BILLINGS, Mont. – An early red card put the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team on its heels Saturday afternoon at Herb Klindt Field, and visiting University of Mary took advantage with a 2-0 triumph to close out the 7th annual Rimrock Classic in memory of Trevor Wildberger.
 
The Marauders (2-0) scored in the 21st and 60th minutes, and threatened throughout the match with an 18-8 shot advantage thanks in large part to the extra player on the pitch. The match also featured a 90-minute lightning delay, which occurred five minutes into the second half as the game was paused to allow the storm to pass.
 
MSUB's Kailey Findlay was sent off in the 13th minute after a late challenge in the defensive third, and the 'Jackets adapted their playing style to account for the ensuing offensive advantage for Mary. Tuva Sallvin had a strong performance in goal, making several crucial saves to limit the damage and keep the Yellowjackets in the match.
 
The Yellowjackets managed a handful of chances and landed a shot on target, but opportunities to push forward and attack were sparse.
 
Sallvin's first big save of the day came just seven minutes in, when she denied Mary's Olivia Gardner from point-blank range to keep the game scoreless. The visitors struck on a long through ball played by Taylor Meyrick, which carried across the field diagonally and towards the goal box. MaLiah Burke ran onto the well-timed pass, and tucked a low shot past a charging Sallvin to give Mary a 1-0 lead.
 
The brace came 10 minutes after play was restarted, and was rooted in a free kick. Mo Malone curled a cross towards the back post, where Mary Meeks rushed past her mark and volleyed a right-footed shot into the upper-left corner of the net from six yards away.
 
Perhaps MSUB's best chance to score came midway through the second half, when Mary goalkeeper Madisyn Waltman raced off her line to slide and smother a ball in the box before MSUB's Jillian Hust could get on the dangerous end of it.
 
Jackie Sharpe created another scoring chance with 17 minutes to go, beating three players in the midfield and feeding the ball through to Hust. Only a sliding stop from Meeks prevented Hust from reaching the ball with an open net in front of her.
 
The 'Jackets continued to defend well despite the uneven numbers on the field, with freshman Lauren Becraft holding her ground strongly for the second straight match. One of the most important interventions came from Leila Clark, who recovered to stop what was likely a sure goal by Mary's Elizabeth Gilbertson by racing back into the goal box and disrupting the attacker before she could get a shot off.
 
Becraft was the lone 'Jacket to play the full 90 minutes, while Taylor Gertsch had a pair of shots including the team's only on-target look of the match. Sallvin wound up with seven saves in the game, while Gardner and Ava Vizenor each finished with three shots to lead Mary.
 
THE BUZZ: Sharpe was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…MSUB is now 12-12-4 all-time against Mary and is 8-6-1 in home matches against the Marauders.
 
NEXT WEEK: The Yellowjackets hit the road, to face NCAA DI opponent University of Montana next Friday in Missoula. Live coverage for the game can be found online here.