Jackets Close Home Stand with Crucial GNAC Games

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BRIEFLY
The MSUB men’s soccer team concludes its home stand this week with two key Great Northwest Athletic Conference games.  First, the Yellowjackets battle Saint Martin’s at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday and the face arch rival Seattle Pacific Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for Futbol Frenzy.  The Jackets are in search of their first conference victory of the season. 

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets conclude their home stand with two crucial conference games this week.  MSUB is 5-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play.  The Jackets are coming off an 8-0 shutout of Jamestown College this past Saturday.  The 8-0 victory was the largest margin of victory since a 13-0 win at Morningside College (Iowa) Oct. 20, 2001.  All four losses for the Jackets this season have come by one goal.  MSUB is 2-4 in one  goal games. 

Leading the way for the Jackets this season in Sam Charles who has a team and conference best-11 goals on the year in nine games. Charles also has three assists and 25 points.  He also leads the team with 46 shots and 27 on goal.  He has four games winners and had his first penalty kick of the season against Jamestown.  For his career, Charles is a perfect 9 for 9 in PK’s.  Jarred Weisen is second on the team with two goals and four assists.  Three of his assists and his two goals came against Jamestown last week.  Garion Holian and Justin Hoskins each have two goals as well. 

In goal, the Jackets are led by Matt Mitchell who leads the team with a 4-3 record and an 0.88 goals against average.  Mitchell has 21 saves, six goals against and two shutouts.  Sander Tollefson saw his first action since the second game of the year.  He is 1-1 with five goals against and 11 saves.  Michael Sheridan saw his first action of the season last week as head coach Dan McNally gave each goalkeeper approximately 30 minutes against Jamestown.  Sheridan had one save against the Jimmies.    

THE LAST TIME OUT
The Yellowjackets routed Jamestown College last Saturday to the tune of 8-0.  It was the second most goals scored and second largest margin of victory by the Yellowjackets in school history.  Seven different Yellowjackets scored goals in the game and the Jackets played a season-high 22 players in the game.  MSUB out-shot the Jimimes 29-4 and 17-1 in shots on goal.  Charles led the way with two scores and three different Jackets got their first goals of the season. 

SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN’S
The Saints enter the week with a 1-7 record and a 0-1 record in conference play.  Saint Martin’s earned its first victory of the season, defeating Grand Canyon 1-0 in Lacey, WA, Sept. 19.  SMU has not scored more than one goal in a game all season and have just five goals total for the year.  In their last game, the Saints played Seattle Pacific to a 1-0 score as SPU (MSUB’s opponent Saturday) scored in the 71st minute off a corner kick.

LAST MEETING WITH THE SAINTS
MSUB leads the all-time series 2-0 with 2-0 and 6-0 victories last season.  The 2-0 victory was in Billings and 6-0 victory was in Lacey.  In the game in Lacey, Sam Charles had a hat trick and an assist, while Jarred Weisen scored two goals and Jurell Linford added the sixth.  Five of the six goals came in the second half.  Charles scored two of his goals on penalty kicks.

SCOUTING SEATTLE PACIFIC
The Falcons enter the week with a 3-3-3 record and a 2-0 record in the GNAC.  SPU blanked Northwest Nazarene last weekend and won at Saint Martin’s.  The Falcons have won three of five (3-1-1) after starting the year 0-2-2.  Leading the way for the Falcons this season is Alec Nelxon and Andy Wolverton who each have three goals.  Nelson leads the team with eight points, 33 shots and has one game winner.  Tyler Schultz has two goals, while Drew Williams and Colin Kosco each have one.  As a team, the Falcons have nine assists on the year and 10 goals.

Defensively, the Falcons are led by two players in goal.  Ben Lovelace has a 2-1-1 record in five starts.  He leads the team with a 0.93 goals against average, allowing just four goals.  Kaleb Kuehn is 1-2-2 on the year with nine goals against and a 1.68 gaa.  He leads the team with 18 saves. 

FUTBOL FRENZY SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY
Saturday, Oct. 4 is the annual Futbol Frenzy event held at the College of Technology Field.  There will be a free student BBQ beginning at 12:40 and students must have their ID.  The BBQ is $8 for the general public and $5 for faculty and staff.  Faculty and staff get into both the men’s and women’s game free with current MSUB ID.  

