BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings men's soccer team returned to the field after two weeks off to begin it's slate of conference games, falling to Western Oregon 2-0 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
The Yellowjackets (3-3-1, 0-1 GNAC) were bested at home by the Wolves (4-2-1, 1-0-1 GNAC), in a match where the visitors outshot the home team 16-9 overall, and 11-3 in shots on goal. The 'Jackets would hold on for the first half, but a pair of second half goals would be the difference in the game.
 
Western Oregon would find an opportunity in just the first minute of the game, forcing a save from MSUB goalie Jeremi Campagnolo and setting the tone for the first half, with the Wolves controlling much of the possession, and had six shots. But Campagnolo and the Yellowjacket defense were able to keep the visitors off the scoreboard, while the 'Jackets found opportunities of their own from the counterattack and set pieces. A corner kick in the 25^th minute saw Roddy Lewis head the ball towards goal, which nearly went in if not for a last second deflection by a Western Oregon defender. And despite a number of additional balls into the box from the Yellowjackets, the Wolves too would hold firm, keeping things level at the half.
 
The game became even more physical and competitive into the second half, as the two teams continued to battle hard to grab the lead. The Wolves threatened to score early in the half, but some more incredible stops from Campagnolo would leave the visitors searching, while the Yellowjackets nearly grabbed the lead on a Bjarne Fedkenhauer free kick, which was punched over the bar by WOU goalie Juan Suarez. But the scoreless draw wouldn't hold forever, and it was the Wolves who would eventually break through. An excellent cross from Alejandro Velasco would find the foot of Gabriel Silva, who would place the ball out of Campagnolo's reach to give the Wolves a 1-0 advantage. They would double that lead with just over ten minutes to go, when another ball across the box, this time by Yahir Ocampo would be finished by Velasco. MSUB would be unable to find a goal late, falling short in their first GNAC match of the season.
 
Campagnolo made a total of eight saves in the game for MSUB, his most of the season, and tying for the second most in his Yellowjacket career. Fedkenhauer led the 'Jackets with three shots, and two shots on target, with MSUB's other shot on goal coming from Ryushiro Morita. Roddy Lewis, Kolja Thomas, Kamden Beck, Sam Kemmer, and Marc-Paul Renaud each had one shot in the match.
 
THE BUZZ: Campagnolo was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… The Yellowjackets are now 1-1-1 all-time against Western Oregon.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets hit the road next week for a pair of games to continue their start to conference play. Their first match of the week is scheduled for Thursday, October 5, at 3 PM PDT (4 PM MDT) against Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Washington. Live video will be available here, and live statistics will be available here.