FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Thursday, August 20, 2015 Yellowjacket Women’s Soccer season preview
After finishing the 2014 season in second place in the GNAC with a record of 11-4-2, the MSUB women’s soccer team is set to make another run into the conference championship tournament this fall. BILLINGS, Mont. – Making the most significant improvement of any team in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference a season ago, the Montana State University Billings women’s soccer team rolled to an 11-4-2 record and finished in second place while earning a berth in the 2014 GNAC Championships. Looking to build off the momentum from last year’s championship tournament run, the Yellowjackets return several key experienced players and a strong group of newcomers as the 2015 fall season approaches. In the GNAC preseason coaches’ poll released Thursday, the ‘Jackets were ranked tied for third with Central Washington University. “Last season was a good year but this is a new season and we will need to start fresh,” said 2014 GNAC co-Coach of the Year Wojtek Krakowiak. “We are excited for the upcoming season and will be fighting to reach the GNAC Championships again.”
Returning for her fourth season with the Yellowjackets will be senior captain Katlyn Lokay, who plays a crucial role as a diverse midfielder and defender for MSUB. Lokay scored four goals – including one game-winner – while starting all 17 games and logging 1,527 minutes primarily as a midfielder in 2014. Entering her final college season, Lokay has scored seven goals and added three assists throughout her career. She was a second-team all-GNAC selection a season ago. “We are excited that Katlyn is a senior captain for us this season,” Krakowiak said. “I think she is an awesome person and definitely leads by example on the field. I am very positive that she will do a great job as a senior captain and lead us throughout the whole season.” Also serving as captains this season will be midfielder Dana Lubieniecki and defender Kari Kastelic. Lubieniecki scored a game-winning goal and had a pair of assists while starting 14 matches and playing in all 17 as a sophomore in 2014. En route to earning second-team all-conference honors, Kastelic played every minute of the season (1,590) as a central defender, and also pushed forward to score a pair of goals including a game-winner. Now with a year under her belt after transferring from New Mexico Highlands University, Kastelic will be called upon to fill an important leadership role as the ‘Jackets look to replicate their performance of just 12 goals allowed last year. “We are definitely excited that Dana and Kari are our captains, as they are both passionate and committed to MSUB,” Krakowiak commented on the juniors. “They both did an awesome job during the spring, and grew a little bit into their leadership roles. They will definitely help us to go deep in the GNAC.” Another newcomer to the MSUB program last year was Elizabeth Howard, who started four matches and played in eight before a season-ending knee injury. After making a full recovery in the offseason, Howard figures to see increased minutes in the midfield for the Yellowjackets as a senior in 2015. 2015 Captains Dana Lubieniecki, Kari Kastelic, and Katlyn Lokay.
“It’s awesome to see Izzi healthy,” said Krakowiak. “She has been working really hard throughout the spring and summer, and she looks very healthy. She’s one of the seniors, and to have her back on the field as one of the leaders is very instrumental to our team. She definitely brings a lot of passion to the game, and will be one of our leaders as well.” Seniors Teegan Koster and Ashely Marra will also factor in for the ‘Jackets this season, taking on roles on the defensive unit and in the midfield, respectively. Each now in their fourth season in the program, Koster saw action in 10 games while Marra played in all 17 and had a pair of big assists during the 2014 campaign. “Ashely and Teegan will definitely help us being experienced players,” Krakowiak said. “They are both seniors, have been to two GNAC tournaments, and they know exactly what it takes to get there. I’m excited for them and looking forward to coaching them their senior year.”
Taking on an increased load after the loss of Howard last season, then-sophomore Brittney Greenback stepped into the MSUB midfield and started a dozen games while playing in 16. Greenback is now an experienced veteran on the squad who will be looked upon to solidify MSUB’s midfield and bolster its defense. “Brittney had a very good, healthy spring,” Krakowiak said. “She scored a couple of goals and sits really well for us as a holding midfielder. She is very aggressive going forward and is dangerous with her shooting ability.” Breaking into the college game quickly as a freshman last year, Jessica Spang made a name for herself with two goals and three assists while seeing action in all 17 games. The Skyview High School graduate started 10 contests and passed the 1,000-minute barrier, while placing four of her 11 shots on target. “Jessica had a strong freshman year,” said Krakowiak. “She is the 2015 Seniors Katlyn Lokay, Ashely Marra, Teegan Koster, and kind of person who can take a lot of responsibilities on her Izzi Howard. shoulders, and it is awesome for us as a coaching staff to have a player like that. Jessica never complains, does what she is supposed to do and more, and is a very intelligent and smart player on the ball and off the ball.” Eleven freshmen and two juniors comprise the new cast for the Yellowjackets in 2015, as MSUB added depth and strong potential at every position on the field. Headlining the cast is junior transfer Hayley Warren, a forward from Maple Valley, Wash., who led the Northwest Athletic Conference in scoring in each of her two seasons at Shoreline Community College. In two seasons, Warren scored 49 goals and added 20 assists while being selected as the NWAC’s Most Valuable Player in 2014. “We are definitely excited about Hayley coming here, as she had a really good career at Shoreline,” Krakowiak said regarding his lone transfer for the 2015 season. “Hayley is a target player for us because of her size, and she can hold the ball and change the game because of her physical presence on the field. We are looking forward to coaching her and having her for the next two years.” Returning to the program in 2015 is junior Lindsay Lucore, who broke in with the Yellowjackets during the 2013 season before sitting out in 2014. Lucore will provide further depth as a defender this season. “We are happy that Lindsay is back with the team,” said Krakowiak. “She did really well in the spring and definitely clicked with the team. She is very smart and composed as a defender and very skillful on the ball.” Joining Warren on the offensive front as newcomers will be Bailey Griglio, Alycia Wright, and Jordan Devoto. All three freshmen will factor into the conversation as forwards, as MSUB will look to build on its strong goal total of 25 from last fall. “Those three will definitely bring a spark to our offense,” said Krakowiak. “They are offensive players and are all very smart on the ball with very good soccer IQs. Hopefully they will give us some depth in our offense.”
