MSUB Men's Soccer Preview 10/13/15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, October 13, 2015 Yellowjacket men with 2 home matches this week, MSUB Kicks Cancer day Saturday

MSUB’s men’s soccer team completes a 4-game home stand this weekend, taking on Northwest Nazarene University and Concordia University at Yellowjacket Field.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Remaining at Yellowjacket Field for the back end of a 4-game home stand this weekend, the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team will host Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents Northwest Nazarene University and Concordia University (Ore.) on Thursday and Saturday.

The Yellowjackets (5-3-3, 3-2-2 GNAC) will face both teams for a second time this season, beginning with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against the Crusaders on Thursday. MSUB will then challenge the Cavaliers at 1 p.m. on Saturday, in a game tabbed as the Yellowjackets’ annual MSUB Kicks Cancer day. Yellowjacket players will sport pink within their outfits for Saturday’s game, recognizing and supporting the ongoing battle against cancer.

Both matches will feature live video and statistics available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal.

The Yellowjackets are currently in fourth place among a crowded GNAC standings board, with the top five teams being separated by just four points total. With 11 points, MSUB is just two behind second-place NNU and three behind firstplace Seattle Pacific.

Concordia sits just one point behind MSUB with 10, as both of the Yellowjackets’ matches this weekend could significantly impact the table. The two teams played to a 3-3 double-overtime draw in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 1, with each team holding the lead at different points during the first of two meetings on the season.

Against the Crusaders last time, MSUB conceded a goal in the first half and narrowly lost 1-0.

“The games against NNU and Concordia are going to be huge for us,” said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. “We needed a good performance to go into these games with confidence, and a lot of guys scored and we put in a good defensive effort (against Saint Martin’s).”

QUICK OFF THE KICKOFF: In their most recent match, the Yellowjackets made a statement early with a goal coming just 13 seconds in against Saint Martin’s. Junior Thiago Novis scored for the first time this season, collecting the seventh assist of the year

by Julian Toenges in front of the goal and putting the ball into the net.

The goal was reminiscent of a finish by Jorge Paez last season, which came just 10 seconds into a match against Colorado Mesa University on Sept. 14, 2014 at Yellowjacket Field.

“It was important for us to get that big win,” commented senior defender Garret Robinson regarding Saturday’s match. “We were coming off of a couple of tough losses, and we put in a really strong effort offensively and defensively.

Junior Thiago Novis.

FLURRY OF FIRSTS: Paez also scored his first goal of the season against the Saints on Saturday, as freshman Jacob Richter picked up the first of his two assists in the game with a through ball from the end line into the six-yard box.

Contributing his first goal of the season was senior Daragh Kavanagh, who scored MSUB’s lone goal in a 3-1 defeat against No. 18 Seattle Pacific last Thursday. Kavanagh was on the receiving end of a set-piece cross from Toenges, as he pushed home a goal in the 80th minute.

TONS OF TOUCHES FOR TOENGES: Among national leaders in assists this season, Toenges added two more last week as he now ranks No. 13 in all of the NCAA Division II. He is one assist behind NNU’s Julio Castillo, the GNAC leader. Toenges has also scored three times this season, giving him 13 points which are fourth-most in the conference.

REMARKABLE RICARDO: Though MSUB already had the lead 13 seconds into the match against the Saints, sophomore Ricardo Palomino doubled it just five minutes later with one of his best goals of the season. Receiving a pass from senior Guido Riffeser, Palomino fired a left-footed shot from the left corner of the goal box that bounced once, glanced off the far post and ended up in the back of the net.

The top-class finish was one of six shots on target for Palomino in the match, who scored again in the second half after earning a penalty kick.

Palomino leads the GNAC in goals (13), points (28), and game-winning goals (4), and ranks third in shots (40) and shots per game (3.64).

Among national leaders, Palomino’s four game-winners are second most, his 13 total goals are fifth most, his 2.55 points per game are sixth best, and his 28 total points are seventh most.

Within the context of MSUB history, Palomino’s 13 goals are fourth-most in a single season, while his 28 points are fifth most.

MSUB Men’s Soccer Record Book – Individual Goals, Single Season Rank Name Goals Season 1.

Sam Charles 24 2009 2.

Sam Charles 19 2008 Sam Charles 19 2007 4.

Ricardo Palomino 13 2015 5.

Thomas Pertuit 11 2004 Mark Cipolla 11 2002 MSUB Men’s Soccer Record Book – Individual Points, Single Season Rank Name Points Season 1.

Sam Charles 55 2009 2.

Sam Charles 44 2008 3.

Sam Charles 41 2007 4.

Mike Flaherty 29 1997 5.

Ricardo Palomino 28 2015 6.

Chris Andre 26 2010 7.

Thomas Pertuit 25 2004 LOHMANN DENIES PK: Being called on to make the toughest save in the sport, Yellowjacket goalkeeper Tom Lohmann kept MSUB’s clean sheet intact against the Saints as he stopped a penalty kick just before halftime. It was the lone save of the match for the junior, but he also impacted the game offensively as his long ball to Richter directly influenced the ensuing goal scored by Paez.

