Lady
Jackets Play to Draw with Rocky, Capture Cup (Oct. 21)
Box Score
BILLINGS, MT – Two second half Yellowjacket
goals salvaged a 3-3 draw for the Montana State-Billings women’s
soccer team against Rocky Mountain on Thursday. The Jackets
finished the two-game season series with the Bears with a 1-0-1
mark to take home the 2004 Rimrock Cup. MSU Billings downed Rocky
7-2 in September. MSU Billings is now 6-5-1 all time against
Rocky.
The Bears jumped to a 1-0 lead just 19:14
into the game when Nicola Charles dumped the ball into the box for
Megan Speiser, who scored from 15 yards out. The Yellowjackets
responded quickly when Ally
Taylor (So., Ojai, CA) sent the ball through to Margot
Merrill-Johnson (Sr., Salt Lake City) on the right side of the
box. Merrill-Johnson fired from 18 yards out for the first of her
two goals in the game at 20:51.
Rocky recaptured the lead at 33:44 when
Charles sent a nice crossing pass into the box for Krystel Silva,
who scored from close range. The Bears took the 2-1 lead into
intermission.
The Yellowjackets struck early in the second
half off a free kick from the right side. Kelsey Vinnedge’s (So., Great Falls, MT) crossing-pass off
the free kick reached the far post where Merrill-Johnson headed in
her second goal of the game and tenth of the season. The two
goals give Merrill-Johnson 27 for her career, three short of Abby
Farmer’s school record 30. Merrill-Johnson is also just two
points shy of Farmer’s career points record of 67.
“I thought Margot and Laura (Trinkle) had really strong games in the midfield,
particularly from the second half on,” said Yellowjacket head
coach Don Trentham. “This team has a tremendous amount of heart
and they never quit. We’ve won twice in the last minute this
year. Then we came back three times today to tie. That says a
lot about our players that they fought like that.”
The game was scoreless for the next 19
minutes until Rocky’s Alanna Dekorompay’s corner kick was headed
in by Claire Crosbie for the go-ahead goal at 69:08. The goal
gave the Bears their third lead of the game at 3-2.
Just as it seemed that Rocky would
successfully milk the clock for the victory, the Yellowjackets
manufactured the tying goal with only 4:21 remaining. Taylor’s
corner kick was batted around in the box before Jenny Moellendorf (So., Green River, WY) was able to emerge
from the melee for her second goal of the year.
“Today’s game was one of those games we knew
we would have to scrap through to get the Cup,” added Trentham.
“We made some changes in the second half and were able to utilize
some of our strengths. It was one of those games where you have
to roll up your sleeves and get it done. Some people might be
disappointed with a tie against a team you beat 7-2 earlier in the
year, but one of our season goals was to win the Rimrock Cup and
we accomplished that today.”
Notes: The Yellowjackets’ three goals set
the school record for goals in a season at 40….the previous record
was 38 by the 1999 team….Taylor’s first half assist gave her six
for the season and 13 for her career, breaking the school career
record of 12 held by Shanna Farrar....with her
ten goals and six assists on the season, Merrill-Johnson has tied
the school single season record with 26 points....the
Yellowjackets next play on Sunday at Carroll College….they finish
the season at home against the Saints on October 31.
Click HERE for photos of the Lady Yellowjackets vs. the Lady Bears |
