LACEY, Wash. – For just the third time this season, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference's top offense was held without a goal as the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team was shut out by host Saint Martin's University 2-0 on Thursday at the SMU Soccer Field.
In a complete turn of events from the first meeting between the teams –
a 5-1 win in which MSUB scored four times in the first half – Mamadou Leigh and Kyle Witzel each found the net for the Saints who recorded their first shutout of the season.
The Yellowjackets fell to 8-5-3 on the year and dropped to 6-4-2 in conference play, with their hopes of a conference title fading in the loss to the GNAC's last-place team.
"Today was a letdown, and we lacked passion and quality on the ball," commented MSUB head coach
Alex Balog. "Our decision making in the final 20 yards was not what we are used to. We have to give credit to SMU as well. We have to move on and find the pride to finish the season to the best of our ability."
SMU earned its fourth win of the season overall (4-11-1) and improved to 3-9 in GNAC play with the win. SMU goalkeeper Nick Rosato made saves on all five of MSUB's shots on target, coming up big for the home team. On the offensive end, SMU placed six of its 13 shots on frame.
Tom Lohmann made four saves in goal for MSUB, which could not capitalize despite winning seven corner kicks in the match.
MSUB put SMU under pressure from the start, with shots by
Fernando Perez and
Rhys Lambert as well as two corner kicks by
Thiago Novis within the opening 10 minutes of play.
Jorge Paez tested Rosato in the 15th minute, landing the first shot on frame of the match for the 'Jackets.
Rattling the framework in the 31st minute, a shot by
Sam Butterworth glanced off the crossbar as MSUB nearly struck first midway through the opening half. Two minutes later,
Guido Riffeser got his head on a corner kick by Butterworth, but Rosato made the save on the shot on target.
Pushing ahead just before the halftime break, Leigh managed to beat Lohmann and score his first goal of the season to give SMU a 1-0 lead heading into the locker rooms.
Each keeper had a save in the opening six minutes of the second half, with
Julian Toenges firing a shot on target right out of the gate for MSUB. Witzel put a shot on frame in the 51st minute, but it was nothing that Lohmann couldn't handle as he knocked the ball down.
Less than five minutes later, Lohmann secured another save as he denied Derrick Gonzales of a goal for the Saints.
Palomino found the target in the 59th minute, but Rosato made his fourth save of the match to keep the shutout intact with 30 minutes remaining in regulation. MSUB kept the pressure on, winning another corner kick taken by Novis, but an ensuing shot from Palomino missed wide.
Witzel doubled SMU's tally in the 71st minute, scoring his team-best sixth goal of the season and making the score 2-0.
MSUB pushed forward in desperation in the final 20 minutes, but the Yellowjackets' offense stalled and the Saints closed out the victory.
Witzel led all players with four shots on the match, while Lambert was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game with a pair of shots and one on target.
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets face their toughest match of the year against No. 9 Seattle Pacific on Saturday at Interbay Stadium on the SPU campus. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Mountain time, with live statistics available for the match.
