August 14, 2007
Jacket Men Picked Fourth in GNAC
BILLINGS, Mont. – Entering
its first season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference,
the Montana State Billings men’s soccer team has been picked
to finish fourth in a poll of league coaches. The
Yellowjackets edged first-year program Saint Martin’s by two
points for the fourth spot in the poll and were two points
behind Western Washington for the third spot.
The poll highlighted the
two tiers in the five-team GNAC. Seattle University and
Seattle Pacific University each received 25 points and two
and a half first place votes to claim the title of
co-favorites. Western Washington garnered 12 points,
followed by MSUB with 10 and Saint Martin’s with eight.
Seattle, which is in its
final season in the GNAC before moving to Division I, has
won or shared the GNAC title in five of the last six
seasons. The Redhawks won the NCAA Far West Region last
year and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. Seattle and
Seattle Pacific shared the GNAC title last year with 3-1
records. Seattle was 12-8-1 overall, and Seattle Pacific
was 12-7-0. In the NSCAA preseason poll, Seattle is ranked
12th in the nation while SPU is ranked 22nd.
The Yellowjackets, 5-11-2
last year in the Heartland Conference, begin their season
Aug. 23 on the road at Colorado Christian. Their first GNAC
contest will be at home Sept. 10 against Western Washington.
| Great Northwest Coaches Poll |
2006 Records |
Pts |
| 1.
Seattle (2 ½ ) |
12-8-1 (3-1) |
25 |
| 2. Seattle
Pacific (2 ½) |
12-7-0 (3-1) |
25 |
| 3. Western
Washington |
2-17-1 (0-4) |
12 |
| 4. Montana
State Billings |
5-11-2 (None) |
10 |
| 5. Saint
Martin’s |
First Year |
8 |
|
