BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings men's soccer team came up short against the Western Washington University Vikings 2-0 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Thursday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field.
 
The Yellowjackets (4-8-2, 2-5-2 GNAC) put up a challenge in the game, attacking well for large stretches of the game and controlling the majority of possession in the first half. However, the Vikings (11-2-3, 7-2-0 GNAC) were able to absorb the offensive pressure put forth by MSUB, and hit them on the counterattack, scoring both goals against the run of play. The win kept the Vikings second in the GNAC standings, while MSUB remains fifth.
 
While controlling possession and the style of play early, the 'Jackets threatened to take an early lead. But the game would be flipped on its head in the 27th minute after a long pass from Mitchell Hutter sailed over the Yellowjacket back line and into prime position for forward Andrew Rotter to poach a goal, sticking the ball around goalie Jeremi Campagnolo.
 
From there the game would become physical, with both teams picking up hard fouls and whistles all over the place. As the 'Jackets battled to get back in the game, the Vikings fought hard to earn themselves some breathing room. In the 51st minute of the game though, it would be Western Washington who found a way through. Hitting the Yellowjackets with numbers forward, a quick pass from Lucas Hakamada found Kaydin Wall with space in the box on the right-hand side. Wall's pass across the middle would find the foot of Eric Bunnell, who slotted it past the defense to extend the lead to two goals. It would be all Western Washington needed as they would see off MSUB to sweep the season series between the two teams.
 
For the 'Jackets, Campagnolo finished with a pair of saves. Out of the team's 11 shots, four came from Jeremie Briquet. Bryan Maxwell had a pair of shots for a 'Jacket team that had a good deal of positive attacking play but failed to turn the looks they created into great shots.
 
THE BUZZ: Campagnolo was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 11-22-3 all-time against Western Washington and is 5-7-3 in home matches against the Vikings.
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets play host to Western Oregon University on Saturday, with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at Yellowjacket Field. The team's seniors will be honored in a ceremony prior to the final home match of the 2022 season, and live coverage will be available online here.