BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Thiago Novis slotted home a 20-yard free kick in the 27th minute and the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team shut down host Western Washington University in a tight, 1-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference match Saturday night at Harrington Field on the WWU campus.
 
The Yellowjackets (8-4-3, 6-3-2 GNAC) completed a season sweep of Western Washington, defeating the Vikings by the same score on Sept. 24 at Yellowjacket Field in Billings. WWU fell to 5-7-3 overall and 3-6-2 in GNAC play with the loss.
 
"I am extremely pleased with the performance of the guys," commented MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "They left every little bit of energy and will that they had on the field. This was a fantastic team performance."
 
The goal was the second of the season for Novis, who placed both of his shots in the game on target. Sophomore Ricardo Palomino had four of MSUB's 13 shots, and the 'Jackets placed six of their attempts on frame.
 
MSUB goalkeeper Tom Lohmann had saves on all three of WWU's shots on frame, and he faced 11 total attempts throughout the match.
 
Each team had three corner kicks in the match, all of MSUB's coming in the first half and all of WWU's being taken in the second. Goalkeeper Tyler Visten came up with five saves for the Vikings, but he could not put a stop to Novis's game-winning free kick.
 

Defensively, Garret Robinson, Sam Butterworth, Tom Saltwell, and Cameron Lee played all 90 minutes and locked down WWU's attack. Standing out in the midfield for the 'Jackets was senior Fernando Perez, who also turned in a complete-game effort and was vital in his role as holding mid throughout the match.
 
Novis had the first shot on target of the game for the 'Jackets, firing a low strike across the goal box from the right side that was secured by Visten without issue five minutes into the match.
 
Kurtis Pederson had a decent look five minutes later, but his right-footed shot from the top of the goal box curled high and wide of the right goal post.
 
The 'Jackets earned a corner kick in the 16th minute, but Palomino's one-time attempt on the rolling cross from Butterworth missed well off target.
 
Winning a dangerous free kick from 20 yards out, Novis buried his second goal of the season midway through the first half to give the 'Jackets a 1-0 lead. His right-footed strike from the right side of the box beat Visten and punctured the side netting attached to the left goal post.
 
With the halftime whistle approaching, Jacob Richter received a pass after a long run by Julian Toenges, and fired a left-footed shot on goal that was pushed off the right post by Visten. Butterworth had two cross chances on a corner kick and a follow up, but the Vikings cleared the ball each time and prevented MSUB from doubling its lead.
 
Less than two minutes before halftime, Saltwell won a huge sliding tackle deep down the right side, knocking the ball away as the last defender in what would have been a one-on-one with Lohmann in goal.
 
Palomino created space with the ball at the top of the box in the closing seconds, but his left-footed shot from 25 yards was on target and saved by Visten.
 
The 'Jackets nearly doubled their tally 20 minutes into the second half, as Richter played a nice through ball to Jorge Paez inside the box. The sophomore was just late to it, as his shot towards goal was knocked away by Visten.
 
WWU's keeper came through again less than 10 minutes later, reacting on a shot by Toenges from point-blank range and preventing another goal for the 'Jackets.
 
Lohmann snagged a low, hard shot that was on frame with less than 10 minutes to go, sliding forward on his knees and securing the ball. The junior goalkeeper and MSUB's back line held strong through a final offensive push by WWU in the closing minutes, as the team secured its fifth shutout of the season.
 
"This is really one for the team," Balog said. "This win keeps the dream that we have alive, and it's all thanks to the players. Fantastic goal by Thiago, fantastic free kick, and we kept fighting, battling, and hustling for every challenge. Western Washington became very direct the last 35 minutes, and I am really happy with the team and how they handled that."
 
THE BUZZ: It was MSUB's second straight 1-0 win over WWU at Harrington Field, as the 'Jackets beat the Vikings by the same score a season ago on Sept. 27, 2014…Perez was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game for his outstanding effort up and down the field as a commanding central mid…
 
WHERE THINGS STAND: MSUB entered the day in fourth place in the GNAC standings, and with the win moved into third place with 20 points. First-place Seattle Pacific defeated Northwest Nazarene 2-1 and has 24 points. Second-place Simon Fraser beat the University of Mary 3-0 and has 21 points, just one ahead of the 'Jackets. The Crusaders are now in fourth place with 18 points, as the top-four teams are all within six points of one another with three matches to play.
 
AHEAD: The 'Jackets will face their biggest test of the season next week, taking on nationally-ranked Seattle Pacific in Seattle on Halloween. The matchup will come after a meeting against Saint Martin's in Lacey, Wash., on Oct. 29, as MSUB plays its final two road matches of the regular season.