BILLINGS, Mont. – Six players graduating from the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team will be honored on Senior Day Saturday, in a pregame ceremony prior to the Yellowjackets' match against South Dakota School of Mines.
 
Eli Williams, Aidan Raj, Tom Lohmann, Niklas Schregel, Alexis Chavez, and Victor Sanchez will take part in Saturday's Senior Day ceremony with family and friends accompanying them on the field.
 
First, the 'Jackets will play their final Great Northwest Athletic Conference game of the year on Thursday, at Saint Martin's University. Kickoff against the Saints in Lacey, Wash., is set for 3 p.m. Mountain time. On

Saturday at Yellowjacket Field, MSUB will kick off at 2 p.m. Live video and live statistics will be available for both matches online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
 
"We are going to Lacey with confidence, but without underestimating SMU," said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "I don't think their record is a reflection of the quality they have, and their striker duo may be the best in the conference. Having said that, if we want to keep our hopes of a winning season alive, we will need to get a win on Thursday." 

The Yellowjackets (8-9, 6-5 GNAC) are on a roll with three straight wins over the top three teams in the GNAC standings. MSUB enters the week in third place with 18 points, trailing first-place Seattle Pacific (22 points) and second-place Simon Fraser (20 points) with one conference game left to play.
 
Last week, MSUB stunned No. 9 Simon Fraser with a come-from-behind 2-1 triumph at home. It was the first win over the Clan in program history for the 'Jackets, and the team followed with a convincing 2-0 shutout of Western Washington University on Saturday.
 
TEAM FORM: L-L-W-W-W
 
LOHMANN ECLIPSES MSUB SAVES RECORD: With his second save in the game against SFU last week, senior Tom Lohmann broke the MSUB career saves record and finished the week with a total of 200 in his career. Claiming the record along with earning his first shutout of the year earned Lohmann his fourth career GNAC Player of the Week award, and second of the 2017 season.
 
MSUB Career Saves Leaders (as of Nov. 1, 2017)

Rk.	Name	Saves	Seasons
1.	Tom Lohmann	200	2014-2017
2.	Matt Mitchell	196	2007-10
3.	Eoin Hurley	177	2011-13
4.	Jess Feldtman	174	2003-05

   
MSUB Career Shutouts Leaders (as of Nov. 1, 2017)

Rank	Name	Shutouts	Seasons
1.	Eoin Hurley	12	2011-13
2.	Sander Tollefson	11	2006-09
3.	Tom Lohmann	10	2014-17
	Matt Mitchell	10	2007-10
5.	Jess Feldtman	5	2003-05

KREMER MAKES IT 5 STRAIGHT: With a brilliant, 19-yard free-kick goal in the 90th minute of MSUB's win over Western Washington, junior captain Guillaume Kremer became just the third player in MSUB history to record at least one goal in five consecutive games. Not only was it Kremer's fifth straight game with a goal, but all five of them have come on set pieces.
 
 MSUB Men's Soccer Consecutive Games With At Least One Goal

Rank	Name	Goals	Dates
1.	Sam Charles	8	Aug. 23-Sept. 20, 2007
2.	Guillaume Kremer	5	Oct. 14, 2017-Present
	Sam Charles	5	Sept. 14-Oct. 2, 2008
	Dustin Kono	5	Sept. 4-Sept. 11, 2005

   
SCHREGEL SCORING GAME-WINNERS: Saving some of the best moments of his career for the final few matches, senior Niklas Schregel has been a key contributor on the stat sheet in MSUB's most recent games. The German midfielder has scored the game-winning goal in two of MSUB's last three wins, including last week against Western Washington. Schregel is tied for third on the team with three goals this season, the most he has tabulated in a given year since joining the 'Jackets in the fall of 2014.
 
VIC FLICKS HOME GOAL VS. CLAN: The other game-winning goal for MSUB last week came from senior Victor Sanchez, as he touched home a pass from Eli Williams in the 52nd minute to give the 'Jackets the 2-1 edge against the Clan. It was Sanchez's second goal of the year, and it was the second straight game in which he impacted the game-winner as he had the assist on Schregel's key finish in a 2-1 win at Seattle Pacific.
 
