BILLINGS, Mont. – Three second-half goals lifted the Saint Martin's University men's soccer team to its first victory of the season on Thursday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field, as the visitors jumped on Montana State University Billings for a 3-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference result.
 
After the Yellowjackets had the best chances of a scoreless opening half, the Saints took the lead less than three minutes into the second and never looked back on the way to victory. Ethan Jud's second goal of the year held up as the game winner, before Caden Martin added a brace in the 57th minute and Diego Andrade put the match to bed in the 82nd minute.
 
Saint Martin's improved to 1-7-1 overall and 1-2 in GNAC play, while MSUB slipped to 2-5-1 overall and 0-2-1 in league action.
 
The Yellowjackets out-shot the Saints 14-10 in the match, including a mark of 5-3 in the opening 45 minutes. After a fairly even spell of possession over the first half hour of the match, MSUB began knocking on the door. The first dangerous chance came in the form of a free kick just outside the goal box with 11 minutes to go before the break. Jeremie Briquet sent one of his match-high six shots over the crossbar, as MSUB could not capitalize on the set-piece try.
 
MSUB's best chance to score in the first half came in the 42nd minute, when Valdemar Fogt found himself with the ball and room inside the box on the right side. His shot attempt from 15 yards glanced off the left goal post however, as the Saints dodged another bullet.
 
The Saints were undeterred by MSUB's offensive effectiveness, and claimed the advantage at the outset of the second half. Angel Alvarado-Fajardo used speed to beat his mark into the right corner, before lofting an arcing cross towards the back goal post at the six-yard box. Jud weaved between two defenders to gain prime position, and nodded the first goal of the match inside the left post.
 
A giveaway by the 'Jackets in a dangerous spot near midfield led to the Saints' second goal, as Jay Mendoza stepped into an errant touch and pushed forward with momentum towards MSUB's goal box. He fed a pass to his right onto the foot of Martin, who tucked a high shot inside the far post beyond the reach of 'Jacket goalkeeper Jeremi Campagnolo.
 
Despite significant time for the Yellowjackets to make a comeback, the hosts couldn't turn offensive opportunities in the attacking third into prime scoring chances. A mild afternoon up to that point in the match shifted course as a steady wind upwards of 40 miles per hour commenced and impacted both teams' ability to move the ball.
 
The 'Jackets gambled in an attempt to equalize the score in the final 30 minutes, and pushed heavy numbers forward into the attacking third. A counterattack with MSUB's back line out of position led to the Saints' final goal, when Andrade obtained possession near midfield and burst forward into a one-on-one situation with Campagnolo. The MSUB goalkeeper got a touch on the ball, but Andrade was able to do just enough to push it over the line.
 
The Yellowjackets continued to battle into the closing minutes, and it took SMU goalkeeper Nick Mueller's best save of the match to preserve the shutout with just three seconds left on the clock. Billings native Taylor Moore received a pass from Callum Bryan near the right goal post, but his strong, low shot was deflected away by a diving Mueller as the final whistle sounded.
 
Mueller made four saves to earn his first shutout of the season, while Christian Gordon and Zack Martin each played the full 90 minutes on the back line to help secure the win for the Saints.
 
THE BUZZ: Bryan Maxwell was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Kamden Beck made his MSUB debut, coming off the bench and playing 17 minutes…the Yellowjackets are now 15-12-2 all-time against Saint Martin's and hold a 9-5-1 record in home matches.
 
NEXT UP: After a scheduled bye on Saturday, the Yellowjackets begin their longest road stretch of the season with four consecutive matches away from the Magic City. MSUB takes on Northwest Nazarene next Thursday at 7 p.m., before playing at first-year program Western Oregon next Saturday with an 11 a.m. (Pacific) kickoff. Live coverage for the upcoming matches can be found online here.