BILLINGS, Mont. – A lengthy home stand continues this week for the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team, which hosts a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents at Yellowjacket Field.
 
MSUB (1-8-1, 0-4-1 GNAC) will host Simon Fraser University on Thursday with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff, before welcoming in Saint Martin's University on Saturday with a 3 p.m. kickoff on the schedule. Both matches will feature live video and live statistics, available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
 
"Simon is going to be a really tough game, and they have improved every year under Coach Hamel," said MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo on the team's next match. "We are coming off a good performance against Western Washington, and we didn't back down against a great opponent. We are really hoping we will gain some confidence from our performance there, and that it shows what we can do when we are all focused and in it together."
 
The Yellowjackets are coming off one of their top battles of the season, falling to No. 1 Western Washington University 1-0 at home last week. MSUB also lost to Northwest Nazarene 3-1 at home last week, and will look for its first conference win of the year this weekend.
 
HARDER KEEPS 'JACKETS IN IT: In her best performance of the year so far, freshman goalkeeper Erinn Harder helped keep the Yellowjackets afloat against the top team in the NCAA last week. She made a season-high 12 saves while facing 29 shots by the Vikings, and prevented a goal until the 78th minute in the narrow defeat. Harder currently ranks sixth in the GNAC with 3.50 saves per game.

IACOLUCCI SCORES AGAIN: Keeping pace among the top goal scorers in the league is sophomore Alexa Iacolucci, who found the net for the fourth time this season against Northwest Nazarene. Her goal total is tied

for seventh in the conference, and she also has one assist for a team-best nine total points. Playing in the midfield, Iacolucci was also a big part of the defensive effort against WWU, turning in 82 quality minutes.
 
TOTAL 90 AGAIN FOR CBs: Each turning in a pair of complete-game efforts last week were sophomore center backs Amanda Hemmen and Kalin Sandow, who never left the pitch in MSUB's two games. Sandow has started all 10 games this season, and leads the squad with an average of 85.8 minutes per game. Last week marked the first time this season Hemmen has played back-to-back full games, further hinting that she has fully recovered from her early-season injury.
 
NOT FOR LACK OF EFFORT: Though the goals haven't come as frequently as the 'Jackets would like this season (nine goals in 10 games), it hasn't been for a lack of chances. Among the nine GNAC teams, MSUB is far and away the most efficient with its targeting with 69.7 percent of its shots landing on frame. The 'Jackets have a total of 76 shots, and 53 of them have been shots on goal.
 
2017 GNAC Women's Soccer Shots On Goal Percentage Leaders (as of Oct. 3, 2017)

	Rank	Team	Games	Shots	SOG	SOG%	Goals
	1.	MSU Billings	10	76	53	.697	9
	2.	Simon Fraser	9	114	66	.579	20
	3.	Northwest Nazarene	10	116	63	.543	18
	4.	Western Oregon	9	70	34	.486	7
	5.	Western Washington	9	223	99	.444	32
	6.	Saint Martin's	9	53	23	.434	4
	7.	Seattle Pacific	9	123	52	.423	17
	8.	Central Washington	9	143	58	.406	12
	9.	Concordia	9	167	67	.401	14

Simon Fraser University Clan
Thursday, Oct. 5 – 1:30 PM – Yellowjacket Field
2017 Record: 5-4, 3-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Annie Hamel, 4th season
2016 Record: 9-7-1, 7-5 GNAC (4th place)
 
Since losing to No. 1 WWU 4-0 on Sept. 21, the Clan have rattled off three straight wins all in decisive fashion. Last week, SFU shut out Saint Martin's 5-0 and ran past Northwest Nazarene 3-0 for a pair of excellent conference results.
 
The Clan will also face Concordia University on the road this week on Saturday, after meeting the Yellowjackets in Billings.
 
Emma Pringle, the reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year, is off to a stellar start to her sophomore season as she ranks No. 2 in the NCAA with 11 goals scored in nine games. The big offensive output from Pringle has contributed largely to SFU ranking second in the GNAC with 20 goals scored, an average of 2.22 per match.
 
Christina Dickson, another returner from SFU's GNAC tournament appearance a season ago, has scored three goals in nine games. Jenna Baxter leads the conference with seven assists, and Katelyn Erhardsen ranks fourth with four.
 
Defensively, junior Allyson Dickson has started all nine matches, while Samantha Donald and Hollis Roeske have done the same as midfielders for the Clan.
 
In goal, Priya Sandhu has started all nine games and has totaled 39 saves in 802 minutes. The senior has a goals-against average of 1.57.
 
The Series: The 'Jackets are 11-4 all-time against the Clan, and have won 10 of the last 11 matches dating back to 2011. MSUB is 5-1 in matches played in Billings.
 
Last Time Out: MSUB had dramatic overtime victories in both games between the teams last year. The 'Jackets claimed a 2-1 win in Burnaby, British Columbia on Oct. 8, 2016, before another 2-1 overtime win on a game-winning goal by then-senior Hayley Warren at Yellowjacket Field on Oct. 27, 2016.

Saint Martin's University Saints
Saturday, Oct. 7 – 3 PM – Yellowjacket Field
2017 Record: 0-8-1
Head Coach: Heather Cato, 1st season
2016 Record: 3-14-1, 2-10 GNAC (9th place)
 
SMU is still in search of its first win of the season, but the squad did pick up its first conference point last week with a 1-1 draw at home against Central Washington University.
 
Under first-year head coach Heather Cato, the Saints have scored just four goals in their nine matches so far, while conceding 34 against their opponents.
 
Lauren Allison is the only Saints player with multiple goals (two), and Shea McKnight and Kiersten Madsen have each scored once.
 
Senior Brittany Orlosky has started all nine matches in the midfield, and freshman defender Tiare Kahalewai has jumped into the action with nine starts in her debut collegiate season.
 
Ali Koehler and Sara Christensen have split time in goal, with the former seeing the majority of the minutes in recent action. Koehler ranks second in the conference with 54 saves, and has faced 151 shots on the year.
 
The Series: The Yellowjackets are 11-6-2 all-time against the Saints, and are 6-3 in home games. MSUB has lost just once in the last nine games between the teams.
 
Last Time Out: SMU edged MSUB in the only meeting between the sides in 2016. Allison scored in the 11th minute on Oct. 20, 2016 in Lacey, Wash., and the 'Jackets were shut out in the 1-0 defeat.