BILLINGS, Mont. – Kiley Sandow blasted home an upper-corner finish in the 41st minute on Saturday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field, helping host Montana State University Billings to a 1-1 tie against Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Western Oregon University.
 
Sandow's stunning goal put the Yellowjackets ahead just before halftime, but the Wolves equalized on Chloe Smith's 67th-minute goal as the teams battled to a draw on a windy day in the Magic City. "I am very proud of the team for the response to a difficult game and performance on Thursday," said MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo, referencing a 4-1 defeat to Saint Martin's on Thursday. "We fought hard and took the lead with an incredible goal from Kiley. Her performance today as well as our other seniors – Sydney Wate and Cassie Southwick – helped the team when we needed them most."
 
The Yellowjackets moved to 1-5-3 with the draw, and are now 1-2-1 in conference play, while Western Oregon moved to 4-2-2 overall and 1-2-1 in league play with the result.
 
The Wolves out-shot the Yellowjackets 17-9 in the match, and placed seven shots on frame compared to three for the 'Jackets. MSUB goalkeeper Clare Keenan came through with six saves to help keep her team in the match, while Vendela Andersson turned in a full 90-minute performance in her first start of the year on the back line. Sandow and Kailey Findlay joined Andersson in playing the full match on the defensive unit, and Taylor Gertsch was highly effective in a 90-minute performance in the midfield.
 
Keenan's first save came just seven minutes into the match, when she denied WOU's Lilly Nowatzke which led to a Wolves corner kick. Smith took the game's next two shots, but neither threatened to put the visitors in front.
 
The Yellowjackets' first real look towards goal came in the 40th minute, when WOU goalkeeper Isabella Lopez dove to save an on-target try from Mackenzie Carnell. An ensuing throw-in – taken by Sandow – set up the Yellowjackets' goal. Southwick played a quick drop pass to Sandow on the left wing, and she blasted a one-time, right-footed effort beyond the reach of Lopez and into the upper-right corner of the net.
 
Sandow's third-career goal prompted a spirited celebration, and gave the Yellowjackets momentum going into halftime without allowing any more looks towards goal by the Wolves.
 
Keenan made another save – this time on a shot by Haley King – five minutes into the second half, as the Wolves took six shots in the first 10 minutes to ramp up the offensive effort. The breakthrough came when Alyssa Talkington fed a through ball into the box, and Smith touched home her second goal of the year past a sliding Keenan from inside the six-yard box.
 
Keenan made two more routine saves over the final 30 minutes of play, while the Yellowjackets failed to land another strike on frame. Lopez, a game-time decision to start in goal, finished with two saves while Jenna Efraimson and Lulu Sadler played the full 90 minutes defensively for the visitors. Smith led all players with six shots and three on target, while four different Yellowjackets managed multiple shots in the game.
 
"Thursday was a character building day for our group, and I am proud of how they responded against a strong Western Oregon team," Cavallo said. "We look forward to our upcoming road trips and starting our preparation for Western Washington."
 
THE BUZZ: Sandow was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…it was her first goal since Oct. 17, 2019 when she scored on the road against Western Oregon…Southwick's assist was the first of her MSUB career…MSUB is now 12-10-6 all-time against WOU and is 9-3-3 in home matches against the Wolves.
 
COMING UP: MSUB faces its longest road stretch of the year, with the next four matches all occurring away from Billings from Sept. 29-Oct. 8. Next week, MSUB plays at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday. Live coverage for the road matches will be available online here.