BILLINGS, Mont. – A season filled with streaks in both directions ended on a positive note for the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team, as the Yellowjackets won four of their final five matches to finish the 2017 campaign.
 
MSUB salvaged an overall record of 9-10, and defeated the top-three teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference down the stretch to wind up tied for third at 6-6 in league play. The Yellowjackets opened the year with four straight losses, but recovered to 4-4 with four consecutive wins. Losing five of its next six games proved to be detrimental to MSUB's playoff hopes, and the strong end to the season wasn't enough to lift the team into the postseason picture.
 
"This wasn't the year we set out to have after the 2016 season, as our hope was to build on that year," commented MSUB head coach Alex Balog, who was tabbed the 2017 GNAC co-Coach of the Year. "Injuries and a lack of depth impacted our season greatly. Our goal moving forward is to make sure that by August of 2018 we are ready to compete at the top of the NCAA D2 level."
 
MSUB's 36 goals scored on the year were the sixth most in school history, and the team's 29 total assists and 101 total points were the fifth most. The 'Jackets had their first-ever win over perennial power Simon Fraser University, defeating the then-No. 9 Clan 2-1 at home on Oct. 26. It was the second of two wins over ranked opponents for MSUB, which also beat No. 12 Upper Iowa University 2-1 in double overtime on Sept. 16. It had been nearly five years since the 'Jackets had last won an overtime match, as the team snapped a 22-game winless streak in overtime games with the victory.
 
The 'Jackets received five GNAC Player of the Week awards during the year, had seven players named to the all-conference team, and eight players selected to the academic all-GNAC squad.
 
Leading the team as a junior captain was midfielder Guillaume Kremer, who was a first-team all-conference pick and a D2CCA second-team all-region selection as well. The Metz, France, native led the team and ranked fourth in the GNAC with nine goals and 23 total points, with a team-high five assists as well. Seven of his goals came on free-kick tries, and two of them counted as game-winners. Kremer ended the year tied for eighth in MSUB history with 11 career assists.

2017 GNAC Goals Leaders

Rank	Name	Goals	School
1	Brandon Madsen	16	Saint Martin's
2	Anthony Dean	11	Western Washington
3	Matteo Polisi	10	Simon Fraser
4	Guillaume Kremer	9	MSU Billings
5	Gabe Kellum	7	Seattle Pacific

 
"We had to move Guillaume around a lot, but the fact that he executes on what we ask him to do without questioning our decisions and by doing it with quality is why he is a true leader by example," said Balog. "The statistics he put together this season are a testament to his daily work rate. We can rely on him on and off the field. I am looking forward to how he's going to develop this offseason, to come back even stronger and better for his senior year."
 
Supplementing the team's offense with six goals in his second year in the program, sophomore JD Hauenstein was a second-team all-conference forward for the 'Jackets. Hauenstein's 14 points were second on the team, and like Kremer he had a pair of game-winning goals. Through two seasons, Hauenstein already has 10 career goals for the 'Jackets, after a four-score output during his freshman year in 2016.
 
"Like Guillaume, JD built off a very good first year at MSUB," Balog said. "The fact that he improved from four to six goals shows that he's becoming more lucid in front of goal. He is somebody who comes to training every day trying to get better. I am confident that JD will be one of the top forwards in the GNAC for the next two years."
 
Another sophomore the 'Jackets counted on for nearly every minute of the season was first-team all-conference center back Oliver Posarelli. Starting 18 matches as team captain, Posarelli commanded the back line in the center of the field and ranked second on the team with 1,588 minutes played.
 
"Oliver anchored our defense, and his footballing abilities are second-to-none in our conference," said Balog. "I am looking forward to him developing into even more of a leader, who can rally the team around him when we really need it. The fact that he is a first-team all-league selection shows he does what defenders do best: Defends."
 
Next to Posarelli was another of the brightest young stars for the 'Jackets, as freshman Realf Zhivanaj made 15 starts at center back and contributed on both sides of the ball. Displaying maturity as a physical defender despite it being his first collegiate season, Zhivanaj also proved to be a threat on the offensive end with four goals and an assist.
 
Splitting time between the back line and winger positions was another freshman in Luca Battistotti. The Italian native started 18 matches and scored the dramatic game-winner in the overtime victory over Upper Iowa. Battistotti also had three assists, while playing 1,473 total minutes. 

"For Realf and Luca as two true freshmen to be consistent starters shows what kind of quality they have," Balog said. "These two players are going to be very important for the future of our program, and we will build the team around them. To see two defenders who can contribute offensively the way they have, only shows that these two guys are going to be an offensive force to be reckoned with in our conference."
 
