MSUB Men's Soccer Preview 9-22-15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, September 22, 2015 Yellowjacket men prepare to face WWU, SFU this weekend at home

Continuing GNAC play this weekend, the MSUB men’s soccer team hosts Western Washington and Simon Fraser at home on Thursday and Saturday.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Coming off of an emphatic 4-0 road victory over the University of Mary to begin its 2015 Great Northwest Athletic Conference season, the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team returns home to Yellowjacket Field to host two more conference opponents this weekend.

The Yellowjackets (3-1-1) will welcome Western Washington University on Thursday for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff, before facing Simon Fraser University on Saturday at 4 p.m. Each match will be part of a doubleheader with the Yellowjacket women’s soccer team, which hosts Western Oregon on Thursday at 4 p.m. and Concordia University (Ore.) on Saturday at noon in a pair of GNAC matches.

“From our perspective, nothing has changed and the only thing we are focused on right now is our video session this afternoon,” commented MSUB head coach Alex Balog. “We will look at the things that we did well and try to learn from the things that we didn’t do as well as we would have liked to. Once we get to the game against Western Washington that will be our focus, but we aren’t thinking too far ahead of ourselves.”

Live video and statistics will be available for all of this weekend’s matches via MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal here.

The Yellowjackets have started the conference portion of their schedule 1-0 after the win over Mary, while Simon Fraser and Western Washington battled to a 2-2 double-overtime draw last Saturday.

“Overall, it was a very good team performance,” Balog commented on his team’s victory last weekend. “One thing we were very happy with was a clean sheet. I think defensively we didn’t give one clear scoring opportunity away to Mary.”

HAIR SHY OF A HAT TRICK: Ricardo Palomino was responsible for two of MSUB’s four goals on Saturday, and came inches away from his second hat trick of the season as his shot in the 73rd minute glanced off the far post. The play still proved productive however, as David Loeung was there to finish MSUB’s fourth goal and Palomino was credited with an assist.

CONFERENCE SCORING LEADERS: Palomino maintained a firm lead among GNAC scoring leaders, as he paces the conference with eight goals through his first five matches. Loeung and MSUB’s Julian Toenges are currently tied for third in the conference as the duo has three goals apiece.

Palomino, Toenges, and Loeung rank first-through-third in the GNAC in points with 18, 10, and eight, respectively.

Toenges ranks second behind Northwest Nazarene’s Julio Castillo in assists with four to go along with his three goals.

“I look up to Julian a lot just because we have the same playing style and I admire him every time he is on the ball,” freshman midfielder Jacob Richter commented on Toenges’s leadership.

IN THE NATION: Palomino ranks No. 4 in all of Division II with his eight goals, and is third in goals per game with 1.60.

Toenges’s four assists are tied for 15th most in the nation, and he is tied for 40th in total points with 10. Palomino’s point total of 18 is good enough for sixth in the NCAA. CLEANING UP ON D: Over its last three matches, MSUB has allowed just one goal while scoring 14. The ‘Jackets have given up just five shots in each of their last two matches, helping protect goalkeeper Tom Lohmann as he has been required to make just two saves during that time span.

Senior captain Cameron Lee and junior Tom Saltwell have anchored the center of MSUB’s defense, working well with outside backs Garret Robinson and Sam Butterworth to lock down their opponents. Butterworth also contributed with an assist on Saturday, pushing forward and feeding Toenges on a through ball that wound up in the back of the net.

FRESH LEGS FROM FRESHMEN: Four of MSUB’s freshmen this season have seen action in at least two matches, as the group has collectively provided quality minutes off the bench and given the Yellowjackets depth. Richter has earned one start and has covered 136 minutes over four matches, and notched his first collegiate point with an assist to Palomino in his hometown of Bismarck, N.D., on Saturday. Adam Hepburn has also played in all four matches in his first season, and has also turned in an assist on the season for the ‘Jackets.

Freshman Midfielder Jacob Richter.

“We are really clicking right now offensively, and the team is moving forward in a good direction,” Hepburn said. “As a freshman it is hard coming in and playing a lot right away, but the guys on the team really help you out. They give tons of advice, especially the guys from all of the other countries. It is a lot of different styles you have to come in and try to figure out, and it has been a really good experience to come into.”

SCHREGEL STEADY IN THE CENTER: Starting all five matches and scoring one goal this season has been sophomore center midfielder Niklas Schregel. In his second season as a Yellowjacket, Schregel has provided stability and consistency playing 330 minutes so far.

