BILLINGS, Mont. – With 14 points and a 4-2-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference record, the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team currently holds the second place position in the conference standings.
 
The 'Jackets hold a head-to-head advantage over Seattle Pacific, which also has 14 points, and Central Washington (13) and Western Oregon (12) are close behind in the upper half of the league table.
 
MSUB will be put to test this week, as it takes on first-place and undefeated Western Washington, which leads the GNAC with 20 points and a 6-0-2 conference record. The Vikings are 10-0-2 overall on the season.
 
The 'Jackets will challenge WWU on Thursday in Bellingham, Wash., at Robert S. Harrington Field, before making the jump into Canada to face Simon Fraser on Saturday at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, B.C. The match against Western Washington will feature live statistics, and Saturday's game against the Clan will feature live video and stats. Live coverage information can be found at www.msubsports.com.
 
MSUB earned four points on its most recent road trip, completing a 0-0 double-overtime draw against Seattle Pacific last Thursday before a big 2-1 victory over Central Washington last Saturday. The Yellowjackets, who are the No. 8 team in the west region according to the latest NSCAA poll, completed their regular-season matches against those two teams with a strong mark of 3-0-1.
 
The Yellowjackets have earned points in five of their last six matches, and have surrendered just three goals over the span dating back to a 1-0 win over Central Washington on Sept. 25 at Yellowjacket Field in Billings.
 
MSUB's lone loss over the stretch came against Western Washington in a 1-0 result in Billings on Oct. 4. Despite holding the Vikings to just three shots on the match, the Yellowjackets failed to score against WWU's stingy defense that has allowed just three goals all season.
 
Leading MSUB defensively has been a strong core that has played every minute of the season along the back line. Seniors Jennifer Johnson and Jessie Mancilla, and sophomores Kari Kastelic and Haley McFarlane have been a major reason for MSUB's defensive success, as the 'Jackets have allowed only seven goals all season.
 
The defensive specialists have also had an impact on MSUB's production offensively, as Kastelic has a pair of goals to her name, McFarlane has one and Johnson has contributed an assist this season.
 
Protecting the net behind the back unit, senior goalkeeper Krystal Daniels has also played all 940 minutes of the season so far. Recently tabbed as the GNAC defensive Player of the Week, Daniels has four shutouts on the season and a GNAC third-best goals-against average of 0.67. Daniels' four shutouts are tied for third most in the league.
 
Offensively, junior Alisa Sagdahl has continued to excel as she leads the team with three goals and two assists this season. Sagdahl was instrumental in the win over Central Washington, as she provided a goal and assisted on the other in the 2-1 result.
 
Emerging as an offensive threat for MSUB, Katlyn Lokay has played a tremendous role in the midfield and started all 10 games for the 'Jackets. Lokay scored the first goal against CWU on Saturday, pushing her season total to two.
 
Two more players stepping up in the midfield for MSUB have been sophomores Dana Lubieniecki and Ashely Marra, who have combined for three assists this season. Lubieniecki has started all 10 games for the Yellowjackets.
 
Senior captain Chelsea Shuman has continuously created dangerous scoring chances for MSUB, notching a team second-most 22 shots on the season. Nearly half of her shots (10) have been on target and she has played in every game while starting nine.
 
Thursday, October 16 – 5 p.m. MTN – Harrington Field, Bellingham, Wash.
Western Washington University Vikings
2014 Record: 10-0-2, 6-0-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Travis Connell, 11th season
2013 GNAC Finish: 1st (20-2-1, 13-1-0 GNAC, NCAA Final Four)
 
With a six-point lead over MSUB at the top of the GNAC standings, Western Washington has remained unbeaten through its first 12 games of the 2014 season. The Yellowjackets played the Vikings tightly in the last meeting between the teams on Oct. 4 at Yellowjacket Field in Billings, but WWU escaped with a narrow 1-0 win despite taking just three shots all match.
 
The Vikings combine one of the league's best offenses with its most stingy defense to separate themselves from the competition. WWU leads the GNAC in shots with 212 (17.67 per game), and is second in points (56) and goals (19).
 
Leading WWU this season offensively have been Jessica Bertucci and Catherine Miles, who are each among the top-10 in the conference in shots and goals.
 
WWU was pushed to the limit against Western Oregon, settling for a 1-1 double-overtime draw in Monmouth, Ore., last Thursday. The Vikings took charge against Saint Martin's on Saturday, storming to a 3-0 win to move to 6-0-2 in GNAC play.
 
The Series: WWU holds a 14-3-2 all-time record against the Yellowjackets, and has now won the last six games the teams have played.
 
Saturday, October 18 – 6 p.m. MTN – Terry Fox Field, Burnaby, B.C.
Simon Fraser University Clan
2014 Record: 2-10-0, 2-6-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Annie Hamel, 1st season
2013 GNAC Finish: 8th (1-13-2, 1-11-2 GNAC)
 
Simon Fraser picked up its first wins of the season in late September, downing Western Oregon and Saint Martin's at home by the score of 1-0 in both games. The Clan has lost four-straight games since the victories, and currently sits in seventh place in the conference standings with a GNAC record of 2-6-0.
 
Under first-year head coach Annie Hamel, SFU has already improved on last season's wins and goals total. Olivia Aguiar leads the team with three goals on the season, and Sierra Leung has contributed two for SFU so far.
 
Returners Teagan Rae Sorokan and Kate Pearsall have been SFU's other goal scorers this season, and Devon Kollmyer has a team-best three assists.
 
Priya Sandhu has played every game in goal for SFU, making 53 saves while recording a pair of shutouts in her first collegiate season.
 
As a team the Clan has been outscored 29-7 on the season, allowing 203 shots while managing just 78.
 
The Series: MSUB holds an all-time record of 7-3 against Simon Fraser, and the 'Jackets collected a big 3-0 win the last time the teams met on Oct. 26, 2013. The 'Jackets have not lost to the Clan since a 1-0 setback on Oct. 30, 2010, giving MSUB a six-game winning streak heading into Saturday's encounter.
 
Current 'Jackets vs. SFU: Among current MSUB players, Lokay has recorded a goal and an assist in her career against SFU, and Mancilla has also scored once in her three-plus seasons against the Clan. Johnson has twice provided an assist for MSUB against SFU, and Shuman also has one career assist in games against the Clan.