Men's Soccer Begins Four Game Home Stand with Colorado State - Pueblo Thursday

Game Notes in PDF format

BRIEFLY
The MSUB men’s soccer team returns home after an impressive trip to California. MSUB went 1-1 in the Golden State, taking No. 6 Cal State-Los Angeles to overtime and blanking regionally ranked Cal Poly Pomona on its home field.  The Yellowjackets host Colorado State-Pueblo and the University of Mary this week to begin a four-game home stand.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets enter the week with a 3-1 record after splitting two games in California last week.  MSUB dropped a heartbreaking, 2-1 overtime decision at No. 6 Cal State-LA and blanked Cal Poly Pomona, 2-0.  Senior, forward Sam Charles leads the team with six goals as he scored three goals this past week.  Charles has six goals and two assists for 14 points.  Charles also leads the team with 16 shots and 11 shots on goal with two game winners and is 1-for-1 in penalty kicks.  He set the GNAC career points record at Cal State-LA with an equalizing goal in the first half.  Jarred Weisen is second on the team in scoring with six points (2g, 2a), while Chris Andre leads the team with four assists. 

In goal, the Yellowjackets are led by Matt Mitchell who has played 346:08 minutes and has an 0.52 goals against average.  He is 3-1 on the year with 19 saves and two shutouts and he combined with Sander Tollefson and Daneson Gray for a third shutout. 

The Yellowjackets have blistered their opponents thus far as they have scored 13 goals in four games and allowed just two.  The team has 15 assists already as well for 41 total points.  MSUB is shooting .255 on the year, while its opponents are just .035.  In addition, the ‘Jackets have 32 shots on goal for a .627 percentage and their opponents are at a .368 clip.

RECAPPING THE CALIFORNIA TRIP
The Yellowjackets made their first trip to California since 2004 and it was a productive trip as they took No. 6 Cal State-LA to overtime before falling 2-1.  CSULA was led by two goals from Fernando Cino, while Sam Charles broke the GNAC career points record with a first half goal.  MSUB had its chances, but could not convert.  With under a minute in regulation, MSUB’s Jeremy DeHerrera had a good look at a game winner, but the ball sailed high. 

The Yellowjackets rebounded nicely, despite being outshot by Cal Poly Pomona on Friday for a 2-0 win.  Two first half goals by Sam Charles proved to be the difference as the MSUB defense preserved the shutout. 

“Today Matt Mitchell in goal, along with Zach Yeager, Tom Milroy, Kyle Moriarty and Ross Carmichael, were outstanding defensively,” head coach Dan McNally said after the game. “It was important that we didn’t concede a goal. That was the foundation of our success today.”

The Broncos held a 26-8 lead in shots and 11-3 in shots on goal.  Mitchell made a career-best 11 saves in goal for MSUB.

SCOUTING COLORADO STATE-PUEBLO
The ThunderWolves enter the week with a 2-1 record after a pair of 4-0 wins over Adams State and Newman University (Kansas).  CSUP has not allowed a goal (187:13) since a 2-0 loss to Rockhurst in the season opener, Aug. 30.  Leading the way for the ThunderWolves this season is Corey Cullen and Robert Kinsey who lead the team with two goals each.  Three more players each have a goal, while Alex Zemach and Nate Garcia lead the team with one assist each.  In goal, CSUP is led by Chris Smith who leads the team with a 2-1 record in 240:20 minutes of action.  Smith has allowed two goals (0.75 GAA) and has six saves on the year.  Jacob Blum also has seen 30 minutes of action in two games.  Head coach Roy Stanley is in his 16th season at the helm of the program.  Stanley helped lead the ThunderWolves to an 11-8-2 record in 2008 which was a five-win turnaround from 2007 and the second-highest win total in school history.  Stanley was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for his efforts for the second time.

INSIDE THE SERIES...
Colorado State-Pueblo owns a 4-0-1 record all-time in the series.  The ThunderWolves have outscored the Yellowjackets 18-2 in the series.  CSUP is 3-0-1 in Pueblo and 1-0 in Billings as it won a 2-1 decision Oct. 9, 2005, at Yellowjacket Field.

SCOUTING UNIVERSITY OF MARY
The Marauders enter the week with a 2-2-1 record and are led by Nikola Nikolic who has scored both goals for Mary in the first three games.  Jose Pacego and Ben Houdek each have one assist.  Mary tied Academy of Art in Nampa, Idaho, and scored three second half goals to upend Northwest Nazarene Monday, 3-2.  Through the first three games of the season, Mary’s Derek Luptak is 1-2 in 270 minutes of action with six goals against and 20 saves through three games.  Dave Cook is in his second year at the helm of the Marauder program. 

INSIDE THE SERIES...
The Yellowjackets own a 15-6 record all-time versus Mary and are 7-3 in Billings.  MSUB has won 10-straight and 13 of 15 after starting the series 2-4. 

