BILLINGS, Mont. – The final two home matches for the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team are this weekend at Yellowjacket Field, including a special Senior Day ceremony prior to Saturday's home finale.
 
MSUB (3-7-2, 1-4-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) hosts the conference co-leaders in Western Washington University (7-7, 5-2) and Simon Fraser University (8-5, 5-2). The match against the Vikings is at 2 p.m. on Thursday with live video available online here and live statistics available online here. Saturday's match against SFU kicks off at 2 p.m., with live video available online here and live statistics available online here. "Western and SFU are two good teams coming in this week," said MSUB head coach Thomas Chameraud. "I was happy to see last Saturday that the guys didn't give up, and found a way to score a goal."
 
The Yellowjackets enter the week in fifth place in the league standings with four points, and still have a chance to finish the year with a .500 overall record if they finish the year with four consecutive victories. "It has been an amazing five years, and to be thinking about my last two home games is kind of tough," said senior Luca Battistotti, who is the longest tenured member of the Yellowjackets. "I will always be grateful to this program, and I am just trying to enjoy these last four games here at MSUB."
 
After a two-week break, MSUB posted a strong result in its last outing last Saturday with a 1-1, double-overtime draw against No. 14 Seattle Pacific University. The result took the Falcons off the top of the table, and helped the 'Jackets kick off the second half of conference play on a positive note. "I think the guys are ready," said Chameraud. "Tying SPU is a good result, so we can build off of that and get three points against Western and SFU."
 
After the home games this weekend, MSUB closes the year on the road at Northwest Nazarene University on Nov. 11 and at Saint Martin's University on Nov. 13.
 
BATTISTOTTI A PILLAR FOR FIVE YEARS: Since the fall of 2017, MSUB's back line has contained the name Battistotti in 69 of 71 games played. The fifth-year senior captain enters this week tied for sixth in program history in career games played, while starting all but one along the way. Playing as a center back his entire career, Battistotti has also contributed two goals and seven assists for 11 points on the offensive side of the ball. He has played 5,978 total minutes, for an average of 86.6 minutes per match in his tenure.
 
"Luca has been a great player for us since his first year," Chameraud commented on the senior captain. "He has matured a lot, and he is a very good leader for our players. He is someone who works hard at every practice, gets respect from his teammates, and finds ways to rally everyone before games.
 
MSUB Men's Soccer Career Games Played Leaders (as of Nov. 3, 2021)

Rank	Player	Games	Career
1	Greg McKeever	72	2004-07
	Chris Andre	72	2007-10
3	Brian Huskey	71	2005-08
4	Sam Charles	70	2006-09
	Cameron Lee	70	2012-15
6	Jess Spann	69	2002-05
	Joshua Hernandez	69	2004-07
	Kyle Emerick	69	2011-14
	Luca Battistotti	69	2017-21
10	Dave Austin	68	1997-01

 
"I have definitely changed a lot," Battistotti said on reflecting back to the fall of 2017. "I had to adapt and change in order to earn the respect of my teammates. I hope I have left at least something inside all of my teammates, because the relationships that you build through all these years are what really matter."
 
Battistotti has earned all-GNAC honors three times including second-team in 2019, is a four-time academic all-conference selection, and was named the MSUB Men's Soccer Player of the Year at The Buzzies in the spring of 2020. "It is definitely an amazing experience that I would recommend to everyone," Battistotti said on being an international student. "When I came here I was young and by myself, without my family, and I found another family here. That is the best part about this program, because you really feel like you're in a family environment."
 
CUEVAS WRAPPING UP 3-YEAR CAREER: Fifth-year senior Paul Cuevas will play his final two home matches this week, after transferring to MSUB in the fall of 2019. Since then, Cuevas has played in 29 matches with 21 starts, and has contributed offensively with three goals and a pair of assists for eight points.
 
GARZA'S 4 YEARS IN GOAL: Aleksandar Garza is another senior who has contributed four years to the Yellowjacket program as a goalkeeper. After redshirting as a freshman, Garza saw the field last spring and is also a two-time academic all-conference selection.
 
LOWES CLOSES CAREER AS KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Senior Brad Lowes also has four matches left in his collegiate career, after transferring into the program last spring and making an immediate impact. He has started all 14 of MSUB's games over the last two years, turning in an average of 76.6 minutes per game in the midfield.
 
