PORTLAND, Ore. – Following an impressive showing where he collected his first career hat-trick on Thursday, Montana State University Billings men's soccer player Sam Kemmer was recognized with GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, as announced by the conference on Monday.
 
"Sam had a great performance last week," said Yellowjacket head coach Paul Cuevas. "We talked about being effective and dangerous in front of goal, and he did just that. As a sophomore, he continues to push his limits and is constantly putting in extra work. I've enjoyed seeing his growth so far in the beginning of the season, and can't wait to see even more from him in the coming weeks."
 
A sophomore forward, Kemmer's hat-trick marked the 22^nd time in men's soccer program history that a player has scored three goals or more in a match, along with making Kemmer the 11^th individual to achieve a hat-trick in program history. The Littleton, Colorado native scored two goals in the first half, putting the game's opening goal in in the 26^th minute, before doubling the Yellowjacket's advantage in the 45^th minute with a goal from the penalty spot. He completed his hat-trick with a goal in the 58^th minute, becoming the first Yellowjacket to complete a hat-trick since the 2022 season while the 'Jackets pulled out a 5-0 home victory over Saint Martin's University.
 
Kemmer attempted five total shots in the game, putting four of his shots on goal. He completed his hat-trick in just 46 minutes of total game time. Kemmer also completed the first hat-trick of any GNAC player this season, while his six total points from the game are the highest single game total in the conference. Kemmer has totaled four goals and eight points in nine matches this season, putting seven of his 13 attempted shots on goal.
 
Kemmer and the Yellowjackets are set to kick off their first road matches of conference play this week, facing off against Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday, October 17 before battling Western Washington University on Saturday, October 19. Live coverage for all of MSUB's matches can be found online here.