score a great goal.”
The first half was more of a defensive battle as a majority of the game was played in the midfield area of the pitch. Both teams took just six shots combined in the half, while neither tallied a shot on goal. The Jackets had opportunities with three corner kicks in the half but couldn't cash in.
MSUB came out firing in the second half as they threw some quality shots on goal early. Sophomore Jaucelyn Richter (Billings, MT) had a great chance at 49:58, but NNU goalkeeper Tanya Zickafoose made a great save. Zickafoose came up huge again in at the 67:33 mark when Andrea Baytaluke (Calgary, Alberta) was in front of the net, but Zickafoose dove on the ball and pinned it against the post for another save.
The game-winner came after a foul by NNU left the ball just inside the Jackets' zone. MSUB keeper Sabrina Grandke-Bawab (Kirkland, WA) came out of goal to take the free kick and launched it into the box where it found Siler's head. She then flicked the ball behind her and into the upper left corner at 75:42.
The goal was Siler's first of the season and Grandke-Bawab's third assist on the year. Freshman this season have combined to total 10 goals and 10 assists.
“I felt Whitney (Siler) had an excellence goal,” Trentham said. “It was by far one of, if not the best goal I have ever seen in my coaching career. She also had a great day on the defensive side of the ball as we got another shutout.”
The defense again stood tall, recording their eighth shutout of the season and shutting down the Crusaders, allowing no shots on goal all game long. Grandke-Bawab improved to 8-4-1 on the year and now has seven shutouts.
“Our defense was as good today as it has been all season long,” Trentham continued. “That back line did a great job of eliminating any threats that seemed to appear and did a great job of not giving up a shot on goal.”
Saturday was also senior day for six seniors as Lauren Anderson (Ridgefield, WA), Samantha Boehm (Wilsonville, OR), Jordan Fenwick (Boise, ID), Kari Foreman (Lakewood, CO), Samantha Sandau (Billings, MT) and Carly Valentine (Vancouver, WA) all were introduced before the start of the game. The will leave MSUB as the senior class with the most victories in program history.
“Give credit to a fantastic team this season,” continued Trentham. “A big part of their success has been these six seniors and their steady leadership down the stretch of this playoff push. I'm so very proud of each and every one of them.”
The win should propel the Jackets into the NCAA National Tournament for the first time in program history. The Yellowjackets were ranked fifth in this week's west region poll with the top six moving on.
“Today and this season has been a long time coming for this program,” Trentham finished. “There have been a lot of people that have played into our success, including past coaches, administrators, and most of all, the great players that have come through this program in the last 15 years.”
The Yellowjackets now wait for a bid to the tournament and will be hosting a selection show watch party on Monday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m. in the athletics conference room at Alterowitz Gymnasium and is open to family and fans. If you're unable to attend, fans can watch the selection show on NCAA.com.
