BILLINGS, Mont. – Patiently tucking home her third goal of the 2018 season in the 76th minute, Montana State University Billings women's soccer freshman Julia Keller lifted her team to a 2-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference win over Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday at Yellowjacket Field.
 
The Yellowjackets overcame a 1-0 deficit, as they conceded the lead 62 minutes into the match but found a way to earn a comeback win. Both of MSUB's goals came within three minutes of one another, as the 'Jackets benefitted from an own-goal by NNU to equalize before Keller's game-winning finish.
 
"It's a pretty good win today, because our motivation was high and you could see that the whole game," said Keller. "I knew we were ready today, and I just felt it. It's awesome to get our first win in GNAC."
 
The Yellowjackets broke out of a three-game losing skid and earned their first conference victory of the season, as they move to 4-4-1 overall and 1-3 in league play. For the Nighthawks Thursday marked the third straight loss, as they are now 5-3-1 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

"The first three matches of GNAC we went through a lot as a team, and today is all about the character of the group," said MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo. "I am so proud of them. After going down 1-0 the way we did, to come back the way we did shows a lot about the fight, grit, and heart that we have."
 
Keller's third goal of the season developed in the 76th minute in the middle of the field with a forward pass from Haylee Gunter to Claire Tevaseu. The junior played an instinctive, one-time left-footed heel flick into the box, setting up Keller on the face of the goal. Using her strength to fight off a pair of defenders, Keller calmly planted a left-footed strike into the lower-left corner of the net.


 
The finish came after the Nighthawks got caught trying to clear the ball out of their box and played it into their own net in the 74th minute.
 
The Yellowjacket defense held tough through the final 15 minutes, with center backs Amanda Hemmen and Kalin Sandow making crucial clearances of the ball from within their own box. Perhaps the biggest defensive play of the day came in the 88th minute, when goalkeeper Erinn Harder denied NNU's Maddy Parton from point-blank range after a corner kick.
 
Junior Courteney Shovlin joined Hemmen and Sandow in playing a full 90 minutes, and was another critical player both defensively on the outside and in pushing the attack forward.
 
"Going into this game we knew we needed to get a win, and we know that NNU is always a tough opponent," Shovlin said. "We always try not to drop our heads, and we knew we could get back in it. We had plenty of time to come back, and in the second half when we came out strong that really lifted our spirits."
 
After a lackluster opening 45 minutes, MSUB came out of the halftime break with newfound momentum and created its first threatening scoring chances of the day. Gunter worked a pass into the box from the right side after a corner kick, and Cassidy O'Dell nearly made it 1-0 as her shot from close range nicked off the crossbar.
 
Despite constant pressure in the attacking third in the start of the period, the 'Jackets found themselves staring a 1-0 deficit in the face after a giveaway in the defensive third led to an easy finish for Parton.
 
The 'Jackets had a big chance to equalize with 20 minutes left, but a header shot by Tevaseu after a pass from O'Dell was nodded high. O'Dell's persistence paid off, as it was her cross into the box four minutes later that got misdirected into NNU's net for the own goal to get MSUB's scoring started.
 
Hemmen had a big stop with 12 minutes to go, reaching out to clear a dangerous cross through the box by Parton. Overall the 'Jackets won despite being out-shot 11-5 in the match, and each team managed to place two attempts on frame. NNU kept the pressure on with five second-half corner kicks, while the 'Jackets had three.
 
THE BUZZ: Shovlin was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 18-7-2 all-time against NNU and is 11-1 in matches played in Billings…the game-winner was the first of Keller's career…the assist was Tevaseu's third of the season.
 
NEXT UP: The 'Jackets remain in Billings to host Saint Martin's University and Seattle Pacific University next week. Thursday's game against the Saints will kick off at 4 p.m. and will be the second game in a doubleheader with the Yellowjacket men's soccer team. On Saturday, kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. as the women open a doubleheader with the men's team. Live video and live statistics will be available for both games online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
 

Date	Location	H/A/N	Result	Score
9-16-97	Nampa, ID	A	L	7-1
9-15-00	Nampa, ID	A	L	3-0
10-6-01	Nampa, ID	A	L (OT)	2-1
9-6-03	Billings, MT	H	W	4-0
10-16-04	Nampa, ID	A	T (2 OT)	1-1
9-29-07	Nampa, ID	A	W	3-1
10-25-07	Billings, MT	H	W	4-0
10-16-08	Billings, MT	H	W	4-0
11-6-08	Nampa, ID	A	W	3-0
9-19-09	Nampa, ID	A	L (OT)	4-3
10-8-09	Billings, MT	H	W	2-1
10-9-10	Nampa, ID	A	W	1-0
11-6-10	Billings, MT	H	W	1-0
10-8-11	Nampa, ID	A	W	6-1
11-5-11	Billings, MT	H	W	4-0
9-22-12	Nampa, ID	A	W	1-0
10-4-12	Billings, MT	H	W	2-1
10-10-13	Nampa, ID	A	T (2 OT)	1-1
11-2-13	Billings, MT	H	W	1-0
10-2-14	Billings, MT	H	W	1-0
11-1-14	Nampa, ID	A	W (OT)	3-2
9-19-15	Billings, MT	H	W	2-0
10-8-15	Nampa, ID	A	L	2-1
9-29-16	Nampa, ID	A	W	2-1
9-16-17	Nampa, ID	A	L	1-0
9-28-17	Billings, MT	H	L	3-1
9-27-18	Billings, MT	H	W	2-1