MSUB Men's Soccer Preview 10/20/15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Tuesday, October 20, 2015 Second-place ‘Jackets hit road for 4-game GNAC trip

After climbing to second place in the GNAC standings and earning Red Lion Team of the Week with two wins last week, the MSUB men’s soccer team is on the road for four straight matches beginning Thursday.

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s soccer standings are no less crowded this week than they were last week, and the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team used a pair of home victories to remain in the thick of the title hunt in second place with 17 points.

The Yellowjackets (7-3-3, 5-2-2 GNAC) trail only nationally-ranked Seattle Pacific (10-1-2, 6-1-2 GNAC, 20 points), which is No. 9 in this week’s National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America top-25 poll. This week, the ‘Jackets cracked into the NSCAA regional rankings, appearing at No. 10 in the west and joining GNAC opponents Northwest Nazarene (No. 6) and Seattle Pacific (No. 2).

MSUB has used its current three-game winning streak to keep pace with SPU, as well as Northwest Nazarene (third place, 16 points), and Simon Fraser (fourth place, 15 points), as the second-through-fourth teams are all separated by a point.

GNAC Men’s Soccer Standings Snapshot – 10/20/2015 Rk. School Points 1. Seattle Pacific 20 2. MSU Billings 17 3. Northwest Nazarene 16 4. Simon Fraser 15 --------------------------------------------6. Western Washington 8 *Bold – MSUB’s opponents this week.

This week, MSUB will be tested on the road against the Clan in Burnaby, British Columbia, before crossing back into the United States to take on Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash. Thursday’s tilt against SFU will be under the lights, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Mountain time, as will Saturday’s against WWU at 8 p.m. Mountain time. Live video and live statistics will be available for both matches through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal.

“We are peaking at the right time towards the end of the season,” commented MSUB head coach Alex Balog. “Our motto all season long has been to focus on the process and not on the goal. We have a dream for sure, and we may be coming a little closer to that dream, but the only thing we are interested in right now is this afternoon’s training session.”

The Yellowjackets are coming off their most inspirational victory of the season, overcoming a 2-0 halftime deficit on Saturday to stun Concordia University and pull off a 3-2 win.

The triumph came thanks in large part to the heroics of sophomore forward Ricardo Palomino, who scored his second hat trick of the season in the second half to lift the ‘Jackets to victory.

His three goals upped his season total to 16, a mark that ranks No. 2 in all of the NCAA Division II as of Tuesday and far and away leads the GNAC. Palomino’s 34 points make him the GNAC leader in that category as well, and the total stands as fifth-best in Division II. In his first year at MSUB, Palomino has had a knack for multi-goal performances (5) and game-winning goals (5), the latter of which is one away from the Division II leaders at six. Among players in the GNAC who average at least one shot per game, Palomino has the highest shot percentage at .356. This metric measures the percentage of shots taken that result in goals, and with 16 goals on just 45 total shots, Palomino has proven to be one of the most efficient shot takers in the nation.

Sophomore Ricardo Palomino (center) is swarmed by teammates after scoring the first of three goals against Concordia on Saturday.

FEEDING THE BEAST: Among Palomino’s 16 goals, eight different players have provided assists. Junior Julian Toenges has connected with Palomino most frequently, with five of his GNAC-second best eight assists coming on Palomino goals. Junior Thiago Novis is the other Yellowjacket to have assisted Palomino on multiple goals, both coming in the same match at Concordia.

“Ricardo is the best striker I have ever played with,” Toenges commented on his chemistry with Palomino. “I’ve never seen a guy score so many goals in a season like he has so far. I always know where he is going and I know his runs, and we connect very well together.”

