SALEM, Ore. – The Montana State University Billings men's soccer program defeated the #10 Western Oregon Wolves in a hard-fought 2-1 win Saturday afternoon. The Wolves had previously won or tied their last 11 games and were undefeated in conference play heading into today's matchup. The game was played at Sparks Field at Willamette University in Salem, OR.

🚨UPSET ALERT🚨

The Yellowjackets hand #10 Western Oregon their first conference loss of the season, downing the Wolves 2-1❗️

So Nagano was named Intermountain Health Player of the Game!#msubsports | #msubmsoc pic.twitter.com/cwOuXCzJMs

— MSUB Men's Soccer (@MSUBMSoc) October 26, 2024

 
Western Oregon would be the first to score in the 16^th minute off a free kick. Marcus Vazquez shot from just outside the right side of the goalie box, and the ball bounced around in cluster of players before it was deflected into the net. The Wolves would hold the lead until the 28^th minute, where the 'Jackets would tie the game off a one-touch redirect shot by forward So Nagano. The shot came off a pass from Carter Griffith who battled through multiple defenders to perfectly tap the ball into Nagano. The goal marked Nagano's seventh of the season, which is tied for the most in the GNAC while Griffith recorded his first assist in his Yellowjacket career. The game would remain tied until halftime with goalkeeper Fred Reiter recording two saves.
 
The second half would be yet another back-and-forth battle between the squads, but the tie would be broken in the 74^th minute by Kolja Thomas, who headed a corner kick shot from Guillermo Gonzalez off a Wolves defender into the back of the net. Thomas's goal is his second of the season and gave Gonzalez his fourth assist which leads the team. The 'Jackets would hold strong on defense for the remainder of the half, backed by Reiter who stopped three more Western Oregon shot attempts. Gonzalez, Jack Jarrett, Bjarne Fedkenhauer, Ryan Hanley, and Matteo Bosch each recorded shot attempts.
 
The win today moves the Yellowjackets into second place in the conference, with five matches left to play in the regular season.
 
THE BUZZ: So Nagano was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game, scoring one goal, four shots-on-goal, and five shot attempts.
 
UP NEXT: The 'Jackets will return home to face Northwest Nazarene University on November 2^nd at 2pm. Live stats can be found here. Live video can be found here.