FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Saturday, October 22, 2016 Schregel’s score, Scott’s shutout lift ‘Jacket men over SPU 1-0 Saturday
Niklas Schregel’s goal just after halftime holds as the game-winner, as the Yellowjacket men defeat Seattle Pacific 1-0 on Saturday for their first win over the Falcons since the 2008 season. BILLINGS, Mont. – Niklas Schregel scored his second goal of the season, Joe Scott earned his third shutout, and the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team defeated visiting Seattle Pacific University 1-0 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match at Yellowjacket Field on Saturday. Though Schregel’s finish was the only shot that found the back of the net, the Yellowjackets out-shot the Falcons 19-5 in the match and possessed the ball for the majority of the 90-minute affair. The win was the second in-a-row and third in the last four games for the ‘Jackets, who improved to 8-4-3 on the season and 4-2-3 in GNAC play. The Falcons fell to 4-5-5 with the loss and are now 2-3-4 in league play. “I am very proud of the team tonight, because this was an absolute battle that they won against a very good SPU team,” said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. “This win means an enormous amount for our program. Every game for us from now on is a massive final.” The Yellowjackets are now in third place in the league standings with 15 points, and are just two points back of Northwest Nazarene University with three games remaining on the regular-season schedule. MSUB entered this week
ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division II West Region poll, which determines the six-team field that advances to the playoffs at season’s end. It took a top-class save from SPU goalkeeper Cody Lang to prevent the ‘Jackets from going ahead in the opening 10 minutes. JD Hauenstein found himself open at the top of the box on the left side, and his strong, low, right-footed shot was pushed just wide of the far post by a fully-extended Lang. Scott had a pair of big stops for the ‘Jackets in the opening half, the most important of which came on a long free-kick try by SPU’s Stephen MacDonald. The senior knuckled a low, powerful shot on target, and Scott dove to his right to deflect the 35-yard attempt wide. The diving stop by Scott came after he held onto a close-range shot by MacDonald inside the box, on what was perhaps the Falcons’ best scoring chance of the match. “I am pretty stoked for my team, and we are putting work in during training and it’s showing on the pitch,” Scott said. “We still need to work on a few tweaks, but overall I think we are doing really well.” Though the teams entered the halftime break scoreless, MSUB’s 8-3 edge in shots in the opening 45 minutes suggested it was on the brink of scoring. Flavio Colasanti (left) had a team-high five shots, and JD Hauenstein had his second assist of the season in MSUB’s 1-0 win over SPU on Saturday.
MSUB’s goal started with patient play by Ricardo Palomino on the right side of the field, as he played a left-footed cross the width of the pitch rather than taking on a full line of SPU defenders. Hauenstein held a pass from Chad Triplett, before darting forward and combining at the edge of the box with Flavio Colasanti. The freshman’s following pass into the box led Schregel perfectly, and he tucked his second goal of the year into the lower right corner of the net. “JD is such a fighter, and as a freshman he is a really good player,” Schregel commented on his assistor. “With three more years ahead of him, he is going to be really good for the program.” The ultimate game-winner came just four minutes into the second half, as the ‘Jackets continued to control the pace of play into the closing minutes of the game. Colasanti came close to doubling MSUB’s lead for the entire second period, as he created consistent scoring chances with a team-high five shots. Defensively, center back Rhys Lambert piloted the shutout effort, winning multiple strong, sliding challenges and commanding the aerial game with his head. Outside backs Garret Robinson and Triplett also influenced the offense, putting in strong runs up and down the sidelines throughout the match. Scott finished the match with four saves, as the Falcons were efficient with their five total shots. Palomino matched Colasanti’s shots total with five of his own, and MSUB put eight of its attempts on frame. Lang totaled seven saves in the match, including another diving stop on Colasanti’s lone attempt that was on target.
THE BUZZ: Hauenstein was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…it was Hauenstein’s second assist of the season…this was MSUB’s first win over Seattle Pacific since three straight victories from Oct. 22, 2007 to Nov. 6, 2008…the goal was the second of the year for Schregel and was the fifth of his career. NEXT UP: The ‘Jackets embark on their final road trip of the regular season, with matches at Simon Fraser University and Western Washington University next week. MSUB’s match against the Clan in Burnaby, B.C., will kick off at 8 p.m. Mountain time on Thursday, and the team’s game against the Vikings in Bellingham, Wash., will start at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Live video and statistics will be available for both games through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--