BILLINGS, Mont. – Closing its pre-season schedule with a bang on Sunday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field, the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team shut out visiting Carroll College 2-0 behind a pair of goals from junior Marvin Putu.
 
The French international found the net in the eighth minute, before adding a brace in the 84th minute to ensure the Yellowjackets collected their third straight exhibition win to start the year. MSUB's record remained at 0-0 after the game, while Carroll moved to 0-1. "I'm just happy to be on the field and healthy," said Putu, who missed significant playing time in each of the last three seasons due to injuries. "The team is working really hard, and I feel like we are ready as a team. We have a lot of confidence, and we know what we have to do."
 
The Yellowjackets out-shot the Saints 18-7 in the match, including a mark of 11-3 during a dominant opening 45 minutes of play. "We had the idea today to put them under pressure, and when we lost the ball to get it back right away," MSUB head coach Thomas Chameraud commented on the team's gameplan Sunday. "Everyone on the team as a whole helped bring that pressure, and we didn't give them too many shots."
 
The Yellowjackets struck first early in the opening half, when Putu took advantage of a loose ball inside the goal box and punched it into the back of the net off the foot of a defender. The finish came on a cross from Tybalt Thornberry amid a strong spell of Yellowjacket possession, as MSUB dictated the pace of play early on.
 
The Saints (0-1) had a chance to strike back shortly after conceding the opening goal, winning a dangerous free kick just outside the goal box. MSUB goalkeeper Georgios Theodoulidis slid to his right to knock away the low attempt and preserve the 1-0 advantage. It was one of the four saves he made in the match, as he helped navigate the 'Jackets to the halftime break with the lead in their hands.
 
While the Saints gained some momentum at the outset of the second half, the 'Jackets withstood the pressure and maintained their lead into the closing minutes. Putu's important second goal came on a pass from Pascal Pisarek, and left no doubt that the 'Jackets would complete a perfect pre-season schedule. "The first goal I saw the rebound and I just went for it," Putu said. "The second one I'd like to thank Pascal because he's the one who assisted me. It's always nice to score, and I hope I will keep helping the team win."
 
"Marvin started the game fairly well," Chameraud said. "We found him in the gaps in those tight spaces, and when Marvin can go forward on his first touch he is a quality player. Today I'm glad he was on the end of two plays to score two goals for us."
 
Halil Yilmaz led MSUB with six shots in the match, while Putu placed all three attempts he took on target. Santiago Morazzani had a team-high two shots on goal for Carroll, and Saints goalkeeper Kaden Connor made five saves as he did the best he could to keep his team in the match.
 
THE BUZZ: Putu was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB completed a spotless pre-season record with Sunday's win, after beating Rocky Mountain College 2-1 last Saturday and topping the University of Providence 3-0 last Wednesday…Putu led the Yellowjacket offense during its three-game pre-season schedule, finding the net twice including the game-winner against the Bears.
 
COMING UP: The Yellowjackets begin their official 2021 fall season this week, with matches against Texas A&M International on Sept. 2, Colorado State-Pueblo on Sept. 4, and UC Colorado Springs on Sept. 5. MSUB will play six non-conference contests before jumping into its 10-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule on Oct. 2 under the lights at Seattle Pacific.
 
"We are going to have some different competition now," Chameraud commented at the outset of the 2021 regular season. "Texas A&M International on Thursday will be a very good game for us and will be very competitive. It's going to be the real deal now, and the guys will have to keep playing at a high level if we are going to get wins on this trip. It will be a difficult one with three games in four days, but we are looking forward to it."