BILLINGS, Mont. – After splitting a pair of road affairs last week, the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team is back on the west coast for two additional Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests. The 'Jackets have the opportunity to break free of an even 4-4-1 (1-1-0) record and begin the second half of the season schedule in the upper echelon of the GNAC standings.
 
The pursuit kicks off Thursday, October 10 at 3:30 p.m. local time at Saint Martin's University (5-2-2, 0-1-1 GNAC). Then a trip to Seattle Pacific University (1-5-1, 0-2-0 GNAC) commences Saturday, October 12 at 7 p.m. under the lights. Both games will be available to stream online free via the watch link on the MSUB men's soccer schedule page.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Yellowjackets picked up their first GNAC road win Thursday by shutting out Northwest Nazarene 1-0. Theo Lamare scored the game winner after receiving a pass from Yaniss Aka and goalkeeper Jessy Martin made eight saves for his second clean sheet. Saturday, MSUB lost 4-1 to Concordia in Portland playing on short rest. Shantik Bedrosian was the only goal scorer on a penalty kick. MSUB outshot the Cavaliers 16-15 with six shots landing on frame.
 
Lamare and Andres Perez lead the team with seven points in nine games this fall. Lamare has the most goals with three, though Perez, Bedrosian, and Ignacio Crespo all have two. Defenders Samuele Folla and Luca Battistotti continue to hold the back row for MSUB. Each have eight starts. Battistotti has a player high 770 minutes played while Folla ranks fourth with 623.
 
Jessy Martin holds a 1.41 goals against average and a .780 save percentage. Both rank second best in the GNAC. His 46 total saves are more than any other goalkeeper in the conference.
 
Scouting Saint Martin's University
Thursday, October 10 – 3:30 p.m. – Saints Field – Lacey, Washington
2019 Record: 5-2-2, 0-1-1 GNAC, 3-1-1 home, 2-1-1 away, 0-0-0 neutral
2018 record: 9-9-0, 7-5-0 GNAC, 4-3-0 home, 5-4-0 away, 0-2-0 neutral
Head Coach: Rob Walker (13^th season)
 
Saint Martin's and MSU Billings lead the GNAC in shot attempts with 122 and 119 respectively; leaving a high possibility both goalkeepers will be busy Thursday afternoon. Last week, the Saints fell 5-1 to No. 24 Simon Fraser, but bounced back to tie Western Washington on the road 1-1. Last season, SMU took both games of the season series with MSUB by scores of 3-2 (Billings, Montana) and 4-2 (Lacey, Washington).
 
Senior Brandon Madsen has been responsible for most of SMU's offensive output this season. He leads the GNAC with 10 goals and 22 points and ranks second in NCAA Division II in goals, just four short of Lorne Bickley (Wilmington, Delaware). Madsen scored 13 goals last season and finished with 30 points. He earned GNAC first team all-conference honors and was a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Region selection.
 
Goalkeeper Dylan Shaw (JR., Meridian, Idaho) has eight starts, a 1.55 goals against average and a 4-2-2 record. Shaw also has 21 saves to his credit and a .636 save percentage.
 
MSUB has lost three straight games to the Saints and last won at home in September, 2017.
 
Scouting Seattle Pacific University
Saturday, October 12 – 7 p.m. – Interbay Stadium – Seattle, Washington
2019 Record: 1-5-1, 0-2-0 GNAC, 1-3-1 home, 0-2-0, 0-0-0 neutral
2018 record: 8-11-0, 4-8-0 GNAC, 5-4-0 home, 3-7-0 away, 0-0-0 neutral
Head Coach: Mark Collins (12^th season)
 
Seattle Pacific rides a three-game losing skid heading into a pair of games this week. The Falcons lost to No. 24 Simon Fraser 4-2 on Saturday in Seattle marking the third time they have allowed three or more goals to an opponent. SPU played a California heavy non-conference schedule including Sonoma State (T, 1-1), Point Loma Nazarene (W, 4-3 2OT), and Azusa Pacific (L, 2-0).
 
Amongst GNAC competition, SPU ranks fifth in shots (91), seventh in goals (eight), seventh in goals allowed (17), and fifth in corners earned (31). Titus Grant leads the GNAC with 3.86 shots per game and has three goals in seven outings.
 
Last season the Yellowjackets fell 3-2 in Billings after the Falcons scored with 44 seconds left in the game. The team evened the season series in Seattle with a 3-2 win. Pascal Pisarek notched two goals and Samuele Folla also scored for MSUB.
 
Seattle Pacific returned six letter winners and lost five. They finished sixth in the GNAC standings and have two players returning who earned all-GNAC recognition a year ago.