Lady Jackets Put Three-Game Winning Streak on the Line against Carroll (Oct. 17, 2003)

BILLINGS, MT – The MSU Billings women’s soccer team changed the direction of its season with three wins in the past two weeks and will try for its fourth-straight win Saturday afternoon when the Yellowjackets host Carroll College.  Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday at Yellowjacket Field, located at the MSU Billings College of Technology on Central and Shilo. 

A victory would push MSU Billings (6-6-1) over the .500 mark for the first time since mid-September and give the Yellowjackets a school-record fourth consecutive home win.  It would also put them within a game of tying the school record for consecutive wins, set at five by the 1999 team.

In the pair of road wins last week, Ally Taylor (Fr., Ojai, CA) scored six points on two goals and two assists.  Taylor leads the Yellowjackets with 18 points and six assists.  Her six goals are second on the team behind Margot Merrill-Johnson (Jr., Salt Lake City) who has found the net seven times.  Merrill-Johnson also has a pair of assists for 16 points. 

MSU Billings has been without starting defender Mandy Reed (Sr., Denver, CO) for the past two games with an injury.  She was replaced last week by freshman Jenni Furman (Fr., Casper, WY), who was pivotal in two shutout wins.  Reed could return this weekend to bolster a Yellowjacket defense that held high-powered Northern State scoreless in a 1-0 win last weekend.  Northern State entered the game having outscored its opponents 41-11, but couldn’t find the net against MSUB.

Megan Plank (Fr., Phoenix, AZ) improved her season record to 6-3 with the two road wins and lowered her goals-against average to 0.89 with 180 minutes of shutout goalkeeping.  She has made 66 saves this season to help the Yellowjackets notch five shutouts in 13 outings.  One more shutout will tie the school record for shutouts in a season.

The task won’t be easy against a Saints team that blasted Rocky Mountain 6-1 this week to improve to 11-5.  Carroll also defeated Central Washington soundly last week on the road.  Joelle Laffey has scored 21 goals this season to lead Carroll’s offensive attack.  Elli Dougherty has made 41 saves and posted three shutouts in goal for the Saints.