2007-2008 Weekly Release #6 (September 25)

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This Week's Schedule

Sat., Sept. 29 - at Northwest Nazarene, 12 p.m. MDT

Week in Review

Last week was a one step forward, one step back kind of week for the MSU Billings women's soccer team.  The Yellowjackets let a lead slip through their fingers in the final minute at Western Washington but still managed to hold on for an important draw against one of the GNAC's top teams.  The Jackets had luck bounce against them on Saturday in a 3-0 loss at Central Washington, falling to 5-3-1 overall and 2-1-1 in the GNAC. 

The Jackets play two more pivotal conference games on the road this week.  They'll play at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.  (Read below for more on these two teams.)

Western Washington used a goal in the final minute of play to force the Montana State Billings into overtime Thursday, resulting in a 2-2 tie after 110:00 minutes of play.  The Yellowjackets jumped out to a 2-0 lead at halftime after Danielle Ritter and Mandy Ploskonka scored for MSUB.  Ritter scored an unassisted goal at the 34:58 mark when she took a loose ball and chipped it over the Vikings’ keeper from 10 yards.  With less than one minute left in the half, Ploskonka scored her fifth goal of the season off assists from Melissa Carlson and Brittney Sandau.

Held scoreless through the first 68 minutes, Western Washington narrowed the gap with its first goal.  As time ran down, the Yellowjackets suffered a heart-breaker as the Vikings tied the game with 49 seconds left in regulation.  Both teams battled through double overtime with Western Washington out-shooting the Jackets 13-1 in overtime.  Overall, the Yellowjackets were out-shot 31-8 with the Vikings holding an 11-6 shots on goal advantage.  Brittany Knudtzon was steadfast in goal for 90:00 making seven saves.  Jordan Fenwick stepped into the net for overtime and tackled two saves in the effort. 

“Anytime you can get a point on the road you have to be pleased,” said Yellowjacket head coach Don Trentham.  “The team showed a lot of character in not getting down after Western Washington tied the game.  To be able to fight for 20 minutes and compete to a tie, especially in a conference game, that says a lot about our team.”

The Jackets then suffered their first conference loss of the season, falling 3-0 to Central Washington Saturday in Ellensburg.  The Wildcats broke their five-game losing streak in earning their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference win, using a little help from MSUB.  Central Washington got on the scoreboard in the 21st minute as a Wildcat corner kick deflected off a Yellowjacket defender and into the net.  The Wildcats scored an insurance goal less than three and a half minutes later. 

With halftime nearing, Central Washington got another break when a corner kick in front of the Jackets’ net resulted in an own goal for the second time in the game giving the Wildcats the 3-0 advantage.  The Yellowjackets came out aggressive in the second half, out-shooting the Wildcats 15-6 with an 8-2 shots on goal advantage, but the Wildcats’ Amber Easterbrook was impenetrable in goal making eight saves.

From the GNAC:
LAST WEEK: Wednesday – Seattle Pacific 4 at Saint Martin's 2. Thursday – MSU Billings 2 at Western Washington 2 (2ot); Seattle 3 at Central Washington 1; Northwest Nazarene 3 at Western Oregon 0.  Saturday – MSU Billings 0 at Central Washington 3; Grand Canyon 0 at Seattle 1; Northwest Nazarene 3 at Saint Martin's 0; Seattle Pacific 4 at Western Oregon 2.

UPCOMING: Monday   – Grand Canyon at Western Washington, 4 p.m.  Tuesday    – Western Oregon at Corban, 7 p.m.; Grand Canyon at Saint Martin's, 4 p.m.   Wednesday  - Seattle at Northwest Nazarene, 3 p.m.  Thursday – MSU Billings at Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m.  Friday – Central Washington at Saint Martin's, 3 p.m.; Western Washington at Western Oregon, 3 p.m.  Saturday – MSU Billings at Northwest Nazarene, noon; Seattle Pacific at Seattle, 1 p.m.  Sunday – Western Oregon at Central Washington, noon; Western Washington at Saint Martin's, 1 p.m.  Tuesday (Oct. 2) – Western Washington at CSU Dominguez Hills, 7 p.m.

NSCAA National (Sept. 25) -  3. Seattle Pacific, 15. Seattle. Far West Regional (Sept. 25): Men - 1. Seattle Pacific, 2. Seattle, 4. Western Washington, 8. MSU Billings.

NCAA Division II Far West Regional – The first poll will be released Oct. 10 by 1:30 p.m.  Polls will also be released on Oct. 17, Oct. 24, Oct. 31 and Nov. 5.

