BILLINGS, Mont. – Opening its 2014 home schedule with a bang two weeks ago, the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team downed a pair of tough Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents with a 1-0 win over Central Washington followed by a 2-1 comeback result against Seattle Pacific.
Set to face the same two teams this week, the second-place Yellowjackets will look to repeat the feat on the road this time. MSUB will kick off against Seattle Pacific at 7 p.m. Pacific time at Interbay Stadium on
Thursday, before challenging Central Washington at the CWU soccer field at noon Pacific time on Saturday.
All three teams hold a record of 3-2-1 in GNAC play, as a significant impact on the conference standings is on the line this weekend. Live statistics for both games will be accessible via
www.msubsports.com.
After defeating the Wildcats and Falcons, MSUB made history against Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 2 by holding the Crusaders without a shot on the game. It was just the fifth time in GNAC history that a team has been held without a shot, the first time since the 2005 season and only the second time since 2002.
Continuing the theme into their most recent game against No. 19 Western Washington, the Yellowjackets held the Vikings without a shot in the first half and to just three on the game in a tough 1-0 defeat.
MSUB has thrived on its stingy defense, which has allowed just six goals in eight games all season. The 'Jackets rank No. 2 in the conference in goals-against average with a mark of 0.73, and the team's three shutouts are tied for third-most.
Fueling the defense has been a consistent core of players in
Jennifer Johnson,
Jessie Mancilla,
Haley McFarlane and
Kari Kastelic. All four have played every minute of the season, and they have also combined for three of MSUB's nine goals and one assist.
Scoring the game-winner while helping MSUB shut down the Crusaders last week, Kastelic is now tied for the team lead in goals on the season with two. Also having scored twice this season is
Alisa Sagdahl, who has fired a team-best 24 shots and placed 14 on target for a shots-on-goal percentage of .583.
Starting all eight games in the midfield for MSUB, junior captain
Katlyn Lokay has scored once and been a pivotal figure in keeping the 'Jackets organized. Sophomores
Dana Lubieniecki and
Amanda Perri have also seen significant minutes this season, with the former starting all eight games with an assist and the latter providing the game-winning goal the last time MSUB played Seattle Pacific.
Chelsea Shuman continues to play a key role as a midfielder as well, as her 19 shots are second behind Sagdahl and she has started seven of eight games this season.
Ashely Marra got onto the score sheet with an assist on Kastelic's goal last week, and senior
Agen Heffernan has been a contributor as well with one game-winning goal.
Krystal Daniels has started all eight games in goal for the Yellowjackets, and her goals-against average of 0.73 is third-best in the conference. Daniels has made 18 saves on the season, an average of 2.25 per game.
Thursday, October 9 – 7 p.m. Pacific – Interbay StadiumSeattle Pacific University Falcons2014 Record: 5-3-1, 3-2-1 GNACHead Coach: Chuck Sekyra, 11th season2013 GNAC Finish: 3rd (15-6-1, 10-4-0 GNAC, NCAA West Regional Semifinals) Since the teams last met in Billings on Sept. 27, Seattle Pacific has split a pair of GNAC contests. The Falcons suffered a tough 1-0 home loss to Central Washington on Oct. 2, despite outshooting the Wildcats 24-8.
SPU responded with a 2-1 win over Saint Martin's on Oct. 4, as a goal by Shayla Page in the 66th minute snapped a 1-1 tie. The Falcons' defense held the Saints to just four shots in the contest, and another 20-shot performance by the team's offense helped spark the victory.
After scoring against MSUB, Hannah Huesers tallied her team-leading sixth goal in the win over SMU. Isabel Farrell had her third assist in the game as well, pushing her season point total to 13 to lead the conference.
Laura Moore's five assists are the second most in the conference, and she and Farrell are in the top-three in the GNAC in shots.
Goalkeeper Alexa Hughes holds a goals-against average of 1.09, which is the fourth-best mark in the GNAC. Her 3.12 saves per game are sixth-most, and SPU is yet to record its first shutout of 2014.
The Series: MSUB's win over the Falcons two weeks ago was its fourth all-time, and MSUB is now 3-3 against SPU over the last three seasons. The Yellowjackets have not won at Interbay Stadium since the 2011 season, when MSUB downed then-No. 14 SPU 1-0.
Saturday, October 11 – 12:00 p.m. Pacific – CWU Soccer FieldCentral Washington University Wildcats2014 Record: 4-5-1, 3-2-1 GNACHead Coach: Michael Farrand, 15th season2013 GNAC Finish: 2nd (11-6-1, 10-3-1 GNAC) Central Washington has not lost since its 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Yellowjackets, as the Wildcats defeated NNU 3-2 and Seattle Pacific 1-0, and battled Western Oregon to a scoreless draw in double-overtime.
The Wildcats have crept back into the top of the conference standings, after beginning their GNAC slate with a record of 1-2.
Hadli Farrand earned GNAC offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring two goals to lift the 'Cats to victory over NNU on Sept. 27. After falling behind 2-0 in the match, CWU rallied to score three-straight goals to pick up three points over the Crusaders.
CWU followed with a strong performance against Western Oregon, outshooting the Wolves 24-17 in the scoreless affair. Facing the Falcons on the road in their most recent contest, the Wildcats made the most of eight shots as Viktoriya Vasina scored off of the bench in the 69th minute on assists from Farrand and Mackenzie Nolte to seal the victory.
The Series: With the win over CWU on Sept. 25, MSUB moved within two games of evening the all-time series as its record is now 9-11-1 against the Wildcats. It was Heffernan scoring her first goal of the season in the MSUB victory, and the 'Jackets will challenge a CWU team that has gone unbeaten in three straight this week.
