Yellowjacket Women's Soccer Begins Six-Game Road Swing

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BRIEFLY
The MSUB women’s soccer team begins a six-game road trip this weekend with two games at the University of Mary Tournament.  The Yellowjackets play at Mary on Saturday and then will have a neutral site tilt against Minnesota-Crookston on Sunday.  The games will be streamed live on Penn Atlantic.

JUST FOR KICKS
The Yellowjackets enter the week with a 2-2 record after splitting a pair of matching in the seventh annual MSU Billings Cup Presented by Best Western Clock Tower Inn last week.  Mary enters with a 1-2 record, while UM-Crookston is 1-2-1.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets stand at 2-2 after splitting two matches last week in the Seventh Annual MSU Billings Cup.  The Yellowjackets dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Colorado Christian in the tournament and then responded with a 3-2, overtime win over Augustana to finish second in the tournament.

Leading the way for the Yellowjackets is freshman Jaucelyn Richter who has two three goals on the year and one game winner.  She has seventh points with a team-high 23 shots and 13 on goal.  Second on the team in scoring fellow freshman Jennifer Larsen.  She has two goals with 13 shots and seven on goal.

In goal, the Yellowjackets are led by junior Jordan Fenwick who has played every minute of the season with 19 saves and a 1.67 goals against average.

Head coach Don Trentham is in his eighth season at the helm of the Yellowjacket program.  He has 10 new players to go along with eight returning starters.  Trentham currently is 65-61. 

“I think we have a nice mixture of youth and experience,” Trentham said.  “It’s a combination that pays off with success towards the middle and end of the season when we are hopefully battling for a conference title and a spot in the NCAA tournament.”

Because the Jackets are likely to return 24 of 25 players next season, Trentham is advancing a two-year approach.  The potential for so many of the team to play together for the next two years bodes well for their future performance and progress in the GNAC.

“I think we have depth at every position on the field this year,” Trentham said.  “With an experienced and deep team, and with just about everyone back in 2010, we are looking at it as a two-year project.  If we go out and play the way we are capable of playing and we get results, I think we will be able to compete for a GNAC championship either this year or next.”
RECAPPING MSU BILLINGS CUP
MSUB earned a split at the Seventh Annual MSU Billings Cup last week.  Despite outshooting Colorado Christian to the tune of 19-9, MSUB just couldn’t get any shots past CCU goalkeeper Liana Signorile, in a 1-0 loss in the home opener. Signorile had 16 saves for the tournament and did not allow a goal earning her Most Valuable Player honors.  The Yellowjackets responded with a thrilling, hard-fought 3-2,d double overtime win over Augustana College as MSUB also dominated the shots to a season-high 29-13 and 15 shots on goal.  MSUB had a 2-1 lead at half, but the Vikings tied the game in the early portion of the second.  Both teams had numerous changes, but both keepers were up to the task.  Jaucelyn Richter scored on a nice cross pass from Chelsea Libby from 10 yards out in the 108th minute for the game-winner.

SCOUTING UNIVERSITY OF MARY
The Marauders enter with a 1-2 record on the year after dropping two matches in Nampa, Idaho, this past week.  The Marauders lost to two GNAC teams in Northwest Nazarene (5-1) and Central Washington (3-2).  Leading the way for Mary this season is Alyssa Deutscher who leads the team with three points on a goal and assist.  Three other Marauders each have a goal, while Amy Tanaka leads the team with two assists.  In goal, Carly Feiler has a 1-1 record with six saves and a 1.50 goals against average.  

INSIDE THE SERIES...
Mary owns a 9-7 record in the series to date.  MSUB won the previous meeting 1-0 in Billings last season as former Yellowjacket Melissa Carlson scored in the 83rd minute with an assist from former Yellowjacket Mandy Ploskonka on a breakaway.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA CROOKSTON
The Golden Eagles enter with a 1-2-1 record after a 5-1 loss to Bemidji State in in UM-Crookston’s home opener, Sept. 8.  Justine Jones leads the team with two goals and has a team-high 21 shots with nine on goal.  She has one game winner and is 1 for 1 in penalty kicks.  Stephanie Lee has the other goal for UMC, while Megan Flynn leads the team with one assist.  In goal, the Golden Eagles are led by Anna Ogaard who has 33 saves with a 1.42 goals against average and a 1-2-1 record

INSIDE THE SERIES...
The Yellowjackets are 2-0 against UM-Crookston and haven’t played since a 4-0 win on Oct. 2, 2004.

JACKETS FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Montana State Billings was picked fifth in the annual GNAC Coaches Poll.  The Yellowjackets received 22 ½ points, behind conference favorite Seattle Pacific with 47 points.  Defending conference champion, Western Washington, was selected second (43 points) and one first place vote, followed by Central Washington (34), Saint Martin’s (25 ½), the Yellowjackets, Western Oregon (14) and Northwest Nazarene (8) was seventh to round out the league.  Points are awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

YOUTHFUL JACKETS
The Montana State Billings women’s soccer team has just one senior on the team this year in Chelsea Libby.  The ‘Jackets have 11 juniors, three sophomores and nine freshmen.

IMPACT FRESHMEN
Freshmen Jennifer Larsen and Jaucelyn Richter lead the team in goals, points, shots and shots on goal.  They both have had outstanding starts to their MSUB careers.  MSUB had nine freshmen in 2009 and a number of them have seen significant minutes.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN ‘09
Montana State University Billings’ head women’s soccer coach Don Trentham begins his eighth season at the helm of the Yellowjackets in 2009.  With the goal of advancing to the top ranks of a very competitive Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Trentham is expecting good things from a two-year, targeted program aimed at consolidating ten newcomers, with the depth and experience of 10 veteran juniors, four sophomores and one fifth-year senior.

“I think we have a nice mixture of youth and experience,” Trentham said.  “It’s a combination that pays off with success towards the middle and end of the season when we are hopefully battling for a conference title and a spot in the NCAA tournament.”

Because the Jackets are likely to return 24 of 25 players next season, Trentham is advancing a two-year approach.  The potential for so many of the team to play together for the next two years bodes well for their future performance and progress in the GNAC.

“I think we have depth at every position on the field this year,” Trentham said.  “With an experienced and deep team, and with just about everyone back in 2010, we are looking at it as a two-year project.  If we go out and play the way we are capable of playing and we get results, I think we will be able to compete for a GNAC championship either this year or next.”

LIVE ON THE WEB
This season ALL MSUB home 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.