Behind the back line, senior goalkeeper Tom Lohmann concluded a stellar career and broke the MSUB saves record while finishing with 204 in his four seasons. Lohmann was a second-team all-conference shot stopper, with 59 total saves to rank fourth in the conference. His record-breaking stop came against Simon Fraser on Oct. 26, and his shutout against Western Washington moved him into a tie for third-most in school history with 10. Lohmann was twice picked as the GNAC Player of the Week, giving him four weekly awards in his career.
 
MSUB Career Saves Leaders

Rk.	Name	Saves	Seasons
1.	Tom Lohmann	204	2014-2017
2.	Matt Mitchell	196	2007-10
3.	Eoin Hurley	177	2011-13
4.	Jess Feldtman	174	2003-05

 
"Throughout his career at MSUB, Tom has been an extension of the coaching staff on the field," said Balog. "He has been rewarded with being part of the MSUB record books, and I think his saves record will be very difficult to break. In my eyes, Tom is the best goalkeeper in the GNAC."
 
Finishing his career on a high note was senior Niklas Schregel, who saved his best season as a Yellowjacket for last. The German was third on the team with 10 points, scoring four goals and adding a pair of assists while playing in all 19 games. Schregel was instrumental down the stretch, scoring the game-winning goals both against Seattle Pacific University on the road and at home against Western Washington University. Schregel wrapped up his four-year career as a starter with 66 games played, nine goals, and 21 total points.
 
"It's been a pleasure to see Niklas progress as a young man and player throughout his four years," Balog said. "The growth he has undergone has gone hand-in-hand with the growth our program has seen. Niklas is

another player who came up big when he had to in his senior year. To see him recognized by the conference for the second straight year is very rewarding."
 
Schregel wasn't the only senior to contribute heavily, as MSUB's other four senior field players each scored their first career goal and combined for eight goals and nine assists. In his second year with the squad, Victor Sanchez had a breakout campaign with three goals and four assists in 18 matches. One of the team's biggest moments of the year, Sanchez scored the game-winner to give MSUB its first-ever triumph over Simon Fraser. 

Fellow senior Eli Williams, who spent his first three seasons in the program primarily as an outside back, pressed forward to score three goals as a winger this fall. Williams played in 49 games and made 24 starts in his four years with the 'Jackets.
 
"Vic and Eli contributed greatly to some of the wins we had this season, and compared to the 2016 season they took enormous strides," Balog commented. "I'm happy for them that they were able to play their senior season out while being important contributors."
 
Defensively, senior outside backs Aidan Raj and Alexis Chavez were equally valuable. Each scored one goal, while Chavez started 15 matches and Raj started seven and played in 13. "Alexis and Aidan are two players that I would have loved to have had for more than just two years," Balog commented on a duo that has played together since their freshman year at Raymond S. Kellis High School. "They embody the core values of MSUB men's soccer. I am very happy that they were able to see their minutes dramatically rise compared to last year, and I'm proud of how they have progressed as men off the field as well."
 
Among the influx of new talent this season were several players who immediately displayed their potential to play significant roles in the program. Shantik Bedrosian scored in his very first game before an injury dented his freshman campaign. Guillaume Marneau and Ignacio Crespo each scored their first career goal in the final game of the year, and Dana Kowachek had a goal in his first year in the program. In goal, freshman Javier Hernandez excelled when he was called upon to fill in for an injured Lohmann at the outset of the season. The Pittsburg, Calif., native earned GNAC Player of the Week with 13 saves in his first two collegiate appearances.
 

In total, the 'Jackets had 13 different players find the back of the net and 15 different players record at least one goal or one assist. The rounded attack helped the team keep pace with last year's mark of 40 goals, as MSUB tallied 36 scores for an average of 1.89 per game.
 
"We have done a good job of bringing in players who have the ability to play right off the get-go," Balog commented on the underclassmen. "Many of them gained invaluable experience this season, and are now well-acquainted with the level of competition at the top of the NCAA Division II men's soccer. It is my hope that they use that information and experience to come back even better players by the start of next season."
 
Though the 'Jacket attack featured threats up and down the lineup, perhaps the biggest scoring threat in all of the conference was absent this season. Forward Ricardo Palomino sat out with an injury, but will bring his 22 career goals back to Billings for the 2017 season. "Let's not forget that next season we will get one of the best forwards in NCAA Division II soccer back," Balog commented on the 2015 GNAC Newcomer of the Year and all-region striker. "This was a frustrating year for Ricardo having to see his teammates compete from the sideline, but I know that he is highly motivated to have a stellar senior season."
 
GNAC FACTS AND FIGURES: MSUB finished the year tied for second in the league in total goals, and third in the league with 101 points. MSUB was also third in shots (215) and assists (29), while ranking sixth in goals allowed (42) and goals-against average (2.19).
 
MSUB finished the year 6-3 at home, 2-6 in away matches, and 1-1 in neutral site contests.