FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, November 8, 2016 8 Yellowjackets earn all-GNAC honors, Dragomir Newcomer of the Year
After leading the GNAC in goals scored with 12, senior Julien Dragomir highlights eight MSUB men’s soccer players to earn all-GNAC recognition announced on Tuesday. PORTLAND, Ore. – For the second year in-a-row, the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team has yielded the top goal scorer in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and the league’s Newcomer of the Year, as senior forward Julien Dragomir highlighted eight Yellowjackets to earn all-conference honors announced by the league office Tuesday. Dragomir was selected by the league’s coaches as the top newcomer, as well as a first-team all-GNAC pick, after scoring a dozen goals in his first and only season with MSUB after transferring from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Italians and first-year players Flavio Colasanti and Oliver Posarelli were also recognized, earning first-team and secondteam all-GNAC honors, respectively. On the honorable mention list were senior Thiago Novis, juniors Ricardo Palomino and Niklas Schregel, sophomore Guillaume Kremer, and freshman JD Hauenstein.
“This is the first time we have had eight players on the allconference team, and it is another sign that our program is progressing in the right direction,” said fourth-year head coach Alex Balog. “We make it a priority in our recruiting to make sure we bring in firepower every year, and our efforts have been rewarded with an attacking player receiving Newcomer of the Year for two years in-a-row.” Following Palomino’s 16-goal, Newcomer of the Yearperformance in the 2015 season, Dragomir helped the ‘Jackets top last season’s mark of 35 goals and score 40 this fall. The senior had three multi-goal performances, including a hat trick against Saint Martin’s on Senior Day last Thursday. He also chipped in four assists, and finished second in the conference with 28 points. Colasanti and Posarelli were the only two Yellowjackets to start and play all 18 matches of the season, and the former led the team and ranked third in the GNAC with seven assists. Colasanti scored his first and only goal of the year on Senior Day, and was invaluable in every game as a central midfielder. “Alongside Julien, Flavio contributed tremendously both on and off the field,” Balog said. “I am very proud of these guys for all of the work they have put in, and for what they’ve done for the program. To see them get recognized by other coaches from our conference shows how well and consistently they played throughout the season.” Julien Dragomir (left) led the GNAC with 12 goals scored this season.
A true freshman, Posarelli slotted in as a starting center back and led the team with 1,609 minutes played. He also scored three goals and had two assists, and earned a GNAC Player of the Week award. Hauenstein led all GNAC freshmen with 11 total points, as he scored four goals and added three assists. The first-year player saw action in all 18 games and started seven, while placing 12 of his 19 shots on target. Kremer, another first-year player, started 16 matches at holding midfielder and wore the captain’s arm band for the ‘Jackets. Ranking second on the team with six assists, Kremer also scored one goal and notched 1,435 minutes played directly in front of the back line. Palomino and Novis ranked second and third on the team, respectively, in goals scored, as the duo combined with Dragomir accounted for 23 of the team’s 40 goals. Palomino found the net six times and had two assists, while starting 10 games and playing in 14. He now has 22 goals in his career after earning first-team all-GNAC and all-region honors in 2015 for leading the region in goals. Novis scored five times and added three assists, while playing in 17 matches and earning 14 starts.
Returning after a torn ACL suffered last year, Schregel was an effective force for MSUB in the center of the midfield. The junior scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in a 1-0 home victory over Seattle Pacific on Oct. 22. He started 13 games and played in all 18, totaling 1,191 minutes on the season. MSUB tied for the second-most all-conference selections, as Northwest Nazarene also had eight and GNAC Champion Simon Fraser totaled nine. MSUB also had two of the four freshmen to earn all-league recognition. The Clan claimed the other four major awards, including Player of the Year Adam Jones, Defensive Player of the Year Magnus Kristensen, Freshman of the Year Riley Pang, and co-Coach of the Year Clint Schneider. Western Washington University head coach Greg Brisbon also earned a share of the co-Coach of the Year title, after piloting the Vikings into the NCAA west region tournament with the No. 6 seed. MSUB finished the 2016 season with a mark of 9-6-3, and wound up fourth in the GNAC standings at 5-4-3 in league play. MSUB was ranked No. 10 in the final regional rankings by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--