LACEY, Wash. – Goals from Ricardo Palomino and Julien Dragomir gave the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team the lead on two different occasions Saturday afternoon, but host Saint Martin's University answered with a goal each time as the teams battled to a 2-2, double-overtime draw in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at the SMU Soccer Field.
 
"We were a little disappointed we didn't win, but I'm glad we got something out of the game," said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "We've got Joe Scott to thank for the point partly, as he had an incredible game. I'm glad our strikers found the back of the net again as well. We played 220 minutes in two games, so I'm glad that physically we are ready for that."
 
MSUB moved to 5-2-3 overall on the year with the draw, and the team is now 1-0-3 in league play. The Saints meanwhile are 2-6-1 overall and sit at 1-2-1 in GNAC play.
 
Palomino's fourth goal of the year got the scoring started in the 48th minute, as the junior finished a cross from Flavio Colasanti. The Italian midfielder took a ball from the left side and played it into the box, where Palomino made a run towards the post and finished the job. "That was a textbook goal really, and it was a great run by Ricardo," Balog said.
 
Striking just 23 seconds later, the Saints caught MSUB directly after the restart as Will Eldred handled a pass from Steven Chu and found the back of the net.
 
MSUB's next shot in the game yielded a goal, as Dragomir scored his team-leading fifth of the year in the 56th minute. The senior got on the end of a pass from Niklas Schregel, as the Yellowjackets converted a free-kick chance into a goal.
 
The play started with a service from Guillaume Kremer, with Dragomir tucking the goal away after a touch from Schregel.  "We had really good movement in the box on that set piece," Balog commented on MSUB's second scoring play.
 
The 2-1 lead lasted for the next 15 minutes, but the Saints once again had an answer for the 'Jackets. After a shot by Witzel was knocked away by Scott, Strawn followed and evened the score with his first goal of the year in the 72nd minute.
 
Scott was an anchor defensively throughout the match, making five crucial saves in his second straight 110-minute performance. Saving his best for last, Scott made three crucial stops in the closing minutes of the match to keep the score tied.
 
"Joe made some incredible saves at the end, and he really kept us in the game," said Balog. "He had a great one-on-one save in the first half, and another in the second. His distribution was very good, and he's playing pretty mature. He's definitely growing."
 
THE BUZZ: Scott was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Colasanti has had an assist in three of his last four games…MSUB has drawn its last three matches in double overtime…the Yellowjackets' unbeaten streak reached eight games with the draw…the team remains in second place in the early GNAC standings, holding six points in conference play…MSUB leads the NCAA Division II west region with 20 goals this season.
 
AHEAD: The Yellowjackets return home for a single match next week, challenging first-place Simon Fraser at Yellowjacket Field on Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., and it will be the first of five straight home matches for MSUB.