BILLINGS, Mont. – Spoiling Montana State University Billings' bid for its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer win on Saturday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field, visiting Seattle Pacific University found an 87th-minute equalizer as the teams settled for a 1-1 draw.
 
Kolja Thomas put forth a brilliant performance on the back line for the Yellowjackets, and smashed home his first collegiate goal in the 73rd minute to put MSUB ahead 1-0. The lead looked like it would hold up to give the 'Jackets three points, but SPU's Tyler Speer got free in the six-yard box to tuck home the visitors' lone goal with less than four minutes left on the clock.
 
"I was really proud of the effort that the boys put out today, but I think we are all disappointed with the final result," said MSUB head coach Aaron Champenoy. "It feels like we let that one slip away from us. Today wasn't one of our cleanest performances, but I think anybody watching this team can see their character growing each match. Kolja Thomas was tremendous today and it was great to see him get on the score sheet giving us our first goal from a corner kick this year."
 
MSUB owned the game's best scoring opportunities, as a pair of near misses proved to be the difference in the match. The first came just before halftime, in a play that unfolded nearly identically to MSUB's scoring play in Thursday's 2-1 defeat against Simon Fraser. Guillermo Gonzalez pinged a perfect, long diagonal ball to Jeremie Briquet on the left wing, and watched the speedy midfielder take on multiple defenders on a run into the SPU goal box. A well-timed, low cross found the foot of Callum Bryan in stride at the six-yard box, but his shot attempt carried over the crossbar as the Falcons were fortunate not to trail 1-0.
 
SPU didn't go without chances in the opening 45 minutes, perhaps the best of which was a close-range attempt by Luis Zazueta that was knocked away by the MSUB back line just 10 minutes into the match.
 
The biggest chance of the game came in the 64th minute, when the Yellowjackets hit the Falcons with what appeared to be a deadly counterattack coming off a corner kick. With the ball at Briquet's feet and two attackers flanking him in a 3-on-1 situation, the Falcons somehow managed to keep MSUB out of the net when a pass from Viggo Rogstrom to Valdemar Fogt resulted in a sliding save by the SPU back line to keep the game scoreless.
 
MSUB kept the pressure high as the game wore on, and managed to break through on a set piece in the 73rd minute. After his initial corner kick service was deflected out of bounds, the second delivery by Bjarne Fedkenhauer was placed perfectly near the far post at the edge of the six-yard box. Thomas maneuvered expertly around SPU center back Evan Aune, and redirected the ball inside the right goal post beyond the reach of SPU goalkeeper Lars Helleren.
 
The Yellowjackets defended well into the closing minutes, but the Falcons mustered a final push into the goal box that yielded the game-tying goal. The play originated in the SPU midfield, before a physical challenge in the box by Cameron Yriondo created enough space for him to feed a low cross back across the six-yard box. Speer slid in ahead of a closing defender, and was able to tap the finish past MSUB goalkeeper Jeremi Campagnolo to make the score 1-1.
 
"At the end of the day, we have to learn to put away our chances and be more clinical when we get them so it doesn't come down to an ending like this again," Champenoy said. "I thought defensively we were good and we kept them to only two decent chances, but unfortunately one of them resulted in the goal to draw the match."
 
MSUB held a narrow 10-8 advantage in shots, with each team placing three attempts on frame in a match that featured a handful of pure goal-scoring chances. Helleren made one save for the Falcons and Campagnolo finished with two in net for the 'Jackets.
 
"I believe in this group and am really proud of what we've done to this point, but we have so much more in us," Champenoy said. "Once they believe the same way I do, we are going to be very tough. Now we prepare, and move on to the next."
 
THE BUZZ: Thomas was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Fedkenhauer's assist was his second of the season…MSUB is now 7-20-7 all-time against SPU and is 4-5-4 in home matches against the Falcons.
 
NEXT WEEK: The 'Jackets have just one match next week, as they prepare to host Saint Martin's on Thursday afternoon to close out a four-match home stretch. Live coverage for the game will be available online here.