THE USUAL BACKS: The quartet of Oliver Posarelli, Realf Zhivanaj, Alexis Chavez, and Luca Battistotti linked up defensively to assist in the shutout over WWU last week. As a unit, MSUB's defense has allowed just two goals in its last three matches. Behind the limited goals for the opposition has been a reduction in opportunities, as none of MSUB's last three foes have managed more than nine shots in a game. The three straight games of single-digit shots allowed marks three of MSUB's four best defensive performances this year, including back-to-back games of allowing just six total shots to tie for the season low.

Saint Martin's University Saints
Thursday, November 2 – 3 PM (MTN) – SMU Soccer Field – Lacey, WA
2017 Record: 1-13-1, 1-8-1 GNAC
Form: L-L-W-L-L
Head Coach: Rob Walker, 11th season
2016 Record: 3-13-1, 2-9-1 GNAC (6th place)
1st Meeting (Sept. 30 at Billings): MSUB 4, SMU 1
 
The Saints dropped a pair of GNAC matches last week, after winning their first game of the year with a 3-2 result over Western Washington on Oct. 19. SMU fell 3-1 at Seattle Pacific last Saturday after a 3-2 defeat at home against Simon Fraser.
 
SMU closes the year at home against Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday after hosting the 'Jackets on Thursday.
 
Despite a difficult season overall, SMU's Brandon Madsen leads the GNAC with 12 goals and 24 total points. Madsen has accounted for more than half of his team's 22 total goals, while starting all 15 matches and playing 1,216 minutes.
 
Kyle Witzel is second on the team with four goals, while Sebastian Navarro is tied for the GNAC lead in assists with eight.
 
In addition to Witzel and Madsen, Mamadou Leigh and Tim Teipel are the other Saints to have started all 15 matches this year.
 
In goal, Griffin Small has started 14 matches, and leads the GNAC with 72 saves and an average of 5.14 per game.
 
The Series: MSUB is 17-6-2 overall and is 5-4-1 in road games against the Saints. The 'Jackets have gone undefeated in seven of the last eight meetings between the teams, a stretch during which they have out-scored SMU 28-5.
 
Last Time Out: JD Hauenstein had the first two goals, and seniors Raj and Williams added one each as the 'Jackets strolled to victory at Yellowjacket Field. Navarro scored on a free kick in the second minute for SMU, but that was all the offense the Saints managed.
 
South Dakota School of Mines Hardrockers
Saturday, November 4 – 2 PM – Yellowjacket Field
2017 Record: 4-11-2, 3-11 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Form: L-L-L-L-W
Head Coach: Andrew Conniff, 1st season
2016 Record: 2-14-1, 2-11-1 RMAC
 
Snapping a nine-game losing streak last week, SDSMT is coming off a 2-1 win over Adams State University in its 2017 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference finale. Saturday's match in Billings will be the final game of the year for the Hardrockers, who have already set a program record with four wins since men's soccer was added in time for the fall 2012 season.
 
Leading the team offensively is Justin Barkow, who has nine goals and a pair of assists for 20 total points. Barkow has played in all 17 matches while starting 14, and also leads the team with 40 shots.
 
Charles Kieffer is second on the squad with four goals, while Noah McKenzie and David Pineda have scored a pair of goals each.
 
Senior and veteran Lars Skau leads the team with 1,441 minutes played as a defender, and is in his fourth year as a major contributor to the Hardrockers' back line.
 
In goal, Kyle Daledovich has started 16 matches and has recorded 74 saves with a 2.05 goals-against average. Daledovich has three shutouts, and has logged 1,451 minutes in between the posts.
 
The Series: MSUB is undefeated against South Dakota Mines, with an all-time record of 6-0-1. The 'Jackets are a perfect 5-0 at home, and have won the last four meetings between the teams.
 
Last Time Out: The teams played once last fall, with the 'Jackets picking up a 3-0 win at home on Sept. 11 at Yellowjacket Field. Hauenstein found the net and Posarelli scored a pair of goals to lead MSUB to the shutout victory.