VERSATILITY KEY FOR LAMBERT: Junior Rhys Lambert has also been a key factor in the center of the field for MSUB, and the captain has filled in as a central midfielder and defender seeing time in all five matches so far. A secondteam all-GNAC pick a season ago, Lambert has played 355 minutes this season and has served as a valuable leadership figure for the ‘Jackets.

LOHMANN EARNS FIRST SHUTOUT: Lohmann recorded his first full shutout of the season in the blanking of Mary, as he and the defensive unit worked together to prevent the Marauders from any real scoring opportunities in the match. Lohmann has totaled 15 saves in 432 minutes this season, holding a goals-against average of 1.25 early on in 2015.

Sophomore Niklas Schregel.

NOVIS RETURNS: After suffering an injury towards the end of MSUB’s preseason, junior transfer Thiago Novis had been sidelined for MSUB’s first four regular season matches. The striker was cleared to play on Saturday, and fired his first career shot as a Yellowjacket in 32 minutes of action.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER: The Yellowjackets lead the GNAC in points as a team with 46, which is 13 more than the next closest team (Northwest Nazarene, 33). The ‘Jackets (16) and Crusaders (10) are the only two teams in the conference to break double digits in scoring so far, and MSUB’s 16 total goals are tied for 19th most in all of Division II through five matches.

MSUB also leads the GNAC in assists with 14, one more than NNU’s total of 13. While the offense has driven MSUB’s early success, the Yellowjackets also rank towards the top of the GNAC defensively having allowed the fourth-fewest goals (6) and holding the fourth-best goals-against average (1.15).

Thursday, September 24 – Western Washington University Vikings – 1:30 p.m.

2015 Record: 3-1-1, 0-0-1 GNAC Head Coach: Greg Brisbon, 3rd season 2014 Record: 9-8-1, 7-6-1 GNAC The Vikings have mirrored MSUB’s 3-1-1 start to the season but have done so in dramatically different fashion. Despite scoring just six goals so far this season, WWU has surrendered just five in getting off to a strong start.

Each goal has come from a different player this season for WWU, and Jeremy Wentzel leads the team with three assists.

Brady Ulen and Sawyer Preston have each scored and started all five matches for third-year head coach Greg Brisbon, while junior goalkeeper Tyler Visten has played every minute.

The Vikings opened their season at home, battling Cal State Los Angeles to a 1-1 double-overtime draw before defeating UC San Diego 2-0 in early September. WWU then traveled to California and defeated Cal State East Bay 1-0 in double overtime before falling 2-0 at Notre Dame de Namur.

The Series: The Yellowjackets are 4-17-1 alltime against the Vikings, but the series has been even dating back to the 2011 season. In the last seven meetings between the teams, the series has been split 3-3-1.

Last Time Out: The Vikings scored a 2-1 victory at Yellowjacket Field to amend for a 1-0 loss at home against the Yellowjackets in the first meeting of the 2014 season. Lambert scored both of MSUB’s goals against WWU last season, including the game-winner in the 1-0 win at Harrington Field on the WWU campus.

Saturday, September 26 – Simon Fraser University Clan – 4 p.m.

2015 Record: 1-1-2, 0-0-1 GNAC Head Coach: Clint Schneider, 1st season 2014 Record: 11-5-2, 9-3-2 GNAC A perennial powerhouse in the NCAA over the past three seasons, SFU has gotten off to a 1-1-2 start in 2015. The Clan fell to Sonoma State 3-1 on the road to open their campaign, before a 1-1 draw against Cal Baptist and a 3-0 victory at home against Cal State San Bernardino.

Similar to WWU, SFU has outscored its opposition by just one goal this season, holding a 7-6 goal differential. Adam Jones and Kyle Jones are leading the squad with two goals apiece, and three other players have also scored for the Clan.

Returning veteran Brandon Watson has manned the goal box for every minute this season, recording one shutout and a goals-against average of 1.49 over the first four matches of his junior season.

SFU has placed 37 of its 76 shots on target, and Adam Jones leads the team with 16 shots so far.

The Series: The Yellowjackets have never defeated the Clan, with SFU holding a 15-0-2 alltime record against MSUB. Last Time Out: MSUB fell at home to SFU 3-1 on Oct. 25, 2014, after the teams battled to a 3-3 draw earlier in the season. Lambert and Butterworth each had an assist in the matches against SFU last season.

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