GNAC ASSIST LEADER PUTU TO EXIT: Marvin Putu has battled injuries since debuting with the 'Jackets in the fall of 2018, and has seen time in 26 matches with 18 starts in his four-year career. Putu has been a key contributor offensively this fall, as he enters the week tied for the most assists in the GNAC with five. Putu earned academic all-conference for the first time this fall as well.
 
TESCH RELIABLE IN 4 SEASONS WITH 'JACKETS: Fourth-year senior Brady Tesch has earned playing time and starts in each of his four seasons in the program dating back to the fall of 2018. He scored his lone collegiate goal as a freshman, and has totaled five assists while playing primarily as an outside back on the defensive unit. Tesch is a three-time academic all-conference pick as well.
 

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Western Washington University Vikings
Thursday, November 4 – 2 PM – Yellowjacket Field – Billings, Montana
2021 Record: 7-7, 5-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Greg Brisbon, 9th season
2019 Record: 13-5-1, 10-1-1 GNAC (1st place, NCAA West Region Championship qualifier)
First Meeting: WWU 3, MSUB 1 (Oct. 16 at Bellingham)
 
The Vikings have won three straight matches to leap into a tie for first place in the GNAC standings with Simon Fraser. SFU returned to conference play with a 3-1 win against Saint Martin's and a 1-0 triumph over Northwest Nazarene at home last week. After Thursday's game in Billings, the Vikings face Seattle Pacific on the road on Saturday night.
 
Drew Farnsworth leads the team and is tied for third in the GNAC with six goals scored this fall, while adding three assists for a team-best 15 points. Gilbert De La Luz is close behind with five goals, and 10 total Vikings have combined to score the team's 23 goals which ranks them second in the league.
 
Theo Steinmetz, Mitchell Hutter, and Dakota Stamnes join Farnsworth as the four Vikings to have started all 14 matches under ninth-year head coach Greg Brisbon. It has been goalkeeper-by-committee for WWU, with Brandon Wolter starting six matches but Brandon Locke starting last week's games and five total this fall. Locke holds a 0.79 goals-against average with 20 saves and a pair of shutouts.
 
The Series: MSUB is 11-21-2 all-time against WWU and is 5-6-2 in matches played in Billings. WWU has won three games in-a-row in the series between the teams.
 
Last Time Out: Three different Vikings found the net as WWU posted a convincing 3-1 result in the first meeting of the year three weeks ago in Bellingham, Wash. Valdemar Fogt scored his first collegiate goal for MSUB in the defeat.
 

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Simon Fraser University
Saturday, November 6 – 2 PM – Yellowjacket Field – Billings, Montana
2021 Record: 8-5, 5-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Clint Schneider, 7th season
2019 Record: 11-4-1, 8-3-1 GNAC (2nd place)
First Meeting: SFU 1, MSUB 0 (Oct. 14 at Burnaby)
 
Like WWU, SFU has embarked on a winning streak elevating it to the top of the conference table. Winners of four straight entering the week, SFU starts at Seattle Pacific on Thursday night before traveling to Billings on Saturday. It will mark the team's penultimate match of the year, as the Nov. 13 clash against WWU at home has the potential to decide the 2021 GNAC regular-season champion.
 
SFU has done just enough offensively to maintain the top record in the league, scoring 12 goals in 13 games while giving up a league-low 12 goals on the defensive end. Brody Thomas is the team's leader with three scores and Conrad Cheng has found the net twice.
 
Defensively, Ali Zohar and Simone Masi are the lone players on the team to have started all 13 games for head coach Clint Schneider. Aidan Bain has played every minute in goal for SFU, with the veteran holding a 0.91 goals-against average with 48 saves and seven shutouts.
 
The Series: SFU holds a commanding 22-1-4 all-time mark against MSUB and is 7-1-2 in matches played in Billings. MSUB's lone win in the series came at home on Oct. 26, 2017, but SFU won the most recent game on Yellowjacket Field.
 
Last Time Out: Justus Meier scored in the fourth minute and SFU shut out the Yellowjackets to claim a narrow 1-0 triumph when the teams met in Burnaby, B.C. on Oct. 14.