Palomino Assistors Name Julian Toenges Thiago Novis Sam Butterworth David Loeung Jorge Paez Jacob Richter Guido Riffeser Garret Robinson

Assists 5 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

In addition to Toenges’ eight assists, he has found the net three times this year and ranks fourth in the GNAC in Junior Julian Toenges had the assist on Ricardo Palomino's game-winning goal against the Vikings in total points with 14. In his second season with the ‘Jackets, Toenges has a 1-0 triumph in Billings on Sept. 24. started all 13 matches and is one of just three field players to have passed 1,000 minutes played on the season.

FERNANDO’S FANTASTIC FINISH: While Toenges did not assist on any of Palomino’s goals last week, he did play the cross on the Yellowjackets’ game-winner against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday. Patiently carrying the ball down the left side, Toenges waited out three defenders before rolling a cross through the box. On the receiving end was senior Fernando Perez, who tucked a one-time, left-footed shot into the upper-right corner of the goal to give the ‘Jackets a 1-0 second-half lead.

The goal was the second of the season for Perez, who has started five matches and played in all 13, totaling 670 minutes. Both of the midfielder’s shots on goal this season have ended up in the back of the net.

CENTER OF ATTENTION: While the offensive heroics by Palomino and Perez helped the ‘Jackets to their two wins last week, it was the strong play of MSUB’s defensive unit that helped earn its fourth shutout of the year over NNU on Thursday. Center backs Cameron Lee and Tom Saltwell helped keep one of the top offenses in the conference quiet, limiting NNU to four shots on target.

When the Crusaders did place the ball on frame, junior goalkeeper Tom Lohmann was there every time as he picked up his third shutout of the year and made three saves in the victory.

While Lee and Saltwell anchored the defensive line in the center, outside backs Sam Butterworth and Garret Robinson each pushed forward and pressured offensively for the ‘Jackets. Both players wound up with an assist last weekend, with Robinson playing all 180 minutes and Butterworth totaling 168.

“Our performance was a superb shutout for the whole team, as we all had to do a job defensively,” Saltwell commented on Thursday’s victory.

“Tactically we played outstanding, and a lot of credit has to go to the forwards such as Ricardo and wingers such as Thiago and Julian because they had to work very defensively that game.”

STROM STARTS STRONG IN SECOND: With the ‘Jackets trailing 2-0 at halftime and desperately needing fresh energy, sophomore Strom Nuernberger stepped up and started the second 45 minutes for the ‘Jackets. Turning in his best performance of the year, the Billings Senior High School graduate played 42 minutes in the midfield.

Nuernberger was part of some excellent quick, combination play that nearly resulted in a goal for the ‘Jackets. First connecting on a give-and-go with Butterworth in the midfield, Nuernberger continued a run down the left side and played a quick one-two with Palomino in the attacking third. The momentum carried him into the box, but his shot towards goal missed just wide of the far post.

OTHER NOTES: Junior Rhys Lambert turned in a strong 90-minute effort in the shutout win over NNU, playing the crucial role of holding midfielder as the ‘Jackets silenced the ‘Saders…sophomore Niklas Schregel suffered an injury in the waning minutes against Concordia, and has been ruled out for this weekend’s matches…senior Guido Riffeser started both matches last week, distributing the ball well out of the midfield and totaling 98 minutes in the two games…Jacob Richter provided a crucial boost in the match against NNU, eating up 42 minutes and nearly scoring in a one-on-one with the Crusaders’ goalkeeper.

AMONG THE GNAC RANKS: Boasting the best offense in the conference, MSUB leads the GNAC in points (88), goals (31), goals per game (2.38), assists (26), and assists per game (2.00). The ‘Jackets have been remarkably efficient as a group, ranking just fourth in shots (176) and fifth in shots per game (13.54) despite leading the league in every major offensive category.

A far cry from last season’s minus-5 goal differential (23 goals scored, 28 allowed), the Yellowjackets have been stingy defensively as well with a fourth-best 1.24 goals-against average. MSUB has surrendered 17 goals on the season, and its four shutouts also rank fourth in the conference.

