BURNABY, B.C. – Haylee Gunter tied the game in the 83^rd minute, but a penalty kick goal by Guiliana Zaurrini with 23 seconds left lifted Simon Fraser University over Montana State University Billings 2-1 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference soccer game Thursday night at Terry Fox Field. Earlier in the evening, the Yellowjackets (5-9-2, 4-7-0 GNAC) were eliminated from postseason contention after Central Washington won and locked up the final spot.

"It was tough to lose the game on a penalty kick awith 30-seconds to go," said MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo. "We fought back into the game but unfortunately, we didn't take the chances to clear the ball at the bery end and that is what ended up costing us."
 
SFU's Jenieva Musico made a long run up the right side of the field and slid a slow shot under charging goalkeeper Erinn Harder to give the Clan a 1-0 in the 14^th minute. The 'Jackets struggled to find the offensive half before the break, but began generating chances on goal in the second half, culminating in Gunter's tally in the 83^rd minute off a pass from Erin Reynolds.
 
With traffic near the top of the box, the Yellowjackets committed the foul that resulted in Zuarrini's game winner. On the penalty, Zuarinni hooked a left footed kick to her left and found the inside of the post with Harder diving in the opposite direction.
 
The Yellowjackets narrowly outshot the Clan 7-6 with six shots on goal compared to four. Nicole Anderson made five saves to collect the win in goal for Simon Fraser. Harder suffered the loss and made two saves for MSUB. Erin Reynolds passed the ball to Gunter who took the kick from 18 yards outside the top of the box.

"It's a tough loss to take but the team battled so hard and gave it their all," Cavallo said. "I am proud of this team. We must pick ourselves up and finish the season with a strong performance on Saturday."
 
MSU Billings found success on set-piece defense and did not surrender a corner kick in 90-minutes against SFU. On the offensive end, the 'Jackets were stymied on six corner attempts. The 'Jackets committed six fouls compared to 14 assessed to the Clan.
 
Courteney Shovlin, Amanda Hemmen, and Alexa Iacolucci played the full 90-minutes for MSU Billings.
 
With the loss, the Yellowjackets stayed in fifth place with 12 points. With one game remaining in the regular season and a point differential of seven against Central Washington, MSUB will miss the GNAC tournament for the fourth straight season. Simon Fraser (2-12-1, 2-9-0) improved to a tie for last place with Saint Martin's University in the GNAC standings.
 
THE BUZZ: Senior Erin Reynolds was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for MSUB. Reynolds assisted on Gunter's goal  and played 57 minutes.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Jackets finish the two-game road trip with a visit to Lacey, Washington and the campus of Saint Martin's University Saturday, November 9 at 1 p.m. Livestream and statistical links for the game can be found on MSUB's women's soccer schedule page.