BILLINGS, Mont. – Continuing Great Northwest Athletic Conference action this weekend, the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team faces a pair of opponents on the road in Oregon.
 
The Yellowjackets (3-2-1, 0-1 GNAC) will play at Western Oregon University on Thursday afternoon, with a 3 p.m. Pacific/4 p.m. Mountain time kickoff scheduled in Monmouth, Oregon. MSUB will then face its toughest opponent of the year so far, with a 1 p.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Mountain time match against No. 10 Concordia University in Portland. Both games will feature live video and live statistics, available online through the MSUB Stretch Internet portal here.
 
"We know the game against Western Oregon is going to be a close game, as we drew both times with them last year," said MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo. "We need to be ready to dig deep, go the distance against them, and hopefully by the end of the day we will have done a good job and taken our chances. The game against Concordia is a chance for our players to put themselves up against one of the elite teams in the country. These are the matches that need to bring the best out in you as a player, and I am excited to see how our team responds to the challenges Concordia poses. These two matches will be tough, as every GNAC road match is, but these two offer us a big chance to make gains as a team and our players will be ready to take advantage of these opportunities."
 
MSUB split a pair of matches last week, rallying to beat the University of Providence 4-3 in its final non-conference affair before a tough 4-0 loss to Central Washington University at home on Saturday.
 
"I am excited to see how the team responds to a tough opening match of GNAC play," Cavallo said regarding Saturday's defeat. "Traveling to Oregon this week will provide two really tough matchups that will test our overall resolve and grit. We do feel we have been able to make some improvements this week in practice, and we should be better prepared starting with our match on Thursday."

PLAY WITH PRIDE: Taking part in the United Soccer Coaches Play With Pride Week, Yellowjacket players will wear rainbow laces to display support for LGBT athletes, coaches, administrators, referees, and fans across the nation. The initiative will take place throughout the week of Sept. 17-23, as hundreds of men's and women's teams across the country will participate.
 
MAINTAINING THE MARGIN: Despite falling 4-0 at the hands of CWU last week, MSUB maintained its positive goal differential on the season with 11 scored against 10 conceded. Entering the weekend, MSUB ranks fourth in the conference in total goals and with an average of 1.83 per game. The 'Jackets are 1 of 5 GNAC teams with multiple shutouts on the season as well, and they hold a team goals-against-average of 1.61 to rank fifth in the league.

FEATURED FRESHMEN: Freshman forward Cassidy O'Dell has continued her consistent play up top, and has logged three assists and a goal in her last three matches. Playing 84 minutes against Providence and 82 against Central last week, O'Dell posted her two longest outings of the season. She has also had at least one shot on goal in each of her last five games, and on the year she leads the team with 20 shots.
 
Close behind is fellow freshman forward Julia Keller, who has placed a team-high 10 shots on target in 19 total attempts. Keller is 1 of 3 Yellowjackets with multiple goals this year, as she has scored twice while starting all six matches at the striker position.
 
In the midfield, freshman Haylee Gunter has emerged into a key player having started each of the last three matches. Overall Gunter has seen time in all six games and is averaging 51.3 minutes per contest.
 
BIG WORKLOAD FOR CENTER BACKS: Junior center backs Kalin Sandow and Amanda Hemmen have led the squad in minutes played this year, with 522 and 517, respectively. The duo are the only two Yellowjacket field players who are averaging more than 80 minutes per game, providing solidarity to the back line all season long.
 
LOOKING FOR STRONGER STARTS, FINISHES: The 'Jackets will look to emphasize starting and finishing halves with stronger play, as seven of the 10 goals they have conceded this season have been allowed in either the first 10 or final 10 minutes of a half. In the last two games, MSUB has found itself trailing within six minutes both times. While the 'Jackets played a strong opening half against CWU and appeared on their way to just a 1-0 deficit at the halftime break, the Wildcats pounced for two goals in the final five minutes of play to make the task of coming back virtually impossible.

Western Oregon University Wolves
Thursday, Sept. 20 – 3 PM Pacific – Monmouth, Oregon
2018 Record: 2-3-1, 0-1 GNAC
Head Coach: Steve Ancheta, 8th season
2017 Record: 3-11-2, 2-8-2 GNAC (T-6th place)
 
Coming off a 4-1 loss to Simon Fraser University in its first conference game last week, Western Oregon will be in search of its first home win of the season on Thursday.
 
The Wolves have been out-scored 10-7 in the early going this fall, and their lineup has featured five different goal scorers. Alexie Morris and Sydney Thomas lead the team with a pair of goals scored each, while Alyssa Tomasini has provided a team-best two assists in addition to a goal.
 
