BILLINGS, Mont. – Celebrating the team's final home game of the regular season and senior night, the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team highlighted the event with a 1-0 victory over Western Washington University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
 
After honoring a pair of seniors in Jack Jarrett and Roddy Lewis pregame, the Yellowjackets (6-4-6, 5-2-3 GNAC) had a night to remember, picking up the program's first win over the Vikings (9-5-3, 7-3-1 GNAC) since the 2018 season, and took control of third place in the GNAC Standings heading into the final week of the season next week. Despite a number of dangerous looks from both teams, an early second half penalty from So Nagano would prove to be the deciding moment of the match for the Yellowjackets, who would hold strong at the back to collect their seventh shutout of the season.
 
Neither team was able to generate much offensively in the first ten minutes, combining for just one shot, with the Yellowjackets not clocking a shot attempt until the 33^rd minute of the match. But the 'Jacket defense would prove difficult to break down, blocking a number of shots and making a number of impressive tackles and clearances at the back. And when the ball did get past the back line, goalkeeper Fred Reiter made four saves, including a pair of acrobatic stops on dangerous looks from the Vikings to keep the game tied and scoreless. The Yellowjackets would finally find a shot on goal in the 39^th minute, before nearly grabbing the lead from a corner kick in the final seconds of the half on a header from Rene Tello. His effort would just barely be deflected off the crossbar by Western Washington goalkeeper Charlie Dyer, keeping the two squads locked even at halftime.
 
The Yellowjackets' fortunes would change early in the second half however, when a Ryan Hanley shot from the top of the box took a deflection off of a defender's hand to give MSUB a penalty kick. Leading goal scorer So Nagano would calmly step to the spot and beat the keeper to open up a Yellowjacket lead, and force the Vikings to play from behind. MSUB would nearly equalize in the 63rd on a curling effort from Davis Boogman which was narrowly saved by Dyer, before the Vikings would attempt the final six shots of the game across the last 12 minutes of action. But none of their attempts would ever find their way on goal, with MSUB's defense stepping up once more to help clinch a statement conference victory over the Vikings.
 
Reiter made a total of four saves in goal, while Tello finished with a team high two shots, putting one shot on goal. Boogman, Nagano, and Fedkenhauer all put their lone shot attempts in the game on goal, while Ryan Hanley and Florian Senf each attempted on shot.
 
THE BUZZ: Reiter was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… the Yellowjackets' seventh shutout ties for the second most in a season in program history, while Reiter's five shutouts in net tie for third most in a single season by any player, and see him move to sixth most in program history… Nagano's goal was his tenth of the season, moving into a three-way tie for tenth most goals scored in a single season with Thomas Pertuit in 2003, and Chris Andre in 2010… Nagano becomes the first Yellowjacket to score double-digit goals in a campaign since Halil Yilmaz in 2021… MSUB has now achieved the program's most conference wins since the 2019 season.
 
UP NEXT: MSUB opens it's final week of the regular season on Thursday, November 14 in Burnaby, B.C. as the 'Jackets head north to face Simon Fraser University at Terry Fox Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 PM MT (5 PM PT), with live video available here, and live statistics available here.