October 27, 2007

Falcons Soar to 2-0 Shutout Over Jackets
Box Score
MSUB Season Stats
Senior Day & Game Photos

BILLINGS, Mont. – Seattle Pacific won its 19th-straight game Saturday, shutting out MSU Billings 2-0 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s soccer.  The second-ranked Falcons scored a goal in each half to improve to 13-0 in the GNAC and 19-0 overall.

“I thought Seattle Pacific played well,” MSU Billings head coach Don Trentham said.  “They’re a great team and will certainly have a chance to go very far in the national tournament.  They have great players and are well coached, and they did well to beat us 2-0 at home.”

The Falcons broke through with their first goal at 24:58 when Meridith Teague’s corner kick was headed in by Claire Grubbs inside the back post.  Teague tallied the Falcons’ second goal at 65:59.  Amanda Johnson sent a long diagonal crossing pass to the far post, where Teague got her head on the ball and knocked it in the net.

SPU out-shot the Yellowjackets 22-4 in the game, including 9-0 for shots on goal.  MSUB goalkeeper Kaily Hoffman (Fort Collins, Colo.) made a career-high seven saves.  The redshirt freshman was one of five freshmen starting for the Yellowjackets.

“With a young lineup against one of the best teams in the country, our team played very hard and competed,” said Trentham.  “We’re not far off from being at the level of a Seattle Pacific.  This week we played well in both our games, and we look forward to having a chance to playing another nationally ranked team next Saturday.”

The Yellowjackets close out the season at Seattle University on Nov. 3.  At 9-9-1 overall, they need a tie or a win to secure their fourth-straight .500 or better season.

Saturday’s game against SPU was the final home game of the season and senior day for Brittney Sandau (Billings), Abby Bennett (Livingston), Amy Stephens (Colorado Springs), and Janica Larsen (Salt Lake City).  Both Stephens and Larsen started Saturday, but Sandau and Bennett were both out with injuries.  The 2007 senior class has a four-year record of 45-24-7, the best four-year mark of any class in the program’s history.

“Janica and Amy have had solid careers, and both played well this afternoon,” Trentham said.  “It’s obviously disappointing not to have Abby and Brittney out there today.  They have meant so much to our program over the last four years.”