BILLINGS, Mont. – Off to a perfect start to Great Northwest Athletic Conference play and on a four-game winning streak overall, the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team will look to extend the hot streak this week with a pair of matches at Yellowjacket Field.
 
MSUB (4-4, 2-0 GNAC) opened its conference schedule with a pair of wins at home last week, defeating Northwest Nazarene University 3-2 and topping Concordia University 3-1 at Yellowjacket Field. After starting the year 0-4, the 'Jackets have won four consecutive games and are tied for the top spot in the league standings with six points.
 
"The game against SPU comes at the right time, with us having won four in a row," said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "Having said that, the game will show us where we really stand as a program. We are looking forward to that game, and are excited to play a quality opponent."
 
On Thursday, MSUB will host Seattle Pacific University at 3:30 p.m. in the second match of a doubleheader with the Yellowjacket women's soccer team. Saturday's contest will also be Game 2 in a doubleheader, as the 'Jackets will challenge Saint Martin's University at 3 p.m. Both games will feature live video and live statistics, available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
 
Saturday's match will also mark the annual MSUB Kicks Cancer game, with the Yellowjackets partnering with the American Cancer Society to help raise awareness for the fight against cancer. "This week brings about a great opportunity to bring awareness to cancer," Balog said. "As people know our program has been touched by cancer quite a bit with Trevor (Wildberger) and Sebastien (Easton). This week is not just about GNAC games against SPU and Saint Martin's, but also about that."
 
LOHMANN ON GNAC INSIDER TUESDAY: Senior goalkeeper Tom Lohmann was a featured guest on this week's edition of GNAC Insider, the weekly radio program of the conference office. Tuesday night's program aired live at 8 p.m. Mountain time, and is available for listening online here. Since rejoining the team after an early-season injury, Lohmann has posted a perfect 4-0 record in goal during the Yellowjackets' current win streak. The senior ranks second in the league with 26 saves this year, averaging 4.33 stops per game.
 
With 171 career saves, Lohmann needs four more to move to No. 3 in school history, and seven more to jump to the No. 2 spot. Overall, he is 26 saves away from breaking the school record of 196, held by Matt Mitchell (2007-2010).

MSUB Career Saves Leaders  

Rk.	Name	Saves	Seasons
1.	Matt Mitchell	196	2007-2010
2.	Eoin Hurley	177	2011-13
3.	Jess Feldtman	174	2003-05
4.	Tom Lohmann	171	2014-16

 

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER AWARD: For the third time in four weeks this season, MSUB was recognized by the conference office with a Player of the Week honor. This time, it was freshman center back Realf Zhivanaj who claimed the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week award, after providing a goal and an assist, all while anchoring the defense by playing all 180 minutes in the two wins for the 'Jackets.
 
Starting five games so far this fall, Zhivanaj has been a key factor on both ends of the field with a pair of goals and 510 minutes played defensively.
 
KREMER AMONG THE GNAC's ELITE: Tied for the third-most points in the conference entering the week is junior midfielder Guillaume Kremer, who had another strong showing last week with his first-ever multi-goal performance. Converting a penalty kick and then driving home the game-winner against NNU, Kremer pushed his season line to three goals while also leading the squad with three assists. Kremer has started all eight matches at center mid, and leads the team with 29 shots including 15 on frame.
 
NO VICTORY WITHOUT VICTOR: Putting together a career performance against Concordia last Saturday was senior forward Victor Sanchez. Netting his first career goal in the opening seven minutes of play helped MSUB negate an early 1-0 deficit, and he went on to provide an assist in the 3-1 win.
 
WHERE THERE'S A WILLIAMS THERE'S A WAY: Sanchez wasn't the only senior with a weekend of firsts, as Eli Williams also scored his first collegiate goal and chipped in an assist. The Nine Mile Falls, Wash., native laced home a key goal in the 3-2 win over NNU, before setting up Sanchez with the assist on the first goal against Concordia. After playing much of his career as an outside back, Williams' spur in offensive production has been correlated with his move to the winger position starting last week.
 
OLI AS SOLID AS THEY COME: Sophomore center back Oliver Posarelli continues to be a mainstay on MSUB's defensive unit, and has played six straight complete games for the 'Jackets. He and Italian teammate Luca Battistotti have combined with Zhivanaj and senior Alexis Chavez to make up the most consistent back four MSUB has had all season.
 
HAUENSTEIN A MONSTER ON OFFENSE: Scoring for the third time in his last four games, sophomore JD Hauenstein got on the score sheet last week with a finish against Concordia. He is already one goal away from matching last year's total of four, which led to honorable mention all-conference status as a true freshman. In seven games played this season, Hauenstein's work rate has been tremendous, with an average of 86.7 minutes per match at the forward position.

Seattle Pacific University Falcons
Thursday, September 28, 2017 – 3:30 PM – Yellowjacket Field
2017 Record: 4-2-1, 0-1-1
Head Coach: Mark Collings, 10th season
2016 Record: 6-6-5, 4-4-4 GNAC (5th place)
 
The Falcons snapped a four-game winning streak last weekend with a 1-1 draw against Simon Fraser and a 1-0 loss to Western Washington in its first conference games of the season. SPU has a knack for playing close games, as six of its seven matches so far have been decided by one goal or resulted in a draw.
 
SPU will also play Northwest Nazarene this week, after challenging MSUB on Thursday.
 
Gabriel Weber and Mori Tsuchiya are leading the team offensively with three goals apiece, and Gabe Kellum has a pair of goals and three assists to his name.
 
In goal, Kary Whitney has done the majority of the work, starting five matches and carrying a 1.39 goals-against average.
 
The Series: MSUB is 4-16-5 all-time against SPU, and is 3-3-2 in matches played in Billings. MSUB snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Falcons last year, with a draw on the road and a win at home in 2016.
 
Last Time Out: Niklas Schregel scored the game-winning goal in MSUB's 1-0 victory at home last fall, on an assist from Hauenstein.
 
Saint Martin's University Saints
Saturday, September 30, 2017 – 3 PM – Yellowjacket Field
2017 Record: 0-7, 0-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Rob Walker, 11th season
2016 Record: 3-13-1, 2-9-1 GNAC (6th place)
 
The Saints are still in search of their first win of the 2017 campaign, and lost their first two conference games of the year 3-2 at Western Washington and 5-1 at Simon Fraser last week.
 
SMU will stop in Nampa, Idaho to face Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday, before continuing on to Billings to take on the 'Jackets on Saturday.
 
The Saints have been out-scored 23-9 this season, as defense has been a weak point in the team's lineup. Brandon Madsen leads the team and ranks third in the GNAC with four goals this year, and McKray Kohn has also scored multiple times with two finishes in his first seven matches.
 
In goal, Griffin Small has started all seven games and leads the GNAC with 35 saves.
 
The Series: MSUB is 12-6-2 against SMU all-time, and has gone unbeaten in six of the last seven meetings between the sides. MSUB is 7-2-1 in home games played at Yellowjacket Field.
 
Last Time Out: The teams fought to a double-overtime draw last October in Lacey, Wash., with a 2-2 final score. The Yellowjackets followed with an emphatic ending to their season on Nov. 3, with a landslide 7-1 victory in Billings.