Yellowjackets Close Out Home Slate with Two Crucial Conference Contests

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BRIEFLY
The MSUB men’s soccer team concludes the home portion of the 2009 schedule this week with a pair of key Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups. The Yellowjackets look for the season sweeps versus league-leading Saint Martin’s on Thursday at 12:30 p.m., and Western Washington on Saturday at 3 p.m. 

QUEST FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP
MSUB enters the week one point behind Saint Martin’s as the two teams meet Thursday at Yellowjacket Field.  The Yellowjackets need to beat SMU and Western Washington on Saturday and have SMU lose or tie one more time in its remaining two league games at Northwest Nazarene (Oct. 31) and at Western Washington (Nov. 5).  MSUB holds a one point lead over Seattle Pacific and would edge SPU by that margin if both teams win out in league play. Basically, the Yellowjackets have to win both of their matches and have a little help.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets are led by senior forward Sam Charles who was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the third time this past week.  He tallied five goals in two games at Northwest Nazarene (2) and a hat trick and an assist versus Rocky Mountain College on Saturday.  For the season, Charles leads the team and the conference with 19 goals and needs just one more goal to break his own school record and three to tie the conference record of 22.  Second on the team in scoring is Chris Andre who has 14 points and is tied for the team lead in assists with eight.  Jarred Weisen is third in scoring with 12 points and third in goals with four.  Jeremy DeHerrera also has 12 points with eight assists to tie for the team lead.

In goal, the Yellowjackets are led by Matt Mitchell who leads the team with 12 starts and 1086:04 minutes.  He has a 7-3-2 record with three shutouts on the year.  Mitchell leads the team with 55 saves.  Sander Tollefson started both games last week and earned two shutouts.  He is 3-0 on the year playing in five games and starting three.  He has 14 saves and allowed just three goals. 

As a team, the offense has put up the numbers, scoring 36 goals to lead the league and 111 points which also is tops in the GNAC.  MSUB also leads the league with 39 assists.  Defensively the ‘Jackets have equally been sound as they lead the league with the fewest goals allowed (16), second in goals against average (1.01), first in saves (72), and tied for first with six shutouts.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK
The Yellowjackets tallied two shutouts this past week.  Coming off a disappointing 4-1 loss at Seattle Pacific a week ago Saturday, the Yellowjackets responded with a 3-0 victory at Northwest Nazarene last Tuesday.  A number of Yellowjacket players were very sick and some didn’t play, but the ones who did stepped up and got the crucial in-region win to keep the conference championship and NCAA Tournament hopes alive. 

In the game, Sam Charles scored two goals and added an assist in the victory.  Sander Tollefson had four saves in goal all in the second half to preserve the victory.  It was the first win over NNU for the Yellowjackets since the Crusaders added intercollegiate men’s soccer last year.  MSUB used to play NNU when the Crusaders were a club team.  On Saturday, which was Senior Day, the Yellowjackets honored six seniors playing in the final season at MSUB prior to the game. 

Aptly, the seniors shined as Charles tallied his first hat trick of the season and fourth of his career, while Jeremy DeHerrera tied for the team lead in assists and Jarred Weisen added a goal and assist in the 4-0 win over Rocky.  It was the first regular season meeting with Rocky as Rocky added men’s soccer this year.

SCOUTING SAINT MARTIN’S
The Saints enter the week as the league-leaders with a 4-1 conference record and a 9-6 overall record.  Leading the way for the Saints this season is Xan Nixon who leads the team with seven goals and 19 points.  He also leads the team and is second in the league in shots with 53.  He has two game winners on the year.  Second on the team in scoring is Ruben Orozco who has five goals and one assist for 11 points.  He has 36 shots and 19 on goal and has converted two penalty kicks to lead the team.  Vlad Voin leads the team with seven assists which is good for fourth in the league.

Between the posts, the Saints are led by Zac Lubin who has played in 15 games and started 13.  He has a 1.59 goals against average with 50 saves and 22 goals against.  Lubin has two shutouts and an 8-5 record.  TJ Young has seen action in three games with two goals against and five saves.

The Saints have scored 27 goals on the year with 22 assists for 76 points. They are shooting .123 on the year with 109 shots on goal and 219 shots.  SMU is 2-2 in penalty kicks and its opponents are 1-1.  The opponents have scored 24 goals with 17 assists and are shooting .144 on 167 shots and 87 shots have been on goal.

INSIDE THE SERIES...
MSUB is 4-1 all-time versus Saint Martin’s and is 2-0 in Billings.  The Yellowjackets downed the Saints in Lacey earlier this year on a first half goal by Tyler Moriarty.  Matt Mitchell recorded five saves and two team saves preserved the shutout win, 1-0.  SMU has scored just five goals on MSUB in the five meetings, while MSUB has scored 13.  SMU’s lone victory came last season in the season finale, 4-2 in Lacey.

