FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, November 2, 2015 Lokay named GNAC Player of the Week
Katlyn Lokay leads the MSUB women to a crucial 1-0 shutout of CWU on Senior Day, and earns GNAC Player of the Week. PORTLAND, Ore. – After helping the Montana State University Billings women’s soccer team clinch a berth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships with a 1-0 shutout win over Central Washington University on Saturday, senior center back Katlyn Lokay has been named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week announced by the conference office Monday. “It is a fitting end to what has been a stellar GNAC career for Katlyn,” MSUB head coach Wojtek Krakowiak commented on the honor for Lokay. “She has been a rock in the back for us all season and is fully deserving of this honor. It was an incredible weekend for us to win on Senior Day and make the GNAC tournament, and Katlyn winning Player of the Week honors is just the cherry on top. I am really proud of her.” Lokay, a four-year starter and three-year captain in the program, played all 90 minutes and helped MSUB’s back line hold Central Washington to just three shots on target. Her complete-game effort helped the ‘Jackets clinch the fourth and final berth into the conference tournament, which begins on Thursday with a match against No. 1 seed Western Washington at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, British Columbia on the Simon Fraser University campus.
Lokay has played every minute this season, starting all 15 matches at center back and logging 1,431 minutes. Over her four seasons, Lokay has played the fourth-most minutes in MSUB history (6,328) and has seven career goals and three assists. In her third year as team captain, Lokay has helped MSUB to a team goals-against average of 0.88 this year, as the ‘Jackets have outscored opponents 18-14 in their 15 matches. Lokay was a member of MSUB’s teams that participated in the GNAC Championships in 2012 as a freshman and last season as a junior. She was a second-team all-GNAC pick last season and was an academic all-conference selection as well. She is the second player on her team this season to win the conference’s weekly honor, joining sophomore Jessica Spang who won the award for Aug. 31 – Sept. 6. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--