GNAC PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: Amber Easterbrook, Central Washington (GK, 5-5, So., Kent, WA – Kentwood) and Katy McNutt, Northwest Nazarene (F, 5-3, Sr., Vancouver, WA - Evergreen). . .Easterbrook had eight saves in recording a shutout in a 3-0 win over regionally eighth-ranked Montana State Billings as the Wildcats snapped a five-game winless streak.  McNutt scored four of NNU’s six goals, including both game winners, in 3-0 road wins at Western Oregon and Saint Martin’s as the Crusaders improved to 3-1 in the GNAC, their best start in conference history.  McNutt has eight goals this season and ranks fifth in GNAC history with 38 career goals.

HONORABLE MENTION: Sarah Martinez, Seattle Pacific (F, 5-6, Sr., Bothell, WA – Cedar Park Christian) scored four goals, including her third career hat-trick in a 4-2 win at Western Oregon.  She leads the GNAC in points with 28 (12 goals, 4 assists) and now ranks third all-time in GNAC career points (107) and second in career goals (44).  Martinez and McNutt are the only players in conference history to record three hat-tricks. . .Leah Wymer, Seattle (F, 5-6, Sr., Bothell, WA) increased her season total to 12 goals, scoring three times, twice in a 3-1 win at Central Washington.  She also had the game-winner in a 1-0 home win over Grand Canyon.

AROUND THE GNAC:  Two of Central Washington’s three goals in their 3-0 shutout of Montana State Billings came on “own goals” in corner kick situations.  Kelsey Penn scored CWU’s goal against Seattle, her sixth of the year, but her first since scoring five on CWU’s road trip to Hawaii in August. . .Danielle Ritter and Mandy Ploskonka had first-half goals for MSUB against Western Washington, but the Vikings scored twice in the second half, including one from Rosie Zadra – her first in 28 games – with 49 seconds left in regulation to earn a tie. . .Saturday’s shutout was the seventh of the season for Seattle keeper Kaitlyn Jackson.  Jackson had eight saves in the Redhawks’ two victories.  CWU’s goal on Thursday against Jackson snapped a 457-minute scoreless streak for the Redhawk goalie. . .Ashley Biral and Trisha Halvorson had goals for Saint Martin’s in their loss to SPU. . .Northwest Nazarene’s Amanda Peters had 11 saves in earning her 11th and 12th career shutouts, including three this season. . .Kristen Werhane and Chelsie O’Neill scored goals for Western Oregon in its 4-2 loss to Seattle Pacific.

Click HERE for the complete GNAC weekly release

Upcoming Opponents

Sarah Martinez leads the GNAC in both goals (12) and points (28).  She has scored in six of ten games and has already netted two hat tricks.  Janae Godoy has scored six goals, and Meredith Teague leads the league with 10 assists.  Goalkeeper Jesslyn Rahm is 10-0 with a 0.56 goals against average.

All-time Series:  SPU leads series 2-0
Last Meeting:  SPU def. MSUB 3-0 on Sept. 22, 2004 in Seattle. 

Northwest Nazarene University (webpage) - The Crusaders were picked to finish second to last in the GNAC, but they enter this week with a 6-2-1 overall record and a 3-1-0 mark in the conference.  They've won three straight with conference wins against Central Washington, Western Oregon, and Saint Martin's.  NNU will play at Seattle on Wednesday before hosting the Yellowjackets on Saturday. 

The Crusaders have outscored their opponents 20-10 so far this season.  Katy McNutt has a team-best eight goals, including four game winners.  Five other players have at least two goals.  Goalkeeper Amanda Peters is 6-2-1 with a 0.86 goals against average.    Her 44 saves are second in the GNAC.

All-time Series:  NNU leads series 3-1-1
Last Meeting:  The teams played to a 1-1 draw on Oct. 16, 2004 in Nampa 

The Stats

Click HERE for current MSU Billings 2007 season statistics

The Standings

2007 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Standings
(Through games of Nov. 24, 2007)

The GNAC Stats Leaders

Click HERE for GNAC Stats Leaders

The Polls

The Players

The Last Time in Yellowjacket Volleyball

The School Records (records that include 2007-2008 in bold)

Points
Game – 1. Jelisa Guy (14); 2. Brittney Sandau (9); 5. Mandy Ploskonka (7)
Season – 1. Ally Stroup (39); 3. Brittney Sandau/Jelisa Guy (26)
Career – 1. Ally Stroup (109); 2. Brittney Sandau (71); 5. Mandy Ploskonka (32); 6. Jelisa Guy (29)

Goals
Game – 1. Jelisa Guy (5); 3. Brittney Sandua (3); 3. Samantha Sandau (3)
Season – 1. Ally Stroup (16)
Career – 1. Ally Stroup (40); 4. Brittney Sandau (25)

Game Winning Goals
Season – 1. Ally Stroup/Margot Merrill-Johnson (4); 4. Brittney Sandau/Melissa Carlson (3)
Career – 1. Ally Stroup (12); 3. Brittney Sandau (7)

