BILLINGS, Mont. – Neither three inches of standing snow nor a 3-1 deficit could stop the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team on Saturday, as the Yellowjackets rallied past the weather and visiting South Dakota School of Mines to send off their six graduating players with a 4-3 win at Yellowjacket Field on Senior Day.
 
Senior Victor Sanchez scored his third and final career goal in the 15th minute to give MSUB a 1-0 lead, but the Hardrockers responded with the next three goals to put the 'Jackets down by a pair just after the halftime break. The first career goals by Ignacio Crespo and Guillaume Marneau evened the score, and a game-winner from freshman Realf Zhivanaj in the 82nd minute helped MSUB overcome the deficit and end the year with a victory.
 
The 'Jackets finished the year with an overall record of 9-10, and went 6-6 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. South Dakota Mines wrapped up its best season in program history, going 4-12-2 overall. Justin Barkow scored his team-leading 10th goal of the year, and Sterling McKenzie and Noah McKenzie each had a score for the Hardrockers.
 
On a brisk, 30-degree afternoon, MSUB struck first on a fine through ball by senior Niklas Schregel that carried over SD Mines' back line and towards the goal box. Sanchez ran onto the pass and finished a high shot over the keeper and under the crossbar with one touch for his third goal of the season.


 
The rest of the first half belonged to the Hardrockers however, starting with a lightning-quick strike by Barkow on a free kick in the 22nd minute. Fresh into the game, David Pineda lofted the ball from midfield into the box, where Barkow controlled it with his chest and drilled home a goal from six yards away.
 
SDSMT took advantage of a breakaway opportunity in the 37th minute, taking the lead on a play that started with a long run by Noah McKenzie down the right side. MSUB goalkeeper Tom Lohmann came charging out, but a pass had already left Noah's foot on its way to Sterling McKenzie who touched a shot from five yards into the open net.
 
Adding to their lead just three minutes into the second half, the 'Rockers once again punished MSUB for playing a high line when Noah McKenzie intercepted a pass near midfield. With Lohmann well out of the box, McKenzie calmly lifted a high, 45-yard shot into the back of the net on a bounce to make the score 3-1.
 
The Yellowjackets persevered however, and pulled off their greatest comeback of the 2017 season.
 
It started with Crespo's first career goal in the 58th minute, as the sophomore was at the near post to finish a cross by senior Alexis Chavez that came from the end line.


 
Marneau had put in effective minutes off the bench throughout the opening half, and was in the right place when a deflection came his way inside the goal box in the 72nd minute. Turning to a side-volley, the freshman rolled home the equalizer with 18 minutes to go as he made the score 3-3.


 
Though he did not score on Saturday, sophomore JD Hauenstein had his way with the SD Mines defense and cut loose a career-high five shots. It took a brilliant save from SDSMT senior defender Lars Skau to prevent Hauenstein's seventh goal of the season, when his spectacular on-target bicycle kick attempt from inside the box was kicked off the goal line at the last second.
 
In a game in which it out-shot its opposition 19-7, MSUB kept the pressure on moving into the final 10 minutes of the game. On the Yellowjackets' eighth corner kick of the match, Zhivanaj blasted into the box and headed home the game-winner in the 81st minute on a cross from Guillaume Kremer.


 
Lohmann made his final career save in the 88th minute, securing a free-kick shot by Skau from 25 yards away and putting his trademark on a program-record 204 career stops.
 
COMMUNITY COMES THROUGH: More than 50 volunteers spent the morning clearing three inches of snow off the turf at Yellowjacket Field, enabling Saturday's match to be played after an overnight blizzard. The game was delayed 1:15 from its original start time of 2 p.m., as action commenced at 3:15 p.m. "The support our program gets within our department and in our community is nothing short of amazing," said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "From soccer fans to student-athletes from other MSUB sports, to family and friends, they all collectively rolled their sleeves up to help us to play our game this afternoon and send our seniors out the right way. I cannot express my gratitude enough to them."
 
 
SENIOR DAY: Six graduating players from MSUB's program were honored in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, as they were joined by family and friends on the field prior to kickoff. Schregel, Lohmann, Sanchez, Chavez, Eli Williams, and Aidan Raj were each honored before all starting their final match as Yellowjackets together. Lohmann's father Matthias surprised his son when he was introduced over the public address system, after traveling more than 5,000 miles from Germany for Saturday's match.


 
THE BUZZ: Lohmann was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 7-0-1 all-time against SDSMT and is 6-0 in games played in Billings…Sanchez finished his career with three goals…Chavez's assist was his second of the season…Kremer finished the year with a team-high nine goals and five assists…Schregel finished his career with nine goals and three assists.