BILLINGS, Mont. – With three regular season games left on the calendar, Montana State University Billings women's soccer remains in the hunt for the fourth and final playoff position. However, with a 3-6-0 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, they cannot afford another loss the rest of the way.
 
The difficult task of improving their sixth place standing begins Thursday at home against Central Washington University at 3 p.m. A break from the usual two game a week norm, MSUB can focus all of its energy on the Wildcats, bringing confidence to Yellowjacket Field, where they have found much success this fall. Winning will require the 'Jackets to snap a recent four game losing slump, which began October 17 on the road against Western Oregon.
 
"Central is a very strong, very athletic attacking team," commented MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo. "We know that we are going to need to move the ball around them because they are a very capable opponent. I am excited to be back on our home field to finish out the year with this strong group of seniors. I'm hoping that we can put forth a good performance to get a result against Central."
 
The Yellowjackets are two conference wins better than last fall and 4-8-2 overall. Thursday represents the last home game for seven graduating seniors on the team. MSUB has experienced an uptick in offense this season with 14 goals in 14 games. Alexa Iacolucci leads the team with seven points, two goals, and three assists. Iacolucci is tied for ninth in the GNAC with 23 shots (2.43 per game).

2019 GNAC Women's Soccer Standings (as of 10/29/19)

Team	Conf	PTS	Overall	PCT	Home	Away	Neutral	Streak
*Western Washington	9-0-0	27	13-2-0	.867	7-0-0	5-2-0	1-0-0	Won 9
Seattle Pacific	7-2-0	21	9-6-0	.600	4-1-0	5-3-0	0-2-0	Won 1
Western Oregon	5-2-2	17	8-4-3	.633	5-1-1	3-3-2	0-0-0	Won 2
Central Washington	4-3-1	13	6-5-1	.563	2-3-0	3-2-1	1-1-0	Lost 1
Concordia	3-4-1	10	5-8-1	.393	3-3-1	2-5-0	0-0-0	Won 1
Montana State Billings	3-6-0	9	4-8-2	.357	3-3-1	1-5-0	0-0-1	Lost 4
Northwest Nazarene	2-4-2	8	5-7-2	.429	4-3-1	0-3-1	1-1-0	Lost 1
Saint Martin's	1-7-0	3	3-10-2	.267	2-4-0	1-6-1	0-0-1	Lost 1
Simon Fraser	1-7-0	3	1-10-1	.125	1-3-0	0-7-1	0-0-0	Lost 5

 
ON ATTACK: Nine different players have scored at least one goal this fall, including Lexie Bloyder (two), Julia Keller (two), Haylee Gunter (two), Kiley Sandow (two), Amanda Hemmen (one), Summer Miles (one), Lindsey Meyer (one), and Haley German (one). Keller recorded 10 shot attempts with six on goal last week against Saint Martin's University and has scored goals in back-to-back games.
 
"Over the last three season we definitely have added into our attack and brought out more of what we are looking to do in the final third," said Cavallo. "We can still improve some areas, but it was good to see Jules score two goals last week. We've made some changes in the lineup over the past couple of weeks to get different people in position to gain more attacks."
 
STEADY DEFENSE: The 'Jacket defense has been another improvement this season. Anchored by seniors Courteney Shovlin and Amanda Hemmen, the 'Jackets have four shutouts to their credit.
 
"Courtney has really stepped up," Cavallo said of the senior. "Even when she was a freshman, she was already a leader of this team. We've played her at defense for basically her entire career, but given her an opportunity to play up in our last two games. She adds an athleticism and speed and really made some things happen for us as a result last week. Amanda is just that calm presence in the back that we need. She's also very strong in the air, wins battles, and reads the game really well. Amanda has had an incredible career here and I'm hoping that we can get one final home win for her."
 
 
Thursday is the first meeting between the two schools. In 2018, the Wildcats shutout MSUB 4-0 in Billings and 1-0 in Ellensburg. Like many statistical categories this season, the 'Jackets are hoping to turn another result around this week.
 
"We will keep fighting and keep believing, regardless as to whether there is a mathematical chance for us to make it or not. With three matches to go, there is a lot to play for," Cavallo said. "We've improved our record from last year and we want to continue to move in that direction. We know Thursday's game is a must win, but really it's about going out and trying to execute our game plan. I think when we are playing and having fun, that is when we are at our best. If we can play with energy and positivity, we know we have a good chance to win."
 
Scouting Central Washington University
Thursday, October 31 – 3 p.m. – Yellowjacket Field — Billings, MT
2019 Record: 6-6-1, 4-3-1 GNAC, 2-3-0 home, 3-2-1 away, 1-1-0 neutral
2018 Record: 5-8-4, 5-5-2 GNAC, 2-4-3 home, 3-4-1 away, 0-0-0 neutral
Head Coach: Michael Farrand (20^th season)
 
The Wildcats have not won or lost more than two games in a row this season. Most recently, CWU fell 2-1 to Western Washington University at home on Saturday, but slipped past Northwest Nazarene 1-0 on Thursday.
 
Central Washington scores by committee, with 10 players on the board this season, though none have more than eight total points. The Wildcats rank sixth in shots (1150), fifth in goals per game (1.31), fifth in goals against average (1.35), and sixth in shutouts (three).
 
Junior goalkeeper Emily Thomson (Edmonton, Alberta) has nine starts and a 4-1 record. Thomson holds a 1.17 goals against average with 41 saves and a .804 save percentage. The Yellowjackets last defeated CWU on senior day October 31, 2018 in Billings 1-0.