FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Sunday, September 11, 2016 Newcomers light up scoreboard in 3-0 win for MSUB men’s soccer
Freshmen Oliver Posarelli and JD Hauenstein score all three goals for the ‘Jackets on Sunday, while senior newcomer Julien Dragomir has two assists as MSUB blanks South Dakota Mines 3-0 in the Rimrock Classic Finale. BILLINGS, Mont. – A trio of newcomers accounted for all three goals and two assists for the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team on Sunday, as the Yellowjackets rolled to their second straight shutout win with a 3-0 triumph over South Dakota School of Mines at Yellowjacket Field. Rolling into the halftime break with the score at 0-0, the ‘Jackets quickly turned the game in their favor with a pair of goals in the opening eight minutes of the second half. JD Hauenstein took a through ball from Julien Dragomir in the 51st minute, lofting a high shot over SDSMT’s keeper and into the net from the right side of the goal box for his first career goal. Oliver Posarelli followed with a strong, right-footed finish on a loose ball in the box after a corner kick to make the score 2-0 with just under 40 minutes to play. The Italian freshman’s second goal came in the 69th minute, when he headed home a corner kick on Dragomir’s second assist of the match.
“After our trip to California and going 0-2 there, we needed two good results here,” said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. “Overall this was a very good weekend for us, and I’m very happy for the guys for scoring a bunch of goals and getting two clean sheets.” The win marked the second shutout in-a-row for ‘Jacket senior goalkeeper Tom Lohmann, who had four outstanding saves over 90 minutes in his sixth career clean sheet. The defensive effort, combined with the Yellowjackets’ first multi-goal game of the year, pulled the team’s record even at 2-2 on the season. The Hardrockers fell to 0-3 with the defeat, and played the final 34 minutes of the match with 10 men after a red card. Playing against a strong wind in the first half, MSUB generated a significant amount of chances with nine shots while allowing just one to the Hardrockers. SDSMT’s lone shot of the half nearly pushed the visiting team ahead however, as Darin James had what may have been the best chance of the match. Firing a close-range shot from the right side of the goal box, James watched as Lohmann made a diving reaction save and denied him access to the net in the 37th minute. After knocking on the door of scoring in the opening half, MSUB never looked back and established the advantage early on in the second half. The ‘Jackets took 13 shots over the final 45 minutes, and won four corner kicks as well. Overall MSUB out-shot SDSMT 22-5 in the match, and placed nine shots on target.
Senior goalkeeper Tom Lohmann made four big saves on Sunday, earning his second straight shutout in a 3-0 win for the ‘Jackets.
“Overall this was a very good performance from the back to the front, and luckily we were able to put some stats on the board and get a 3-0 victory today,” said Dragomir. “It’s a relief to come out with two clean sheets, and now we are back even to 2-2 on the year.”
Jack Seifert made six saves for the visiting side, while five different players had a single shot in the match. One of those shots, taken by Justin Barkow, required another stunning save from Lohmann. Carrying the ball into the box on the left side with 23 minutes to play, Barkow let loose a shot as Lohmann charged forward and deflected it away with his left hand to deny a would-be goal. “We always know what to expect from Tom, and he is very loud in the back with a lot of communication which makes it easy for us,” said junior captain and center back Rhys Lambert. “Every now and then, the other team is going to get a chance, but to have him in there, we are very confident he is going to come out on top and make a save.” Lambert played 65 solid minutes on the back line for the ‘Jackets, and his fellow starting defensemen Garret Robinson, Eli Williams, and Posarelli limited SDSMT’s chances for the majority of the match. Julian Toenges led the Yellowjackets with five shots in the game, and tied Posarelli and Hauenstein for the team lead with two on target. Junior Ricardo Palomino led all field players with 81 minutes played, and took a pair of shots with one on frame.
Flavio Colasanti and Guillaume Kremer were difference makers in the midfield for MSUB, with the former managing a pair of shots and the latter taking one while playing 73 strong minutes in the center of the pitch. “I said before the season that this is a team that had a lot of goals in them, and it is starting to come together,” said Balog. “Now we need to get some of the more experienced guys on the score sheet. We stuck to the game plan (today) and that was good to see, because going forward, the level of competition is only going to go up.” SPECIAL KICK FOR SEBASTIEN, WILDBERGERS: In a special pregame ceremony honoring Trevor Wildberger, MSUB Team IMPACT member Sebastien Easton performed a ceremonial kickoff while being accompanied by the former Yellowjacket recruit’s parents Jon and Tammy Wildberger. The third annual Rimrock Classic tournament was dedicated to the memory of Trevor Wildberger, who passed away in August of 2015 after a battle with cancer. THE BUZZ: Posarelli was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Callan Martin made his collegiate debut, playing 17 minutes off of the bench defensively…MSUB remains unbeaten against SDSMT all-time, moving to 6-01. NEXT UP: The ‘Jackets host a pair of NCAA Division II teams next weekend, welcoming California Baptist University and the University of Mary. MSUB will play CBU on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., before challenging the Marauders on Monday, Sept. 19, at 1 p.m. CBU and Mary will play a neutral site game on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. as well. All three matches are at Yellowjacket Field, and will feature live video and live statistics available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.
Sebastien Easton stands for the National Anthem, next to Jon and Tammy Wildberger as MSUB head coach Alex Balog and athletic director Krista Montague look on prior to Sunday’s finale at the Rimrock Classic.
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