NAMPA, Idaho – In the blink of an eye, Northwest Nazarene University had all the offense it needed to collect a 3-1 victory over Montana State University Billings on Saturday at the NNU Soccer Field, as the host scored twice in the opening 10 minutes of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference match.
 
The Crusaders added a final goal with less than 10 minutes to play, sealing the victory and handing MSUB its third straight loss. NNU is now 5-5-1 overall and 2-3-1 in league play.
 
Guillaume Kremer scored his fifth goal of the season on a terrific 25-yard free kick as time wound down. MSUB fell to 5-8 overall on the year and 3-4 in conference games.
 
"We are very disappointed in this road trip, and we didn't play well enough," Balog commented on the team's losses this weekend. "We have high standards in this program, and we will have to regroup this week and find a way to get back on track."
 
Edwin Quiroz dribbled into the box and shocked MSUB with a goal just 26 seconds into the match after the opening kickoff.
 
Following the lightning-quick strike, Jonathan Bryant doubled NNU's lead eight minutes later, after intercepting a pass and tucking home a shot from 20 yards away.
 
NNU goalkeeper Jacob Hillyer made his first save of the match in the 29th minute, denying an attempt by MSUB's Niklas Schregel. The 'Jackets were out-shot 5-4 in the opening half, but won a pair of corner kicks while conceding none.
 
MSUB created a handful of chances in the second half, but didn't get another shot on target until Kremer's free-kick finish in the 83rd minute. By then however, NNU had established a 3-0 edge and Kremer's goal did little more than prevent a shutout.
 
Jake Levine had the finish that put the game out of reach, scoring in the 78th minute on a one-on-one with MSUB goalkeeper Tom Lohmann after a pass from Quiroz.
 
Lohmann made five saves on the day for the Yellowjackets, who were out-shot 15-9 overall in the match. Defensively, Alexis Chavez played a big role in a 90-minute effort as an outside back. Luca Battistotti and Oliver Posarelli also each played 90 minutes on the defensive unit.
 
Kremer led MSUB with three shots in the match, while Quiroz and Levine each had four attempts on the afternoon.
 
THE BUZZ: Chavez was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 11-14-2 all-time against NNU and is 6-8 in games played in Nampa…NNU evened the season series after the 'Jackets claimed a 3-2 victory in Billings on Sept. 21…Kremer is tied for the team lead with his five goals this fall.
 
COMING UP: MSUB closes its three week road stretch next week with two more conference contests. The 'Jackets will play at Concordia University in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 19, before heading up the I5 corridor to Seattle for a 4:30 p.m. match at Seattle Pacific University. Live video and live statistics will be available for both matches online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.