Jackets Capture Rimrock Cup with OT Win (9/20/06)
Box Score
Game Photos
Coach Trentham post game audio

BILLINGS, MT – The Montana State-Billings women’s soccer team needed every minute of regulation and 2:55 of overtime Wednesday night to defeat Rocky Mountain College, 3-2.  The Yellowjackets, ranked 18^th nationally, remained unbeaten with the win, improving to 10-0-0.  They also won the Fifth Annual Rimrock Cup.  MSUB has won the last three Rimrock Cups, a traveling trophy between the cross-town rivals.  Rocky fell to 5-3-0 on the season.

Amy Stephens (Colorado Springs, CO) has been in the right places at the right times lately, and that streak continued Wednesday night.   She took a pass from Abby Bennett (Livingston, MT) and beat Rocky goalkeeper Vanessa Peters for the winning goal 2:55 into the first overtime.  It was the fourth-straight game with a goal for Stephens.

“We wanted to go all forward all the time,” said Stephens of the overtime push.  “We didn’t want to wait and possess at all.  We just wanted to get it down the field and have the midfielders and forwards control.  The ball came from an outside back who did just that.  She put it long to the corner, and I just came from the outside and got it in the net.”

Stephens nearly didn’t get an opportunity to be the hero in a contest that had the feel of three games wrapped into one.  The first half produced little action with MSUB out-shooting Rocky 2-0 and neither team threatening.  The final 45 minutes, however, were action-packed with numerous shifts in momentum.

Rocky controlled much of the first 15 minutes of the second half and finally broke through on a goal by Megan Speiser at 60:15.  She headed the ball past Yellowjacket keeper Megan Plank (Phoenix, AZ) off an Anna Clark corner kick.  Just six minutes later Clark dribbled a shot off Plank’s hands for a 2-0 Rocky lead.  Alexis DeLeo picked up the assist after making a short crossing pass to Clark.

The Bears had the Yellowjackets on their heals for most of the second half but may have been caught clock watching a little early.  Trailing 2-0 with the clock ticking below 10 minutes, the Yellowjackets finally got on the board when Ally Stroup (Ojai, CA) sent a through ball to Sara Gress (Boise, ID) who beat her defender one-on-one to the goal at 81:55. 

Gress’s goal gave the Jackets the momentum they needed and the offense went into full attack mode.  With the clock inside 1:00, Stroup took a pass from Jelisa Guy (Kalispell, MT) and dribbled past Peters to tie the game with just 50 ticks left in regulation.  It was Stroup’s 14^th goal of the season.  MSUB rode the wave of emotion into the extra period where Stephens became the instant hero.

“When we were down 2-0, all we wanted to do was keep fighting,” said Stephens.  “That’s what we’ve been working for.  They were controlling the game, but we just kept working hard and we got the result.”                    

The Yellowjackets will put their perfect record on the line on Friday when they travel to Missoula to take on University of Montana (3-5-0).  It will be the second game in the program’s history against a Division I team.  MSUB lost to Boise State in 2004.