LAREDO, Tex. – The Montana State University Billings men's soccer team rounded off it's Texas road trip with a 0-0 draw against Texas A&M International University, finishing the week undefeated against a pair of foes from the Lone Star State.
 
Following it's first win of the 2024 campaign Thursday, the Yellowjackets (1-1-2) continued it's run of strong play, completing the team's second consecutive shutout and sharing the points with the Dustdevils (2-1-1) despite home field advantage for Texas A&M International, and helped give the 'Jackets an early season boost heading into it's final week of non-conference play.
 
The early match was a defensive slugfest, with neither team attempting a shot until the 25^th minute when Jack Jarrett attempted the game's first shot on target, forcing a Texas A&M International save. The 'Jackets would attempt three more shots in the half, putting each of their efforts on target, while the Dustdevils would attempt seven first half shots with three shots on goal, neither team would concede, with quality saves from Andrew Schoenen and key stops by the Yellowjacket's defense helping MSUB to maintain a tie heading into halftime.
 
Texas A&M International would turn up the pressure in the second half, outshooting MSUB 11-5 in total shots, and 4-3 in shots on goal. But the efforts of Schoenen and the 'Jackets defense would continue to impress. Schoenen made four saves in the final 45 minutes, while multiple defenders stepped up to make big plays to keep the hosts off the scoreboard. The Yellowjackets would threaten to break the deadlock as well, with shots on target from Florian Senf, George Jones, and Matteo Bosch each forcing a save in the second half. Neither team would be able to find the winning goal however, with the match concluding in a scoreless draw.
 
Of the team's nine total shots, MSUB put seven attempts on target. In addition to Jarrett, Senf, Jones, and Bosch, forwards So Nagano, Zach Browning, and Sam Kemmer each put a shot on target, while Guillermo Gonzalez and Taylor Moore both attempted one shot each. Schoenen made a career high seven saves, and completed the second shutout of his career.
 
THE BUZZ: Defender Arlo Follet was selected as the Intermountain Health Player of the Game… Schoenen completed the week with 13 total saves… his two shutouts currently lead the GNAC, as do his 17 saves this season, while his 77.3% save percentage ranks third.
 
UP NEXT: The Yellowjackets hit the road once more before opening conference play, heading to Durango, Colorado for a pair of games. The 'Jackets open with a match Thursday, September 19 against Colorado Mesa, with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 PM at Dirks Field. Live video of the match will be available here, while live statistics are available here.