BILLINGS, Mont. – Recording its second straight shutout on Saturday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field, the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team put together a strong, comprehensive performance in a 2-0 victory over visiting University of Mary in the finale of the Seventh Annual Rimrock Classic in Memory of Trevor Wildberger.
 
Lexie Bloyder scored the game-winning goal in the 24th minute, Liberty Palmer added her second goal of the weekend in the 58th minute, and the Yellowjacket defense got the job done to silence the Marauders (1-1-1). "I thought we really played good," center back Vendela Andersson said. "We moved the ball, and the whole team was defending and attacking. It was a very good performance by the whole team."
 
The Yellowjackets (3-1-1) out-shot the Marauders 13-8 and placed six of their attempts on target. After a shaky opening five minutes, during which Mary temporarily snagged momentum, the hosts garnered command of the match and never looked back en route to the victory. "It was a great weekend, and it really caps what has been an awesome four weeks for the program," MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo commented on the team's second straight shutout victory. "We really feel like we are clicking right now, and I am really proud of the way that we performed in particular over the last three halves. It took us a moment to get into the game, but once we started to possess better and move the ball we really created some beautiful chances."
 
Goalkeeper Clare Keenan slid off her line to snag a dangerous cross seven minutes into the match, as she prevented the Marauders from a clear look towards goal early. It was the first of four saves she made on the afternoon on the way to her first collegiate shutout. Andersson and Hailee Gertsch played outstanding in the middle of the defensive unit, anchoring the team's third overall shutout victory of the season. "We were shifting good, and we had very good communication," said Andersson. "We can see improvement on the things we have been working on in practice."
 
"Excellent, absolutely excellent today," Cavallo responded when asked about his team's back line. "Mary had two or three long shots on frame, but other than that we were very good against them. Hailee Gertsch had a phenomenal game – maybe her best game in a Yellowjacket jersey – and Vendela was super solid as well."
 
MSUB's first chance came in the ninth minute, when Sydney Torres fed a ball into the box for Jordan Roe to run onto. The hometown freshman had a good look towards goal but her attempt caught the outside of the netting.
 
Taylor Gertsch, who was again in top form in the center of the midfield, had the first touch on both plays that led to MSUB's goals on Saturday afternoon. After Gertsch connected with Palmer on the left wing in the 24th minute, the latter slipped a well-weighted pass through the back line to find an open Maddie Smith on the left side of the goal box. Smith's cross met Bloyder's left foot inside the six-yard box, and the senior got enough on her shot to sneak the ball into the lower-left corner of the net.
 
Clara Lindberg played an effective 38 minutes off the bench on Saturday, and had multiple important interventions in the opening half. The most notable was a last-ditch clearance on a low cross inside the box that was headed for a wide-open Marauder at the 10-minute mark.
 
The Yellowjackets bought themselves some insurance 12 minutes into the second half, on a beautifully strung connection of passes that began with Gertsch winning the ball off a Mary attacker. From there, Palmer and Abby Sena each played one-touch passes that led to a brilliantly scooped through ball by Roe with the outside of her right foot that found a streaking Palmer inside the goal box. The freshman calmly finished her chance into the lower-left corner of the net past a charging Madisyn Waltman from the goal line.

Cassie Southwick played 58 solid minutes and Sydney Wate came off the bench for 49 minutes at the outside back positions, while sisters Ally Findlay and Kailey Findlay gave Gertsch and Andersson a breather at center back to close out the first half. "Getting Ally and Kailey Findlay in the match together was also great," Cavallo commented on the Findlay sisters' first simultaneous collegiate appearance. "We got tired at the end of the first half, and Mary started to push. Those girls gave us a good 18 minutes to help us see out the shutout."
 
"It was very satisfying," Andersson commented on topping Mary after the teams battled to a 1-1, double-overtime draw on Monday in Bismarck, N.D. "We are a very good team, and we worked very hard today. It was an amazing feeling."
 
THE BUZZ: Hailee Gertsch was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the goal was the sixth of Bloyder's career and it was her fourth game-winner…Roe's assist was the second of her career and her first this season…Smith's assist was the first of her career…MSUB is now 12-11-4 all-time in matches against Mary.
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets roll into Great Northwest Athletic Conference play unbeaten in their last four matches, as a stern road test at Seattle Pacific University awaits the team on Sept. 23. The Yellowjackets will then return to Billings to host Central Washington University on Sept. 25 in their first two conference matches of the year. Live coverage will be available online here.
 
"We are a team that is starting to click at the right moments," Cavallo said. "We know the GNAC is a tough conference and there is no easy game. What I am most impressed about with this team is that we are playing with a lot of fight, grit, and tenacity."