BILLINGS, Mont. – With four games remaining on its 2014 Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule, the third-place Montana State University Billings women's soccer team holds strong positioning in terms of earning a berth to the conference championship tournament.
 
Holding a conference record of 5-3-2, the Yellowjackets could clinch a spot in the tournament with a pair of victories this week over visiting Saint Martin's and Western Oregon. The Yellowjackets are currently tied with Central Washington in third place with 17 points, with Western Oregon four points behind in fifth with 13 points.
 
Western Washington is in first place with 26 points and clinched a tournament berth last week, and second-place Seattle Pacific currently has 20 points. The top-four teams in the regular season standings earn a berth into the GNAC Championships, which are scheduled for Nov. 6-8 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.
 
MSUB and Saint Martin's will kick off on Thursday at 3 p.m., with Saturday's game against Western Oregon scheduled for 1 p.m. On Saturday, MSUB will honor its seven graduating players on Senior Day, and the match will also serve as part of the MSUB Kicks Cancer doubleheader with the men's team. All proceeds from Saturday's matches will be donated to the American Cancer Society, and players will warm up wearing pink shirts.
 
Both matches this week will feature live video coverage and live statistics, available via www.msubsports.com.
 
After a tough 2-1 overtime loss to Western Washington last week, the Yellowjackets responded with a resounding 4-0 victory over Simon Fraser on Oct. 18.
 
Alisa Sagdahl, the team's leading scorer this season, doubled her tally in 2014 with three goals last week. Sagdahl earned a penalty kick against WWU on Oct. 16, when she was fouled after carrying the ball into the box. After the conversion, MSUB held the 1-0 lead until the 87th minute, when the Vikings equalized.
 
Against Simon Fraser, Sagdahl scored the first goal of the game in the 23rd minute, and supplied another in the 47th to help seal the victory. The junior now has six goals on the season, and she is tied for fourth in the GNAC in scoring.
 
Scoring her first goal of the season and supplying an assist in MSUB's win last week, senior captain Chelsea Shuman made her way onto the season scoring sheet with three points. Shuman has started 11 games in the midfield for MSUB, and her 28 shots rank second on the team only to Sagdahl's 34.
 
The Yellowjackets had another stellar performance defensively against Simon Fraser, allowing just two shots all game and zero in the entire second half. Jennifer Johnson, Jessie Mancilla, Kari Kastelic and Haley McFarlane have each played every minute of the season defensively for MSUB, limiting opponents to just nine goals in 12 games this season.
 
Goalkeeper Krystal Daniels earned her fifth shutout of 2014 against the Clan, making a save on the only shot that was on target. Daniels holds a goals-against average of 0.72 on the season and has made 26 saves so far.
 
MSUB continues to rank among conference leaders defensively, as only WWU (4) has allowed fewer goals than the Yellowjackets this season.
 
Thursday, October 23 – 3 p.m. – Yellowjacket Field
Saint Martin's University Saints
2014 Record: 1-11-2, 1-8-1 GNAC
Head Coach: Rob Walker, 8th season
2013 GNAC Finish: 6th (4-12-1, 3-10 GNAC)
 
Saint Martin's has dropped three games in-a-row dating back to a 3-1 win over Simon Fraser on Oct. 9. The Saints currently occupy the eighth spot in the conference standings, adding a 1-1 draw against MSUB to their lone win for four total points this season.
 
SMU has relied on three goal scorers this season in Sasha Dini, Abby McFaul and Kelli Bannerman. Dini has scored four times and added an assist for a team best nine points, while McFaul is close behind with three goals and an assist this season.
 
Bannerman, the reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year, has found the net three times this season and has started 10 games.
 
Taylor Gersch and Jessica Christian have also each played a key role for the Saints, having started all 14 contests and provided an assist apiece. Hanna Massee has started 13 games in the midfield this season for SMU, contributing two assists.
 
The Saints allow nearly two goals per game, as the team has been outscored 28-11 this season. Goalkeeper Sunny De Boer has provided consistency in the net for SMU, starting all 14 games and making 86 saves.
 
The Series: With a 1-1 double overtime draw against the Saints on Sept. 20, MSUB's all-time record against SMU moved to 8-5-2. Kastelic scored her first career goal in the 25th minute during the last meeting, putting MSUB ahead in the first half on an assist by Elizabeth Howard.
 
Saturday, October 25 – 1 p.m. – Yellowjacket Field – MSUB Kicks Cancer
Western Oregon University Wolves
2014 Record: 5-5-4, 3-3-4 GNAC
Head Coach: Steve Ancheta, 4th season
2013 GNAC Finish: 4th (9-4-6, 7-3-4 GNAC)
 
With Western Oregon shutting out MSUB 2-0 on Sept. 18 in Monmouth, Ore., the Yellowjackets will look to return the favor on Saturday in Billings. The 'Jackets outshot WOU 14-9 during the last meeting, but could not find the net as Wolf goalkeeper Amanda Rose Johnson made nine saves in the match. A goal by Savannah Bogan with three minutes before halftime deflated MSUB's spirits, and WOU's 2013 leading scorer Makana Pundyke doubled the score in the 60th minute.
 
Leading the team in goals this season, Pundyke has tallied three and added an assist. After leading the team with 10 goals as a sophomore in 2013, she has fired a team-best 33 shots so far this year.
 
Taylor Higa has been a key player for the Wolves as well, scoring twice and turning in a team-best four assists.
 
The Wolves have outscored opponents 12-10 this season, utilizing a stingy defense to stay close in games. Johnson has started 11 games in the net for WOU, holding a strong goals-against average of 0.54 while making 63 saves and totaling six shutouts. Eleven of WOU's 14 matches this season have been decided by one goal or less, and the Wolves have only lost one game by more than one goal (3-1 at Hawaii Pacific on Sept. 11).
 
The Series: With the loss at Western Oregon earlier this season, MSUB's all-time record fell to 6-8-2 against the Wolves. The Yellowjackets have now dropped the last five encounters between the teams.