BILLINGS, Mont. – The last time the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team won a Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament match, it was then-sophomore Jessie Mancilla who found the net in the 66th minute as the Yellowjackets defeated Seattle Pacific 1-0 in the first round of the 2012 championship.
 
Now a senior who has played every minute of the 2014 season, Mancilla and the Yellowjackets will look to repeat the feat on Thursday as they open the GNAC Championships with a first-round fixture against third-seeded Seattle Pacific at 5 p.m. Mountain time at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.
 
The tournament will feature live video and statistics via www.msubsports.com. Tickets are on-sale online through the GNAC website, and can also be purchased at the gate of the event.
 
The Yellowjackets (11-3-2, 9-3-2 GNAC) earned the No. 2 overall seed after finishing in second place in the regular-season conference standings. After missing the tournament in 2013, head coach Wojtek Krakowiak was recently named GNAC co-Coach of the Year by turning the program around and finishing in second place this season.
 
A big reason for the Yellowjackets' strong finish in the conference table was their effort against perennial conference leader Seattle Pacific during the regular season. Hosting the Falcons on Sept. 27, MSUB found itself trailing 1-0 just seven minutes into the match. The 'Jackets responded however, as Katlyn Lokay scored in the 67th minute and Amanda Perri sealed the 2-1 comeback win with a goal in the 87th.
 
Meeting at Interbay Stadium in Seattle on Oct. 9, MSUB held on for a scoreless double-overtime draw, and although SPU fired 20 shots in the match only four were on target.
 
Holding one of the top defenses in the conference this season, MSUB has been led by a core of four defenders and a goalkeeper who have each played every minute of the season. Earning first-team all-conference honors among the group, sophomore captain Haley McFarlane has been a fixture at center back all season and has pushed forward to score a pair of goals for the Yellowjackets.
 
Also among the defense to have played every minute are sophomore Kari Kastelic, and seniors Jennifer Johnson and Mancilla. Kastelic earned second-team all-GNAC honors and she has twice scored for MSUB as well. Johnson was an honorable mention all-conference pick.
 
In goal, senior Krystal Daniels holds a goals-against average of 0.66 and eight shutouts, which both rank No. 2 in the conference.
 
The 'Jackets have allowed the fewest shots (109), shots on target (44), and have held opponents to less than three shots on goal a GNAC-best seven times this season. MSUB's back line has also allowed two or fewer corner kicks seven times, and the 55 total it has given up is the second-lowest mark in the GNAC. Of the nine total games in the GNAC this season in which a team has held its opponent to fewer than five total shots, MSUB has recorded six of them.
 
Offensively, MSUB is led by first-team all-GNAC selection Alisa Sagdahl, who has scored seven goals and has five assists this season. Both figures are team-highs, and her 19 total points rank fourth in the conference.
 
With four goals apiece, senior captain Chelsea Shuman and Lokay have also contributed heavily to MSUB's scoring effort. Shuman was an honorable mention all-conference pick, as she added a pair of assists to her four goals for a total of 10 points. Recently named GNAC Player of the Week after scoring three goals in MSUB's last two wins, Shuman has taken 43 shots this season and placed 22 on target.
 
Lokay was a second-team all-GNAC pick, starting all 16 games and providing consistency and leadership as a captain in the midfield.
 
Emerging for significant minutes as a freshman, Jessica Spang has scored two goals and turned in three assists for MSUB in her first collegiate season. Spang has played in all 16 matches, starting nine and is approaching the 1,000-minute plateau with 971 on the season.
 
Dana Lubieniecki, Agen Heffernan and Perri have each also scored a goal this season, and Lubieniecki has turned in two assists in 13 starts as a sophomore. Ashely Marra has also been a difference maker in the midfield, as both of her assists have come on game-winning goals for the 'Jackets.
 
Stepping into a major role as a sophomore, Brittney Greenback has started 11 contests and played in 15 to help solidify MSUB's midfield.
 
Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships
Thursday, November 6 – 5 p.m. MTN – Starfire Sports Complex
Seattle Pacific University Falcons
2014 Record: 11-4-2, 9-3-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Chuck Sekyra, 11th season
2013 GNAC Finish: 3rd (15-6-1, 10-4-0 GNAC)
 
After winning the 2013 GNAC Championships in dramatic penalty kick fashion, SPU returns to the tournament as the No. 3 seed for the second year in-a-row. The Falcons advanced to the second round of the NCAA regional tournament last season, eventually falling to GNAC foe Western Washington 2-0.
 
The Falcons are being led this season by GNAC Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year Isabel Farrell, and first-team selection Hannah Huesers. Farrell has scored seven goals and turned in seven assists, and Huesers leads the conference with 14 goals on the season. Huesers accounted for the lone goal SPU scored against MSUB this season, finding the net in Billings on Sept. 27.
 
Also a first-team all-conference pick, junior Laura Moore has scored four goals and has seven assists this season. The powerful trio of attackers has accounted for 25 of SPU's GNAC-leading 35 goals this season, and having allowed just 13 on the year SPU has the second-highest goal differential at plus-22.
 
Defensively, Shayla Page was a second-team all-GNAC pick and Alexa Diaz was an honorable mention selection. Both players have started all 17 games on the back line this season, and the two have combined for three goals and three assists.
 
Also earning all-conference honors was Ashley Shaw, an honorable mention pick as a junior who has scored and contributed an assist.
 
In goal, Alexa Hughes has started 15 games and holds a goals-against average of 0.90. She has posted two shutouts on the season, and her goals allowed ranks third behind MSUB's Daniels.
 
As a team, the Falcons lead the conference in points (97), goals (35), and goals per game (2.06), and rank second in assists with 27.
 
The Series: Though SPU holds the all-time series advantage with a record of 15-4-1, MSUB has shown success against the Falcons in recent years. The Yellowjackets are 3-3-1 against SPU over the last three seasons. Both teams have momentum heading into Thursday's game, with MSUB having won five-straight games and the Falcons triumphant in their last three contests.
 
The Playoffs: The 2014 season marks the third GNAC championship tournament, with Western Washington defeating MSUB 2-0 in 2012 for the title and SPU claiming last year's crown. The winner of the four-team event earns an automatic berth into the NCAA west region championships, with the field of 48 Division II teams to be announced on Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. Mountain time.
 
The GNAC Field: Earning the No. 1 seed in the 2014 GNAC Championships was Western Washington, which is ranked No. 12 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America top-25 poll. WWU (15-0-3, 11-0-3 GNAC) was ranked No. 1 in the last NCAA west region poll, which will eventually determine the field for the first round of the playoffs.
 
Also in the tournament for the second year in-a-row is Central Washington, which fell to Seattle Pacific 2-1 in the first round of last season's championships. The Wildcats finished the regular season in fourth place in the GNAC standings at 8-7-3 overall and 7-4-3 in GNAC play.
 
After MSUB and SPU square off to open the tournament at 5 p.m. Mountain time on Thursday, WWU and CWU will do battle at 8 p.m. Mountain time. The two winners will meet on Saturday in the championship game, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Mountain time.