FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, October 13, 2016 Novis nets a pair, ‘Jackets roll past Vikings 3-1 on Thursday
Thiago Novis scores a pair of goals and freshman Ian Bream adds another as the Yellowjackets defeat Western Washington University 3-1 on Thursday at Yellowjacket Field. BILLINGS, Mont. – Thiago Novis recorded his third-career multi-goal game, scoring twice to lead the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team to a loud 3-1 win over Western Washington University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Yellowjacket Field on Thursday. The senior striker found the net in the 30th minute, and added a second goal just after the halftime break as the ‘Jackets picked up their second conference win of the season. Freshman Ian Bream made his first career start, and scored his second goal of the season to get the scoring started. The ‘Jackets worked past a 71st-minute goal by WWU’s Eleazar Galvan, and pushed their record to 6-3-3 overall and 2-1-3 in the GNAC with the victory. The Vikings fell to 4-4-3 on the season and are now 1-3-2 in league play. “We wanted to pressure them high from the get-go and score early,” said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. “In the second half, we asked the guys to do the exact same thing and come out roaring. They did that, and we scored a third goal.”
Bream made it 1-0 just 10 minutes into the match, running onto a cross from Guillaume Kremer and punching it inside the far post. Novis nearly doubled his team’s lead less than a minute later, but his powerful shot from the right side of the box sunk just wide of the far post. “We started the game pretty well, and it was very important to score first,” Kremer said. “Three goals is good for our confidence, and I think we are going to do even better in our next games.” Keeping possession in the middle of the field, the ‘Jackets strung a series of passes together to create their second goal of the match. A strong sliding challenge from Chad Triplett helped to keep the ball in the attacking third, and MSUB swing it around to Flavio Colasanti in the right corner. His cross in the box was controlled by Novis, who turned and blasted home his fourth goal of the year from eight yards away. MSUB goalkeeper Joe Scott collected his first save of the game with six minutes to play in the first half, handling a close-range header shot on target without issue. It was one of two stops the junior made in the match, as he faced 16 total shots and three on target. Ian Bream (center) is congratulated by Rhys Lambert after scoring his second goal of the season on Thursday.
Novis’s second strike tied him for the team lead with five goals on the season, and it came just eight minutes into the second period. Gathering in a pass from Kremer, Novis took one touch and curled a perfect shot around WWU’s keeper and inside the upper-right corner of the goal from 20 yards
away. Colasanti showed off his footwork midway through the second half, dribbling through three defenders into the goal box. After beating the keeper, it took a save by WWU’s Nick Morgan with his outstretched foot to prevent Colasanti’s shot from making it 4-0. Instead, the Vikings countered on a defensive breakdown by the ‘Jackets and scored their only goal of the match. Anthony Dean found Galvan with a high through ball over the back line, and the senior forward won a battle with Scott as he slotted his second goal of the year home. The Vikings continued on the offensive over the final 20 minutes of the match, creating several dangerous chances inside the box. The most promising look started with a shot by Luke Olney, which Scott knocked away. Nick Morgan was there to follow up, but his attempt hit off of the crossbar. In a final effort, Jose Castillo took a third shot towards goal but had it blocked by MSUB’s defensive unit as the ‘Jackets kept a two-goal edge. Making his return from an injury, senior Garret Robinson played the full 90 minutes on the back line, along with Oliver Posarelli and Rhys Lambert. Freshman Chad Triplett made his first career start as well, and slotted in as the fourth defender for the full 90 minutes as well. Novis led the team with six of MSUB’s 12 shots in the match, and the ‘Jackets took care of business despite being outshot 16-12. Seven of the Yellowjackets’ shots were on frame, as Visten logged three saves for the Vikings.
THE BUZZ: Novis was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…his six shots were a career high and his four on frame tied his career high…MSUB has now won four of the past five meetings against the Vikings. NEXT UP: The ‘Jackets continue their home stand on Saturday with another GNAC match against Northwest Nazarene University. The game will be played on MSUB Kicks Cancer Day, and will be the second in a doubleheader with the MSUB women’s soccer team. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., and live video and live statistics will be available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--