The junior combo of Kaitlin Poe and Jacky Beristain have started all six games defensively for WOU, with Poe being a third-year veteran of the program and Beristain transferring from South Carolina State. In goal, the Wolves have relied on Alex Qualls to play every minute of the season, and she has notched 28 saves while holding a goals-against average of 1.58.
 
The Series: MSUB holds a narrow edge in the all-time series, with a record of 10-8-4 in the 22 meetings between the teams. The Yellowjackets are 3-5-2 in games played in Monmouth, and are unbeaten in the last six games dating back to the 2014 season.
 
Last Time Out: Each team scored once in 2017, with a 1-1 double-overtime draw in Monmouth last September and a scoreless 0-0 affair in Billings last October. Hemmen had her first-career goal in the last game she played at the WOU Soccer Field.
 

Date	Location	H/A/N	Result	Score
9-11-00	Billings, MT	H	L	2-0
9-13-07	Billings, MT	H	W	3-0
10-21-07	Monmouth, OR	A	L (OT)	3-2
10-4-08	Billings, MT	H	W	2-1
10-23-08	Monmouth, OR	A	L	3-0
9-24-09	Monmouth, OR	A	W (2 OT)	2-1
10-31-09	Billings, MT	H	W	3-0
9-30-10	Billings, MT	H	W	2-0
10-23-10	Monmouth, OR	A	W	2-0
9-17-11	Monmouth, OR	A	T (2 OT)	1-1
10-13-11	Billings, MT	H	T (2 OT)	1-1
10-6-12	Billings, MT	H	L	1-0
10-25-12	Monmouth, OR	A	L	2-1
10-5-13	Monmouth, OR	A	L	2-0
10-31-13	Billings, MT	H	L	3-2
9-18-14	Monmouth, OR	A	L	2-0
10-25-14	Billings, MT	H	W	1-0
9-24-15	Billings, MT	H	W	2-1
10-24-15	Monmouth, OR	A	W	1-0
9-22-16	Billings, MT	H	W	3-1
9-23-17	Monmouth, OR	A	T (2 OT)	1-1
10-12-17	Billings, MT	H	T (2 OT)	0-0

No. 10 Concordia University Cavaliers
Saturday, Sept. 22 – 1 PM Pacific – Portland, Oregon
2018 Record: 4-0-1, 1-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Grant Landy, 22nd season
2017 Record: 16-4-1, 11-0-1 GNAC (1st place, NCAA D2 West Region second round)
 
Only one GNAC team has beaten perennial power Western Washington University since the 2013 season, with the Cavaliers achieving the feat not once but twice after their dramatic 1-0 win over the Vikings on Saturday. CU is coming off an undefeated GNAC campaign in 2017, when they claimed their first-ever league title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA West Region Championships.
 
The 2018 season has gotten off to a stellar start under 22nd-year head coach Grant Landy, as CU is undefeated and has won three in-a-row since a 1-1 double-overtime draw against Sonoma State on Sept. 1.
 
The Cavaliers' win over WWU on Saturday earned them the GNAC Team of the Week award, and defender McKenna Stocker was picked as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week. CU's stingy defense has surrendered just three goals in its five games, with Karlie Hurley and Megan Myers joining Stocker in starting all matches defensively.
 
Reigning GNAC Player of the Year Gabrielle Ewing has found the net once for CU's balanced offense, which has featured 10 different players with a goal or an assist. Sydney VanSteenberge leads the way with three goals and one assist, while Brenda Uribe has scored twice in just 113 minutes and Quinn Williams has a team-leading four assists.
 
Hailey Asato has emerged as one of the top goalkeepers in the league, as she has three shutouts and 22 saves to go along with a 0.57 goals-against average while playing all 470 minutes this fall.
 
The Series: The Yellowjackets are in search of their first win against the Cavaliers, as they hold an all-time mark of 0-3-2. CU is 2-0 against MSUB in matches played at Tuominen Yard.
 
Last Time Out: The Cavaliers out-scored the 'Jackets 5-0 in a pair of games last fall, winning 2-0 in Portland last September and claiming a 3-0 win in Billings last October.
 

Date	Location	H/A/N	Result	Score
9-26-15	Billings, MT	H	T (2 OT)	0-0
10-22-15	Portland, OR	A	L (2 OT)	1-0
9-24-16	Billings, MT	H	T (2 OT)	0-0
9-21-17	Portland, OR	A	L	2-0
10-14-17	Billings, MT	H	L	3-0