BILLINGS, Mont. – Senior Niklas Schregel scored his second game-winning goal in the last three matches and the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team recorded its first shutout of the year with a 2-0 win over Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Western Washington University on Saturday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field.
 
Junior Guillaume Kremer had another spectacular free-kick goal, this time stunning WWU and the crowd with a perfect 19-yard shot into the upper corner of the net to put the match away in the 90th minute. Senior goalkeeper Tom Lohmann and the back line secured their first shutout of the year, withstanding six shots and two on target by the Vikings.
 
"This was a very good performance from the team," said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "I'm very happy to see as a coach that the team executed the game plan to near perfection. We did a very good job of sticking to what we asked the guys to do before the game."
 
"We really raised the level the last three games, and we have been really solid defensively," Kremer said. "We are doing a great job as a unit and it's paying off, so it feels really good."
 
MSUB improved to 8-9 overall and 6-5 in conference play, and rocketed back into the postseason picture after defeating the top three teams in the

GNAC standings in its last three games. The 'Jackets are in third place in the league table with 18 points, with Simon Fraser University in first with 20 points and Seattle Pacific University (19 points) yet to post a final result for Saturday. The first-place team at the end of the year earns an automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships.
 
Western Washington dropped into fourth place in the conference table with 17 points, and is now 6-5-4 overall and 5-3-2 in league play.
 
One of MSUB's best chances in the opening half came with 13 minutes left, when a shot by Victor Sanchez from six yards away was blocked by a sliding WWU defender. The 'Jackets wound up with just one shot on frame in the opening 45 minutes, despite a steady 15 mile-per-hour wind at their backs.

The Vikings countered with their best look of the opening half, when a powerful shot by Nick Phillips on a cross by Christian Rotter was gobbled up by MSUB goalkeeper Tom Lohmann. It was one of just two saves that Lohmann wound up making on the afternoon, as the back four of Oliver Posarelli, Realf Zhivanaj, Luca Battistotti, and Alexis Chavez controlled WWU's attack soundly.
 
MSUB opened the second half with energy, and a header shot by JD Hauenstein inside of five minutes carried just wide of the far post. The sophomore came inches away from a goal again a minute later, when he flicked a strong cross by Kremer wide of the post.
 
WWU goalkeeper Tyler Visten had a stellar save midway through the second, when another pass from Kremer found the foot of Sanchez deep in the box. The senior managed a strong shot on target, but Visten raced off his line and made a diving stop.
 
The 'Jackets finally broke through after winning a corner kick in the 66th minute, with a wild sequence of events in the box that wound up with the ball in the back of the net. Schregel blasted a left-footed shot from five yards away after a header attempt by Hauenstein, as the senior found the side-netting on the far post and gave Visten no chance for a save. "In the first half, we didn't quite pressure enough to get a good chance in the last 20 or 30 yards," Schregel said. "In the second half, we played really well, and we pressured that goal in. I saw the ball and just got it in somehow."


 
Keeping steady pressure on WWU's back line, MSUB came close to scoring on several more occasions as the second half progressed. Hauenstein wound up with five shots including three on target, to lead all players in the match.
 
The 'Jackets handled four corner kicks by WWU in the second well, as none yielded a clear scoring opportunity.
 
A foul drawn as time was running out set up the goal that sealed the match, as Kremer stood over the ball on the edge of the box on the right side of the field. On the cue of the referee's whistle, the team captain unleashed a perfect right-footed shot over the wall, across the entire goal mouth, and into the upper-left corner to spur a wild celebration as MSUB clinched its third straight win. "I just practice regularly and think about kicking the ball hard right over the wall," Kremer said. "That works and it's good, but the most important thing is that the team is winning and I'm happy about that."


 
Visten finished the match with seven saves, and Drew Farnsworth led the team with four shots including one on target.
 
THE BUZZ: Kremer was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…he has now scored in five consecutive games and leads the team with nine goals…MSUB is now 10-18-1 all-time against WWU and is 5-5-1 in home matches…the shutout was the 10th of Lohmann's career, tying him for third-most in school history...Schregel now has eight career goals and four game-winners…he also had the game-winning goal in MSUB's 2-1 win over Seattle Pacific a week ago in Seattle…MSUB avenged a 2-0 loss at Western Washington on Oct. 12 in Bellingham, Wash.
 
NEXT UP: MSUB plays its final GNAC match next Thursday at Saint Martin's University, and has its Senior Day next Saturday at home against South Dakota School of Mines. Kickoff against the Saints is at 3 p.m. Mountain time in Lacey, Wash., and kickoff against the Hardrockers is set for 2 p.m. Live video and live statistics will be available for both matches online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.