BILLINGS, Mont. – After finishing a four-game road trip last week, the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team gets set for five-straight home contests to close out the Great Northwest Athletic Conference portion of its schedule.
 
The Yellowjackets, who currently sit in third place in the conference standings, will take on Western Washington and Simon Fraser this weekend. With Saturday's match against the Clan being tabbed as the MSUB Kicks Cancer match, the Yellowjackets will show their support for the fight against cancer in a 3 p.m. kickoff against Simon Fraser. Saturday's match will follow a GNAC contest against the Vikings on Thursday, set for a 12:45 p.m. start.
 
Each game will be part of a doubleheader with the MSUB women's soccer team, with the men taking the early game on Thursday and closing with the later game on Saturday. Live video and statistics will be available for both matches via www.msubsports.com.
 
Coming off of a split road trip last week, MSUB defeated South Dakota Mines 3-2 on Oct. 16 before falling to the University of Mary 2-1 on Oct. 18. The 'Jackets featured three different goal scorers against the Hardrockers, and senior Kyle Emerick pushed his team-leading assist total to five on the season with two in the match.
 
Colin Ralston continued his impressive first season as a Yellowjacket, as the sophomore scored in each game and upped his season goals total to five. Ralston has now scored in each of MSUB's previous three games, and will look to replicate his two-goal performance from the last time the 'Jackets and the Clan met on Sept. 25.
 
Thorge Jess had his three-match scoring streak snapped last week, but he remained the team's leader with six goals on the season. The German sophomore has also supplied a pair of assists this season, and leads the team with 40 shots and 16 on target.
 
Freshman Jorge Paez scored his second goal of the season last week, as he has turned in a strong debut college season thus far with seven starts and 16 shots. David Loeung provided the assist on the play, upping his season points total to five with a pair of goals and an assist.
 
Rhys Lambert was the other goal scorer last week for MSUB, making his third of the season count as the game-winner against SDSMT in the 68th minute. Lambert now ranks third on the team in scoring, and two of his three goals have been game-winners for the 'Jackets.
 
Defensively, Thomas Saltwell, Cameron Lee and Matt Brink each surpassed the 1,000-minute mark last week.
 
In goal, Tom Lohmann made six saves for MSUB which pushed his season total to 57. He has collected a pair of shutouts this year, while holding a goals-against average of 1.35.
 
Thursday, October 23 – 12:45 p.m. – Yellowjacket Field
Western Washington University Vikings
2014 Record: 6-6-1, 4-4-1 GNAC
Head Coach: Greg Brisbon, 2nd season
2013 GNAC Finish: 3rd (11-4-3, 9-2-3 GNAC)
 
Earning a split in conference action last week, Western Washington moved its 2014 record to an even .500 at 6-6-1 with a 3-0 win over Saint Martin's and a 2-1 overtime loss to undefeated Seattle Pacific. The Vikings had won four games in-a-row heading into the match against the Falcons on Oct. 18, and took a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute. SPU responded however, scoring once in regulation and again in overtime to remain atop the GNAC standings.
 
The Vikings are being led offensively by Tye Hastings and Luke Olney. Hastings has a team-best four goals on the season while firing 39 shots, and Olney is close behind with three goals. The latter has also turned in a team-best four assists, and leads the Vikings with 10 points.
 
Jeremy Wentzel has also scored three goals for WWU, placing 6 of 12 shots on target and adding an assist for seven total points.
 
Gabriele Zaccagnini has been a top facilitator for the Vikings, turning in three assists and also finding the net once this season.
 
Defensively, Troy McCarty and Uche Ugwoaba have each started every game of the season, providing consistency and solidity across the back line for the Vikings.
 
In goal, Keegan Rogers has made 45 saves and logged three shutouts, while holding a goals-against average of 1.24 this season.
 
The Series: With the 1-0 win on Sept. 27, MSUB improved its all-time record against WWU to 4-16-1. The win was the first for the 'Jackets over the Vikings since Oct. 18, 2012. Lambert was the lone goal scorer for MSUB the last time the teams met, as he found the net in the 70th minute on a long ball played by goalkeeper Tom Lohmann.
 
Saturday, October 25 – 3 p.m. – Yellowjacket Field
Simon Fraser University Clan
2014 Record: 6-4-2, 4-3-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Alan Koch, 7th season
2013 GNAC Finish: 1st (18-3-2, 11-2-1, NCAA Final Four)
 
After back-to-back Final Four appearances over the past two seasons, Simon Fraser has experienced less success so far in 2014 with an overall 6-4-2 record. The Clan currently sits in fourth place in the GNAC standings with 14 points, two behind MSUB.
 
SFU has won three of its last four games, with a 2-1 home loss to Seattle Pacific on Oct. 16 interrupting the string of success. Most recently, the Clan downed Saint Martin's 3-1 on Oct. 18, coming back in the second half after trailing 1-0 with half an hour to play.
 
While the numbers have been down for SFU this season, the Clan still leads the conference in goals scored with 29 and shots with 229. Providing a dozen of those goals, Jovan Blagojevic is the GNAC leader in scoring and points with 25 on the season. The senior midfielder has taken a whopping 68 shots in 12 starts, and three of his goals have been game-winners for the Clan.
 
Ryan Dhillon is SFU's next leading scorer with three goals on the season, and his five assists lead the team and rank second in the conference.
 
Ten other players have scored for SFU this season, as the team has employed a balanced scoring effort with 22 assists on its 29 goals.
 
Defensively, SFU has allowed 18 goals, as goalkeepers Brandon Watson and Ivan Hutsulyak have split time between the posts. Watson, the returning starter from a season ago, has started 10 games and tallied three shutouts with a goals-against average of 1.11.
 
The Series: Though SFU holds the all-time series with a record of 14-0-2 against MSUB, both of the draws have come in the past three seasons. The Yellowjackets rallied after being down 1-0 and again 3-1 the last time the teams met, salvaging a 3-3 draw on the road. Jess scored a penalty kick and Ralston found the net twice in the span of five minutes to bring MSUB back to life on Sept. 25 at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, B.C.