SCOUTING WESTERN WASHINGTON
The preseason conference favorites have struggled a bit this season and enter the week with a 5-10 record overall and a 2-3 mark in the league.  Leading the way for the Vikings this season is Kellan Brown who leads the team with seven goals, four assists and 18 points.  He leads the squad with 34 shots and has one game winner.  Oscar Jimenez is second in scoring with five goals and is tied for the team lead with four assists.  Gibson Bardsley is third with three goals.

In goal the Vikings are led by Cameron Copps-Tilley who has 40 saves on the year in 1104:31 minutes.  He has a 2.36 goals against average and a 3-9 record with one shutout.  Also seeing actions this year has been Christian Warman who has played in five games and started two.  He has 11 saves and a 2-1 record in 295:17 minutes.

As a side the Vikings are shooting .111 on the year with 224 shots.  They have scored 25 goals and 17 assists for 67 points.  Conversely, the opponents have 34 goals, 33 assists for 101 points and are shooting .165 on the year on 206 shots.

INSIDE THE SERIES...
Western Washington leads the all-time series 10-2, but the Yellowjackets stopped a three game skid earlier this year with their first win in Bellingham.  Chris Andre had the game-winner in the 106th minute off an assist from Zach Yeager.  WWU and the Yellowjackets are tied in games in Billings at 1-1.  WWU won a 2-1 decision last year in Billings.

THREE’S A CHARM FOR CHARLES
For the third time this season, Sam Charles has been named conference Player of the Week.  This time it comes off of a five goal output last week, including a hat trick versus Rocky on Saturday.  It was Charles’ fourth hat trick of his career and first of the season.  With the three goals on Saturday, he broke the GNAC record for most career hat tricks.

IN THE TOP 5
Senior Sam Charles ranks second nationally in goals per game at a 1.27 average and he is third nationally in points per game at a 2.93 clip.  He trails Se-Eun Park of Washington Adventist in both areas.  Park leads the nation in points per game at a 3.29 average and in goals per game at 1.36.  This is the highest Charles has been ranked all season.

TO BE 19 AGAIN
For the third consecutive season, Sam Charles has tied his own school record with 19 goals.  Charles used a five goal output this week to reach the record-tying mark. For the season, Charles has 19 goals, six assists for 44 points.  He needs just three goals and five points to tie the GNAC record in both categories.

CHARLES IN CHARGE
With an assist against NNU last Tuesday, Charles pulled into a tie for first in the school record books in career assists with 17.  He ties Scott Dixon (2007-2008) who also had 17 assists with a 10 assist output last year.  Charles’ teammate, Chris Andre, had an assist versus Rocky for his team-leading eighth of the year and is third in career assists with 16.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING
The MSUB men’s soccer team ranks high nationally in a number of team and individual areas.  The Yellowjackets are 28th in scoring offense (2.4), 43rd in team goals against average (1.01), 32nd in shutout percentage (0.4) and 28th in save percentage at an 0.82 clip.  Individually, Sam Charles is third nationally in points per game at a 2.93 clip. He is second nationally in goals per game (1.27), while Chris Andre is 22nd in assists per game (0.53) and Jeremy DeHerrera also is 22nd.  Charles is 64th in assists per game at a 0.4 clip.  Matt Mitchell ranks 51st in goals against average (1.07) and he is 34th in save percentage at an 0.809 clip.

LEADING THE LEAGUE
MSUB leads the league in a number of areas this season, including points (111), goals (36), goals per game (2.40), points per game (7.40), assists (39), assists per game (2.60).  Individually, Sam Charles leads the league in shots (60), points (44), points per game (2.71), goals (19), goals per game (1.27), and game-winning goals with seven.  Chris Andre and Jeremy DeHerrera are tied for second in assists with eight, while Charles is fifth with six.

TOLLEFSON ON TOP
Senior goalkeeper Sander Tollefson recorded his second consecutive shutout versus Rocky on Saturday.  Tollefson has played and started the last two games and tallied four second half saves at Northwest Nazarene last Tuesday in a key GNAC conference win.  With his two shutouts, the Yellowjackets have tallied six on the year.  He also assisted in a 6-0 shutout win in the season opener against Colorado Christian.

MCNALLY COACHES’ SHOW
Each week fans have the opportunity to log on to www.msubillings.edu/athletics and listen to Dan McNally’s Coaches Show.  McNally will breakdown the previous week and preview the upcoming with the voice of the Yellowjackets, Ken Adelblue. 

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.