BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings women's soccer program defeated the Saint Martin's Saints in a close 2-1 matchup Thursday night at Yellowjacket Field. The Jackets' previously tied with the Saints' in Lacey on October 12^th and were looking to earn a conference win at home. The team wore their pink jerseys in support of Breast Cancer Awareness night as a part of the MSUB Kick's Cancer campaign.
 
The Jackets' got off to a hot start right from kick off, scoring in the 4^th minute of the game on a goal by Jackie Sharpe. Sharpe squeezed a shot in the bottom left corner right by the Saints' goalie off a beautiful cross-pass through traffic by Liberty Palmer. The goal marks Sharpe's third on the season and makes her the team leader in points at ten. The rest of the half was an evenly matched defensive battle, with MSUB attempting eight shots and SMU attempting seven, each with one shot on goal.
 
The 'Jackets came out firing again in the second half. The Palmer/Sharpe duo would strike again in the 48^th minute, this time on a goal by Palmer off a short pass into the goalie box from Sharpe. Palmer, now with four goals on the season, is tied for the most on the team with fellow midfielder Kendall McGraw and for third in the conference. The Saints' remained a threat on offense for the remainder of the game. Junior Rose Ivanis scored in the 67^th minute off an intercepted pass to bring the Saints within one. But the Jackets' defense would remain strong despite multiple scoring threats, backed by goalkeeper Claire Brogden, who recorded three saves.
 
The Jackets' had an all-around great team performance across the board with eight players recording shots. Kendall McGraw recorded two shots, as did Erica Wilson and Taylor Gertsch. Liberty Palmer recorded five shots, Maddie Smith had four including three shots on goal, and Ave Roberts had two.
 
The Yellowjackets sit at 2-5-2 in conference play with five games remaining in the regular season.
 
THE BUZZ: Liberty Palmer was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game, scoring one goal, one shot-on-goal, and five shot attempts.
 
UP NEXT: The Jackets' take on Western Oregon (4-3-7) on Saturday, October 26^th at home. Live stats can be found here. Live video can be found here.