NINTH IN THE REGION
The MSUB men’s soccer team broke into the NSCAA/adidas West Region Poll this week at ninth.  MSUB is one of three GNAC teams ranked.  Seattle Pacific is fourth with a 3-0-2 record, followed by MSUB (3-1) and Western Washington is tied for 10th (2-1). 

MITCHELL COMES UP BIG; EARNS POW HONORS
Junior goalkeeper, Matt Mitchell, recorded 17 saves this past week as MSUB split two games earning him GNAC Player of the Week honors.  In a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to sixth-ranked Cal State-LA, Mitchell had six saves and then tallied a career-best 11 saves in a 2-0 blanking of previously unbeaten Cal Poly Pomona.  Mitchell becomes just the second GNAC goalkeeper to record 10 or more saves in a shutout since Ben Dragavon of Western Washington in 2005.  Dragavon had 15 saves in a 1-0 overtime win over Chico State that year.  This is Mitchell’s first POW honors.  He has a 3-1 record with 19 saves, a 0.52 goals against average and two shutouts.

JACKETS THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Montana State Billings was picked third in the annual GNAC Coaches Poll.  Western Washington was the unanimous favorite, followed by Seattle Pacific, MSUB, Saint Martin’s and Northwest Nazarene.  WWU had 25 points to lead the way.

CHARLES SETS SECOND GNAC RECORD
Senior Sam Charles broke the GNAC career scoring record this past week with a goal at Cal State-LA.  With that goal, it was his 95th point since MSUB has been in the GNAC breaking Bobby McAlister’s record of 93 (2002-2005).  For Charles’ career, he has 51 goals and 115 points, however the GNAC only counts records since MSUB has been in the league (2007). 

CHARLES NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Charles scored three goals and two assists in the opening week of the season in a pair of wins for the Yellowjackets.  He set the GNAC goal scoring record and tied the GNAC career points record with a goal and assist against UGF on Aug. 30.  For his efforts, he was named the first GNAC Player of the Week for the 2009 season.  He was named Player of the Week twice last season in back-to-back weeks in September.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN ‘09
Montana State University Billings men’s soccer team brings tangible optimism to the third season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  In his fifth season at the helm, head men’s soccer coach Dan McNally is enthused about the prospects of having his first true recruiting class playing as seniors.
          
“I think that it is a big deal that these seniors have had a lot of success and have played together for three seasons and have really transformed this team,” McNally said.  “They are really motivated to have a great senior year and we are returning a good number of players who have started a lot of games for us.”
          
McNally considers the two key strengths of the team to be experience and flat out talent.
          
“For the first time since I’ve been at MSUB, we are going to be able to field an experienced team of juniors and seniors,” McNally said.  “Some of the sophomores and freshmen will play because some of them are excellent, but the strength of this team is the juniors and seniors who bring the needed experience to do well in Division II men’s soccer.
          
In terms of talent, we have an outstanding group of defenders, two great goalkeepers, we’re loaded in midfield and we have, arguably, the best forward in the country, as well as great forward support.”
          
The team brings valuable lessons from experiences faced in last season’s 10-8 overall record.
          
“We were runner-up in 2007 and we let some games get away last year, which we shouldn’t have,” McNally said.  “What we learned will add to our expertise this season.”

FRESHMEN SEEING TIME
MSUB’s eight freshmen have seen significant time thus far.  Clifton Thomas has played in 114 minutes to lead the way for the freshmen.  Blair Stevenson is second with 106 minutes.  For the season, the Yellowjackets have eight newcomers with six freshmen and two juniors, including Ryan Covey who transferred from Division I Central Connecticut State.

YEAGER GOING THE DISTANCE
Zach Yeager is the only Yellowjacket to have played all 370 minutes so far this season.  Kyle Moriarty is second with 353 minutes, followed by 345 from Ross Carmichael.

MCNALLY CLOSES IN ON .500
Head coach Dan McNally is 36-37-3 in his career at MSUB and needs just one win to reach the .500 mark for the first time.  He is the all-time winningest coach at MSUB in men’s soccer and has led the team to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history.

FORMER YELLOWJACKET HOSKINS EARNS POY HONORS
Former Montana State Billings men’s soccer standout, Justin Hoskins, was named Player of the Year for the Rochester Thunder of the Premier Development League.

“I felt honored to be named Player of the Year as voted on by the team,” Hoskins said.  “I felt very blessed to get that respect from my teammates.  I had a great experience in Minnesota with a team of very talented players”
Hoskins, led the league in minutes played as he played all 90 minutes in all 16 games for the Thunder this season.  He tallied 1440 minutes with one assist.  Hoskins helped lead the Thunder to a 5-9-2 record.

“I am very proud of Justin’s continued success,” MSUB head coach Dan McNally said.  “He was an outstanding player for MSUB and it is no surprise that he is finding success now that he has graduated.”

LIVE ON THE WEB
This season ALL MSUB home men’s and women’s soccer games will be FREE on the internet with live video and audio as the voice of the Yellowjackets, Ken Adelblue, will have the call.