AMONG THE NCAA RANKS: The Yellowjackets’ highly-potent offense ranks No. 26 in the NCAA with 2.38 goals per game, while MSUB’s 6.77 points per contest are 24th most. MSUB’s 31 total goals are 23rd in the nation, and its 88 points are 24th.Thursday, October 22 – at Simon Fraser University Clan – 8:30 p.m. MTN 2015 Record: 5-3-4, 4-2-3 GNAC Head Coach: Clint Schneider, 1st season 2014 Record: 11-5-2, 9-3-2 GNAC Meeting in Billings on Sept. 26, the Clan and Yellowjackets battled to a 1-1 double-overtime draw at Yellowjacket Field. Lambert struck first for MSUB with a header goal on an assist by Butterworth in the 24th minute, but the Clan equalized with a penalty kick in the 57th minute as each team earned a point in the result.

Senior Fernando Perez (21) fights for the ball against SFU's Mateo Espinosa during a match in Billings in late September.

SFU has lost just once in its last seven matches, falling 3-2 at Seattle Pacific on Oct. 15. Otherwise, SFU has gone 4-0-2 dating back to the draw against the ‘Jackets, and is coming off of a 1-0 road win over Saint Martin’s last Saturday.

The Clan enter Thursday’s match just two points behind the ‘Jackets, and will also host the University of Mary this week on Saturday.

Emerging as one of the top threats in the conference, Adam Jones ranks third in the GNAC and tops on the team with six goals on the season. He has also added a pair of assists for 14 total points. Mamadi Camara (4 goals) and Kyle Jones (3 goals) have also been offensive weapons for SFU. Robert Hyams has started all 12 matches and Anthony Van De Vendel has started 11 as two of the key contributors on the defensive unit for SFU. The Clan has allowed just 11 goals on the season, a total that ranks second best in the GNAC. SFU goalkeeper Brandon Watson has started all 12 games, ranking among the conference’s leaders in goals-against average (0.88, 3rd), save percentage (.744, 4th), and shutouts (6, 2nd).

The Series: The ‘Jackets are still in search of their first-ever win against SFU, as the Clan holds a 15-0-3 advantage after the draw earlier this season. Two of the three draws in the series have come in the past three meetings between the teams, hinting that MSUB could be on the verge of its first-ever triumph over its international foe.

Saturday, October 24 – Western Washington University Vikings – 8 p.m. MTN 2015 Record: 4-6-3, 2-5-2 GNAC Head Coach: Greg Brisbon, 3rd season 2014 Record: 9-8-1, 7-6-1 GNAC A 1-0 win over the Vikings capped off a four-game winning streak for the ‘Jackets the last time the two teams met, as Palomino capitalized on a pass from Toenges for the only goal of the game.

Since then, WWU has gone 2-4-1 and has dropped its last two matches to sink to sixth place in the GNAC standings. Last week, the Vikings were shut out on the road by Seattle Pacific 4-0, after falling to Saint Martin’s 2-1 on a goal conceded with just two seconds left on the clock.

The Vikings are being led by Adam Talley offensively, who has three goals and two assists for eight points. Kurtis Pederson, Eleazar Galvan, and Conner Pichette have each also scored twice, and Jeremy Wentzel leads the team with four assists.

Junior Rhys Lambert works against WWU's Adam Talley on Sept. 24 in Billings.

Defensively, Sawyer Preston and Travis Bartels have started all 13 matches and each logged more than 1,000 minutes. In goal, Tyler Visten has started a dozen games and recorded three shutouts with a goals-against average of 1.56 in 1,153 minutes.

The Series: MSUB picked up its fifth-ever win against WWU last time, as the Vikings hold a 17-5-1 overall advantage over the ‘Jackets. One of MSUB’s two historic road victories against WWU came last season, when the ‘Jackets shut down the Vikings in a 1-0 win on Sept. 27, 2014.

Last Time Out: Lohmann had saves on all four of WWU’s shots on target, as he picked up one of his three shutouts on the season.