MSUB will also welcome intriguing talent on the defensive side of the ball, with three defenders and one midfielder among the robust freshman class. Dariann Oaks, Kienna Ogden, and Sarah Coghlan will each be in the mix to join MSUB’s defensive unit, while Allie Trizna will provide further depth in the midfield. The Yellowjackets will be in search of replacements for outside backs Jennifer Johnson and Jessie Mancilla, who each played every minute of the 2014 season on MSUB’s defense. “Those four players are definitely very competitive and strong on defense,” Krakowiak said of his freshman defenders. “Each of them brings different aspects to the game, and overall we want to have a strong defense. We are very confident that they will step up right away, adjust to our system and to our two center backs. We want them to learn the system quickly so we can gel together as a back four. I’m positive they have the skills to do that.” 2015 Freshman class (clockwise from upper left): Lili Delgadillo, Jordan Bethune, Chloe Hopps, Sarah Coghlan, Kaylee Praska, Dariann Oaks, Jordan Devoto, Bailey Griglio, Kienna Ogden, Alycia Wright, and Allie Trizna.
Where 2014 breakout senior goalkeeper Krystal Daniels left a void between the posts, four players are set to compete for minutes this fall. Sophomore Jordyn England and freshmen Chloe Hopps, Kaylee Praska, and Lili Delgadillo will each sport the gloves this season and protect MSUB’s net.
“We are excited to have four goalkeepers,” said Krakowiak. “There will be a very healthy partnership between them and hopefully they’ll be able to push each other and help each other. At this point all of them have to prove themselves. We are very excited about that and they will compete each day and slowly get better and better during our training.” MSUB’s first regular season game is set for Sept. 3 against Carroll College at Yellowjacket Field. The Yellowjackets will then travel to Bismarck, N.D., to challenge the University of Mary before a trip to California to face San Francisco State and the Academy of Art. With new GNAC member Concordia University (Ore.) joining the league this season, the ‘Jackets will play a modified conference schedule of 12 games. MSUB will play three in a row at home from Sept. 19-26, two more on Oct. 15 and 17, and its final home game of the year on Halloween for Senior Day. If the ‘Jackets can replicate last season’s performance and finish in the top-four in the regular season standings, they will advance to the GNAC Championships, scheduled for Nov. 5 and 7 hosted by Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. “We definitely have a challenging schedule with Concordia coming in, and our trips to Mary and California,” said Krakowiak. “We are excited to be playing some new teams, and we believe our three preseason scrimmages will get us ready for the season. All four of our nonconference games will be challenging ones. Any time we play a new team, it is always exciting, and California should be a good bonding trip for our players. After that, our GNAC season is starting, and we are looking forward to coaching the team and to a successful season. We will need to be ready for every team in the GNAC.” All of MSUB’s home games and select road contests will feature live video streaming and live statistics available online via MSUB’s Stretch Internet portal.
No. 8 22 6 15 14 12 10 11 21 1 3 4 23 24 17 2 0 5 18 00 7 9
Name Elizabeth Howard Teegan Koster Katlyn Lokay Ashely Marra Brittney Greenback Kari Kastelic Dana Lubieniecki Lindsay Lucore Hayley Warren Jordyn England Jessica Spang Jordan Bethune Sarah Coghlan Lili Delgadillo Jordan Devoto Bailey Griglio Chloe Hopps Dariann Oaks Kienna Ogden Kaylee Praska Allie Trizna Alycia Wright
2015 MSUB Women’s Soccer Roster by Class Pos. Ht. Cl. Exp. Hometown (Previous School) M 5-7 Sr. 1V Bristol, England (Arkansas State) D 5-4 Sr. 3V Sherwood, OR (Sherwood) D/M 5-5 Sr. 3V Boulder, CO (Boulder) M 5-4 Sr. 2V Las Vegas, NV (Valley) M 5-7 Jr. 2V Woodinville, WA (Woodinville) D 5-10 Jr. 1V Phoenix, AZ (New Mexico Highlands) M 5-3 Jr. 2V Lakewood, CO (Bear Creek) D 5-6 Jr. HS Oceanside, CA (El Camino) F 5-11 Jr. TR Maple Valley, WA (Shoreline CC) G 5-5 So. SQ Stanwood, WA (Stanwood) F 5-5 So. 1V Billings, MT (Skyview) F 5-8 Fr. HS Camas, WA (Camas) D 5-6 Fr. HS Billings, MT (Billings Senior) G 5-8 Fr. HS Vancouver, WA (Columbia River) F 5-7 Fr. HS Wilsall, MT (Park) M/F 5-4 Fr. HS Covington, WA (Kentwood) G 5-7 Fr. HS Kent, WA (Kentlake) D 5-10 Fr. HS Kennewick, WA (Kamiakin) D 5-5 Fr. HS Boise, ID (Rocky Mountain) G 5-6 Fr. HS Pocatello, ID (Century) M 5-4 Fr. HS Highlands Ranch, CO (Valor Christian) F 5-6 Fr. HS Arvada, CO (Jefferson Academy Secondary) --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--