LAST TIME AGAINST SEATTLE PACIFIC
The Falcons and the Yellowjackets have played six times with SPU leads 5-1-1.  MSUB earned its first victory in the series in the last meeting between the two teams.  MSUB posted a 2-0 victory in the first ever game in Billings in the series.  Sam Charles scored the first goal and game winner on a penalty kick in the second half.  Chris Cornish added the insurance goal later in the half.  The first meeting in Seattle in 2007 was a 1-1 draw.  SPU was ranked fourth nationally at the time.  Both goals were scored in the second half as SPU tallied the equalizer in the 89th minute.  Charles had the earlier goal.

SAM’S CLUB
Sam Charles ranks sixth nationally in points (2.78) an fifth nationally in goals scored (1.22) in this week’s NCAA Division II national statistical report.  Charles leads the GNAC with 25 points, including 11 goals and three assists. He is the only GNAC player ranked in the top 10 in any category.

TOUGH IN THE CLOSE ONES
MSUB is 2-4 in one goal games this season.  In fact, all four losses have come by one goal.  The Jackets began the season with a 4-3 double overtime victory over Dixie State, then lost to No. 7 Metro State, 2-1, lost to NAIA No. 6 Simon Fraser, 1-0, beat Great Falls, 1-0, lost to Northwest Nazarene, 2-1 and lost at Fort Lewis, 2-1. 

DIXON DISHES
Scott Dixon had his team-leading third assist of the season last week at Fort Lewis as he and Sam Charles hooked up for the second time this season.  Dixon is now within one assist of tying Thomas Pertuit for the all-time assist record in school history at 14.

CHARLES NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK AGAIN
Junior forward, Sam Charles, earned Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week as he scored four goals helping the Jackets to a 2-1 record.  He had his third career hat trick against the University of Mary, tying the career best for hat tricks in the GNAC.  He also had the game winner in the 89th minute against Great Falls.  The week before, Charles earned co-weekly honor as he broke the school record for goals in a career and points in a career against nationally ranked opponents.

SAM’S TRICK
Sam Charles recorded his third career hat trick in the GNAC last Monday in 3-1 victory over Mary.  The hat trick ties him for the most all-time.  In addition, it was the 20th three goal (or more) game in the history of the GNAC. 

BREAKOUT IN ‘07
The Yellowjacket men’s soccer team had a breakout season in 2007.  MSUB won 13 games which is the most in school history.  The Jackets went 13-4-1 in Dan McNally’s third year at the helm of the program.  MSUB was second in the GNAC with a 5-2-1 record and just missed out on its first NCAA Tournament appearance.  Not only did individual players break school records, the team did as well.  MSUB tallied a school record 46 goals in 2007 and was just as stout defensively.  MSUB allowed a school record low 13 goals in 2007 and had a 0.71 goals against average along with a school best nine shutouts.

MSUB SOCCER FIELD WINS AWARD
The newly renovated MSUB Soccer Field won a NCAA Community Engagement Award as the top community relations effort submitted from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  MSUB was one of 22 schools to receive the award and also received a $500 grant from the NCAA to be used in future community-engagement efforts.

JACKETS TABBED LEAGUE FAVORITE
The MSUB men’s soccer team has been selected as preseason conference favorite by the league coaches.  The Jackets received 23 points and three first place votes, edging out Western Washington by two points overall and one first place vote for the top spot.  Following the Vikings is Seattle Pacific who received 15 points after a 7-6-3 record and a 2-3-3 record in conference play.  Saint Martin’s was tabbed fourth with 10 points after going 3-16 last season and Northwest Nazarene was picked fifth as a first year men’s soccer program with six points.  Points are awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis.

LISTEN TO COACH MCNALLY
Head coach Dan McNally’s weekly coaches show will be uploaded to the website every Wednesday.  Click on audio library from the front page and select men’s soccer to hear the weekly show.

TEAM NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Yellowjackets are ranked nationally in a number of areas.  The Jackets are 33rd in scoring offense at 2.44 per game, 63rd in team goals against average (1.2), 53rd in shutout percentage (0.33) and 78th in save percentage (0.761).

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS NATIONALLY
Chris Andre and Jarred Weisen are tied for 56th nationally in assists per game at an 0.44 clip.  In addition, Matt Mitchell is 29th in goals against average (0.878) and is 57th in save percentage at 0.778.

WWW.MSUBILLINGS.EDU/ATHLETICS
Montana State Billings launched a newly redesigned website in August.  The new website features improved navigation, improved layout and a crisper look.  Log on and checkout the new www.msubillings.edu/athletics for all MSUB athletic information.