MSUB Women'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 MSUB women return home, set for MSUB Kicks Cancer on Saturday

MSUB women’s soccer returns from a four-game road trip to host a pair of GNAC opponents this weekend in conference play at Yellowjacket Field, with MSUB Kicks Cancer day scheduled for Saturday.

BILLINGS, Mont. – Returning home this weekend after a tough four-game road trip, the Montana State University Billings women’s soccer team will host Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents Seattle Pacific University and Saint Martin’s University at Yellowjacket Field.

MSUB (5-4-2, 3-3-1 GNAC) will take on No. 19 Seattle Pacific in the only regular-season meeting between the teams this season on Thursday at 1 p.m. The ‘Jackets will then face Saint Martin’s on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., and will wear pink warmup t-shirts to show support for the battle against cancer.

Both matches will feature live video and statistics available through MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal, and will be part of a doubleheader with the MSUB men’s soccer team.

“SPU is a tough team,” said MSUB head coach Wojtek Krakowiak. “We are going to come out strong on Thursday, give them a game, and get a good result.”

The Yellowjackets are coming off of back-to-back losses last week, falling at No. 3 Western Washington University 2-0 in Bellingham, Wash., after a 2-1 loss at Northwest Nazarene University.

MSUB’s last victory came against the Saints on Oct. 3 in Lacey, Wash., when three different players scored in a big 4-1 win.

“We have been traveling the last two weeks which has been tough, so we are really excited to be back home,” said Yellowjacket senior Teegan Koster. “Right now our system is working really well. The forwards are creating a lot, and we have been really solid in the back.”

SEASON-HIGH SAVES FOR HOPPS: With one of her best performances of the season on Saturday, freshman goalkeeper Chloe Hopps recorded eight saves against the Vikings and helped the Yellowjackets remain close throughout the match.

The teams were scoreless at halftime, and Hopps had numerous shot denials that prevented WWU from building its lead early.

She also made six saves against Northwest Nazarene, giving her 14 total on the weekend and 33 on the season. Hopps has started nine matches and holds a goals-against average of 1.05 with two shutouts and 856 minutes played.

“Chloe has been an amazing addition to our team this year,” commented junior center back Kari Kastelic. “She reads the game very well, is very confident back there, and maintains constant communication. She has kept us in a lot of games this season.”

ON THE WRIGHT TRACK: Alycia Wright scored for the second game in a row against the Crusaders, upping her goal total on the year to four. She has started 8 of 11 matches as a true freshman, and ranks second on the team with 23 shots.

“Alycia has really stepped up,” Koster said on the play of Wright.

“Coming in as a freshman is hard, and just to see her get on the field, put in the work ethic that she does, and put those goals away is awesome.”

Koster earned her first assist of the year on Wright’s goal, finding the freshman with a through ball towards the top of the box and watching as the shot curled smoothly into the net.

Freshman Alycia Wright.

Leading the squad offensively is Jessica Spang, who has five goals and four assists for 14 points on the year. Spang has played 991 minutes in 11 starts, leading the team with 26 shots and placing more than half of them on target for a shots-on-goal percentage of .538.

MINUTES STREAK INTACT: Kastelic and Katlyn Lokay kept their minutes played streaks intact, each playing all 180 minutes in MSUB’s two matches last week. Both players have played every minute on the season (1,057), anchoring MSUB’s back line as central defenders.

Lokay jumped to No. 10 in the MSUB record books for career minutes played, and is approaching 6,000 in her four years at 5,864.

MSUB Women’s Soccer – Career Minutes Played Leaders Rk. Name Minutes Years 1.

Jennifer Larsen 6,569 2009-12 2.

Jaucelyn Richter 6,403 2009-12 3.

Megan Plank 6,377 2003-06 4.

Mandy Ploskanka 6,107 2005-08 5.

Carly Valentine 6,100 2007-10 6.

Ally Stroup 6,006 2003-06 7.

Kari Foreman 5,998 2007-10 8.

