BILLINGS, Mont. – Exactly halfway through the Great Northwest Athletic Conference portion of its 2014 schedule the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team currently holds sole possession of third place in the conference standings.
 
The Yellowjackets (4-4-3, 4-2-1 GNAC) responded after a difficult, late 2-1 loss to No. 6 Seattle Pacific last Thursday with an inspirational come-from-behind 2-1 victory at Saint Martin's on Saturday. The victory gave MSUB 13 points on the season, as the 'Jackets are currently five behind second-place Northwest Nazarene.
 
This week, MSUB heads east for a pair of rematches against GNAC opponents South Dakota School of Mines and the University of Mary. MSUB will face the Hardrockers at 7 p.m. Mountain time on Thursday in Rapid City, S.D., and will challenge the Marauders two days later in a noon Mountain time kickoff in Bismarck, N.D. The game against South Dakota Mines will feature live statistics and the match against Mary will have live video and live statistics, all available via www.msubsports.com.
 
Continuing his success as the Yellowjackets' leading scorer this season, sophomore Thorge Jess scored in each of MSUB's games last week to push his season total to six. Jess has scored in MSUB's last three games overall, and his goal total is the fifth-best mark in the GNAC. Jess also has a pair of assists on the season, as his 14 points are the fifth most in the conference.
 
Behind Jess in the scoring department is another sophomore, Colin Ralston, who put away his third goal of the season on a penalty kick in MSUB's triumph over Saint Martin's. In his first year as a Yellowjacket, Ralston has taken off for seven points in nine games after missing the first two matches of the season with an injury.
 
Playing a key leadership role as a senior captain, Kyle Emerick has stepped up lately as well with three assists in his last three games. Also with three assists in 2014 is junior Sam Butterworth, who has proven to be a dual threat within his ability to push forward continuously from his home position of left back.
 
David Loeung and Rhys Lambert have each found the net twice this season for MSUB and have been valuable additions to the program. Freshman Niklas Schregel has scored once and provided an assist, and has played in all 11 contests while starting nine in the midfield.
 
Defensively, Thomas Saltwell and Matt Brink have been anchors for MSUB with the former having started all 11 games for the 'Jackets. The duo has helped limit opponents' attempts on goal, as the Yellowjackets hold an opponent shot-on-goal percentage of .406 (66-for-165).
 
Playing behind the back line, goalkeeper Tom Lohmann has manned the box for every minute of the season so far. The sophomore has made a GNAC-high 51 saves (4.64 per game), and has turned in two shutouts this season. His save percentage of .773 ranks No. 3 in the conference. In addition to his defensive prowess, Lohmann has also provided two assists this year, his most recent coming on Jess's game-winning goal against Saint Martin's.
 
As a team, the Yellowjackets have taken a GNAC fourth-best 140 shots this season, just three behind the next closest team, Seattle Pacific. MSUB's 15 goals rank No. 5 in the conference, and the 'Jackets have had an assist on every one of them. The Yellowjackets' goals-against average of 1.25 ranks third in the GNAC, and MSUB has won the second-most corner kicks this season with 62.
 
Thursday, October 16 – 7 p.m. – Sioux Park Field, Rapid City, S.D.
South Dakota School of Mines Hardrockers
2014 Record: 1-10-0, 0-7-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Joe Burger, 2nd season
2013 GNAC Finish: 8th (0-16-1, 0-13-1 GNAC)
 
The Hardrockers dropped both of their games since the last time they played MSUB, falling 3-0 to Simon Fraser and 2-1 to Western Washington last week. Playing at its home field, SDSMT battled WWU to the limit, conceding a goal with five seconds remaining in double-overtime for the tough loss to the Vikings.
 
Michael McGraw scored his team-leading fifth goal in the 14th minute of that game, and he is one of four Hardrockers to have started all 11 contests this season.
 
Sean Tabbert, another everyday starter, has scored twice and provided an assist, and Jake Smith has one goal and one assist on the season.
 
Starting every game defensively for SDSMT has been Lars Skau, who has been invaluable for the Hardrockers on the back line. Returning all-conference selection Andreas Skau has played well for head coach Joe Burger in the midfield, tallying one assist and a team second-most 26 shots in 10 starts.
 
In goal Braeden Federle has continued to start recently, and he and Eric Milbrandt have shared time in goal throughout the season. Federle leads the team with 39 saves, and was in goal for the Hardrockers' victory earlier this year.
 
As a team the Hardrockers have been outscored 32-9 this season allowing 181 shots while taking 112.
 
The Series: A strong 2-0 shutout win for MSUB on Oct. 4 kept the Yellowjackets undefeated against the South Dakota opponent, as the all-time series is now 3-0-1 in favor of the navy and gold. Jess and Loeung were responsible for MSUB's goals the last time the teams met, and Lohmann earned the shutout as the 'Jackets allowed just five total shots.
 
Saturday, October 18 – 1 p.m. CENTRAL – MDU Resources Community Bowl, Bismarck, N.D.
University of Mary Marauders
2014 Record: 2-6-1, 1-6-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Dave Cook, 7th season
2013 GNAC Finish: 7th (3-10-3, 3-8-3 GNAC)
 
Hosting two of the top teams in the GNAC last week, the Marauders battled tough against Western Washington and Simon Fraser in a pair of losses. Mary equalized with a first-half goal by Jordan Pearce against the Vikings last Thursday, but a second-half goal for WWU proved to be the game-winner in the 2-1 result.
 
Two days later, Mary struggled to keep up with the offensively-minded Clan, who scored the first three goals of the match in a 3-1 final score. The Marauders have now lost six matches in-a-row, dating back to a 6-3 win over SDSMT to open their GNAC slate on Sept. 19.
 
Pearce's seven goals on the season are the third-most in the GNAC, and his point total of 15 is the fourth-best mark in the conference.
 
Mary has no trouble finding the net, as the team is averaging nearly two goals per game with 17 in nine contests. Defense has been the team's Achilles heel however, as the Marauders have conceded 20 goals.
 
Aaron Brennan and Christoffer Nogueira have each scored three times this season and have combined for seven of Mary's 17 assists. Aaron Mc Elwee has added two goals and an assist, and Brad Kelly has lent a helping hand on goals three times while starting all nine games.
 
Michael Frenzel has started seven matches in goal for the Marauders, making 24 saves on the season.
 
The Series: MSUB kept its composure the last time the teams met, pushing home the game-winning goal in the second half after giving up an equalizer in the first. The 2-1 victory made the Yellowjackets' record 25-6-1 all-time against Mary, and preserved their 12-year undefeated streak against the Marauders dating back to November of 2002.