Assists
Game – 1. Jelisa Guy (4); 3. Mandy Ploskonka/Brittney Sandau (3)
Season – 1. Brittney Sandau (10); 2. Jelisa Guy (8); 8. Mandy Ploskonka (6)
Career – 1. Ally Stroup (29); 2. Brittney Sandau (21); 6. Mandy Ploskonka (10); 7. Jelisa Guy (9)

GK Wins
Season – 1. Megan Plank (13)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (41) 

Saves
Game – 1. Jenny Bunnell (23)
Season – 1. Jenny Bunnell (151)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (336) 

Shutouts
Season – 1. Megan Plank (10)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (23) 

Goals Against Average
Season – 1. Megan Plank (0.77)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (0.95) 

Minutes in Goal
Season – 1. Megan Plank (1868:15)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (6376:53) 

Fastest Goal from Start of Game
1. Kelly Bryn – 0:27 

Games Played
1. Ally Stroup (74); 6. Brittney Sandau (66); 6. Amy Stephens (66)

Games Started
1. Ally Stroup (74); 5. Brittney Sandau (65)

Schedule & Results

The Coaches

Don Trentham, Head Coach
Don Trentham enters his sixth year as head women’s soccer coach at MSU Billings in 2007.  Under Trentham’s direction the program has gone 44-39-7.  He is the winningest coach in the history of the program in terms of both total wins and winning percentage, and his teams have posted the only three winning season in team history.

Trentham attended Columbia College (Missouri) and played for head coach Dan Hogan, who is now head coach at University of Southern Indiana.  At Columbia he was part of an NAIA program that was consistently ranked in the top-20, won two conference tournament championships and twice advanced to the regional tournament.  In his senior year, the team finished 17-5 and was ranked ninth in the nation.

It was during his playing days at Columbia when Trentham began coaching.  He was head coach of two teams for the Columbia Pride Soccer Club and was assistant camp director for Columbia College Soccer Camps during the summer.  In 1998 the Missouri Youth Soccer Association honored Trentham as the Boys’ Coach of the Year.

Trentham began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida where he had the chance to work two seasons with one of the finest soccer tacticians in the country – David Gregson.  At Embry-Riddle he assisted in guiding the team to a #16 NAIA National Ranking in the final poll of 1999 season, two NAIA Regional Tournament appearances and a Florida Sun Conference regular season championship.

"I've been very fortunate to have played for and coached with two great people," says Trentham.  "Much of what I learned about the game came from Coach Hogan and David Gregson.  Had it not been for those guys, I don't know if I'd be coaching today."

Aside from his head coaching duties with the team at MSU Billings, Trentham also plays an active role in developing players throughout the state and the region.  Over the past two years he has served as the u13 and u14 girls head coach for the Magic City Soccer Club, guiding each team he has coached to Montana State Championships.  In the past he has also coached in the Olympic Development Program serving as the ODP girl's head coach for Montana, as well as an ODP staff coach for Region IV.  Furthermore, he holds many camps, clinics, tournaments, and leagues during the course of the year for both adult and youth players throughout the state.

Trentham earned his bachelor of arts in education from Columbia College and a master's of education in sport management from East Stroudsburg University.  He holds an "A" license from the United States Soccer Federation, as well as an Advanced National license from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. 

Ally Stroup, Assistant Coach

The 2007 season will be Stroup’s first as the Yellowjackets’ women’s assistant soccer coach.  She is a 2007 graduate from MSU Billings, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in psychology with a minor in coaching and graduating cum laude.  

“Ally is a great addition to the coaching staff here at MSUB,” said Director of Soccer and Head Women’s Coach Don Trentham.  “She had a terrific career and a major impact here as a player, and I am confident she will have as big an impact, if not bigger, on our program as a coach.  She knows the game very well and has a tremendous passion for MSUB soccer, and it will be exciting to see her pass on her knowledge and passion to the players in the program.”

As a player, Stroup was a four year starter and two-time captain for the Yellowjackets.  Her freshmen season she was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-West Region Second Team.  As a junior, she received the following honors: MSU Billings Most Valuable Student-Athlete, Heartland All-Conference Team, Scholar-Athlete by her teammates, and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Second Team.  For her senior season, she received the following honors:  ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Second Team, Dakrtonics All-Midwest Region Team, Scholar-Athlete and MVP by her teammates, NSCAA/adidas College Scholar All-West Region Team, NSCAA/adidas Women’s Soccer Scholar All-America College Division First Team. 

At one point during her senior season, the team was ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region and ranked nationally in the top 10.  Stroup finished her MSU Billings career as the school record holder for career goals, assists, points, game winning goals, and games started. 

Stroup plans to begin her Masters of Science in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling at MSU Billings in the spring of 2008.  She is married to Garret Stroup, a 2006 graduate of MSU Billings.