Sam Boehm 5,976 2006, 2008-10 9.

Abby Bennett 5,869 2004-07 10.

Katlyn Lokay 5,864 2012-15 Freshman Sarah Coghlan has started the last four matches defensively, and joined Lokay and Kastelic in playing all 180 minutes last weekend. Coghlan placed the one shot she took on target, and holds a solid shots-on-goal percentage of .571 on the season.

GRIGLIO EARNING MORE MINUTES: Since a breakout performance with two goals against the Saints, freshman Bailey Griglio has started three matches in a row as a midfielder for the ‘Jackets. Griglio played 54 minutes against the Crusaders and 66 against the Vikings, recording a shot in each contest. She will look to repeat her feat of scoring twice the last time her team took on SMU. HOWARD IN THE MID: Senior Elizabeth Howard had another complete-game effort against NNU, playing all 90 minutes, recording two shots and serving in three corner kicks. On the year she has distributed 37 of MSUB’s 41 corner kicks, and has a goal and an assist.

As a team, MSUB’s goals-against average of 1.09 is fifth-best in the GNAC, as the ‘Jackets have given up just 12 goals this season.

Thursday, October 15 – #19 Seattle Pacific University Falcons – 1 p.m.

2015 Record: 8-2-1, 4-2-1 GNAC Head Coach: Arby Busey, 1st season 2014 Record: 12-5-3, 9-3-2 GNAC Having won three matches in-a-row, SPU jumped to No. 19 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America top-25 poll released Tuesday.

Most recently, SPU defeated Concordia University 3-1 in Seattle, before handing Western Oregon a 3-1 loss in Monmouth, Ore. Reigning GNAC Player of the Week Hannah Huesers is coming off a hat trick against the Wolves, as she now leads the GNAC in scoring on the season with 10 goals. Senior Laura Moore has scored four times for SPU, as the two players have combined for 14 of the Falcons’ 18 goals on the season.

Isabel Farrell, the 2014 GNAC Player of the Year, has two goals and four assists this year, playing 895 minutes in 10 starts.

In goal, Molly Stinson has played every minute for SPU, picking up four shutouts and holding a goals-against average of 0.70.

Defensively, the Falcons have limited opponents to eight goals on the season, while holding teams to 8.7 shots per game.

The Series: SPU has a 16-4 advantage over MSUB, and the teams have tied once in 21 historic meetings.

Last Time Out: The Falcons edged the ‘Jackets 1-0 in the semifinals of the 2014 GNAC Championships, in SPU’s first win of the season against MSUB. The Yellowjackets picked up a huge 2-1 victory over the Falcons at home on Sept. 27, before a 0-0 double-overtime draw in Seattle on Oct. 9 last season.

Saturday, October 15 – Saint Martin’s University Saints – 3:30 p.m. **MSUB KICKS CANCER DAY 2015 Record: 1-9, 0-6 GNAC Head Coach: Rob Walker, 9th season 2014 Record: 3-13-2, 2-10-1 GNAC Still searching for its first GNAC win of the season, SMU has lost six matches in a row and scored just twice during that time span.

The Saints will host Western Oregon on Thursday before traveling to Billings to challenge the Yellowjackets on Saturday.

Kelli Bannerman and Abby McFaul are leading SMU this season with three goals apiece, and Hannah Frakes has scored twice. McFaul also has three of SMU’s eight assists on the year, and is pacing the squad with 27 shots and 13 on target.

Three different players have started in goal for the Saints, with Sunny DeBoer earning most of the minutes with 382 and a goals-against average of 2.35.

SMU has allowed 27 goals while scoring just 10, and opponents are averaging 17 shots per game against the Saints.

The Series: MSUB improved to 10-5 alltime against SMU with the victory last time the teams met, and there have been two draws between the teams as well.

Last Time Out: Griglio found the net twice, and Wright and Dana Lubieniecki also scored as the ‘Jackets rolled to a 4-1 triumph in Lacey, Wash.

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