ROBINSON BACK STRONGER THAN EVER: After missing the entire 2014 season with an injury, Robinson has returned strongly for the Yellowjackets and has started all 11 matches as an outside back. He leads the team in minutes played among field players with 956, playing a crucial role on MSUB’s defensive unit.Close behind Robinson in minutes played is senior captain Cameron Lee, who has started 10 matches and racked up 891 minutes in his final collegiate campaign as a center back.

SALTWELL, BUTTERWORTH BACK: After missing previous games with injuries, senior Sam Butterworth and junior Tom Saltwell each returned to

Senior Guido Riffeser.

MSUB’s back line last weekend. Butterworth has a pair of assists on the season in nine matches, while Saltwell has also started nine and has totaled 722 minutes.

Also battling injury early this season was Riffeser, who made the most of his first start of the year with the assist on Palomino’s first goal. Riffeser has played in four matches for the ‘Jackets and has placed two of his four shots on target.

LAMBERT FINDS THE NET: For the second time this season, junior Rhys Lambert put away a header goal as he found Richter’s corner kick just before halftime and gave MSUB a 4-0 edge on Saturday.

After scoring five times last season, Lambert has scored twice filling in key roles as a center back and in the midfield in his second year at MSUB. With 23 assists on the year, MSUB not only leads the GNAC but also ranks 20th in the NCAA in that category. The Yellowjackets’ 7.0 points per game ranks No. 19, their total points (77) ranks 24th, and their total goals (27) ranks 25th among national team leaders.

Junior Rhys Lambert (left) and senior Fernando Perez.

Thursday, October 15 – Northwest Nazarene University Crusaders – 3:30 p.m.

2015 Record: 8-3-1, 4-2-1 GNAC Head Coach: Coe Michaelson, 8th season 2014 Record: 15-4-1, 11-2-1 GNAC

Being ranked as high as No. 12 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America top-25 this season, the Crusaders suffered back-to-back defeats on the road last week to fall out of the national rankings.

NNU lost to Western Washington University 2-1 in overtime in Bellingham, Wash., two days after being shut out 2-0 by Simon Fraser University across the border in Burnaby, B.C. The Crusaders had given up just four goals on the season before conceding four more last weekend, but the team has still scored twice as many (16) as it has given up and ranks second in the GNAC in scoring behind MSUB. Alex Mitrovic and Abraham Placito lead the squad with four goals apiece, while Castillo has scored three times and is the conference’s leader in assists with eight.

Ryan Foo remains as the lone goalkeeper for the Crusaders this season, totaling six shutouts, 31 saves, and a goalsagainst average of 0.64 while playing all 1,117 minutes this season.

Luke Broz is the only player besides Mitrovic, Placito, and Foo who has started all 12 matches, and he has scored and turned in a pair of assists for NNU. The Series: NNU is 12-8 alltime against MSUB with two draws in the mix as well. The Crusaders hold seven-match unbeaten streak against the Yellowjackets dating back to the 2012 season.

Last Time Out: It was Broz who found the net in the 19th minute, scoring the lone goal of the 1-0 win for NNU on an assist by Castillo on Oct. 3 in Nampa, Idaho.

Saturday, October 17 – Concordia University Cavaliers – 1 p.m. **MSUB KICKS CANCER DAY 2015 Record: 4-2-4, 2-1-4 GNAC Head Coach: Dan Birkey, 28th season 2014 Record: 13-5, 12-2 CCC The Cavaliers have played to two straight draws and four overall in their last five matches, but have not lost since Sept.

19 during a six-match unbeaten streak.

Last week, CU went on the road and drew Western Washington 3-3 before battling Simon Fraser to a scoreless stalemate in a pair of double-overtime games.

The Cavs are currently in the thick of a four-game road trip, and will challenge the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. on Thursday before arriving at Yellowjacket Field to face MSUB on Saturday.

Leading the team and ranking second in the GNAC to MSUB’s Palomino in scoring is Matt Paine, who has found the net seven times and added five assists for a team-best 19 points. Ben Culpan has scored three times for CU, and Tyler Hoiem and Brady Sanders have each found the net twice.

CU has outscored its opponents 20-15 on the year, with assists coming on 14 of the team’s 20 goals.

Arne Niermann and Mitch McCaw have been splitting time in goal as of late, with the latter holding a goals-against average of 0.89 with only six goals allowed in 605 minutes played.

The Series: The last match between the two teams was the first ever, as the series remained even with a 3-3 draw.

Last Time Out: Palomino scored twice for MSUB, and Niklas Schregel gave the Yellowjackets the lead in the 66th minute with his second goal of the season. MSUB couldn’t hold onto the lead late however, as CU equalized on a penalty kick in the 82nd minute and neither side scored in the 20 extra minutes of overtime.

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