Busy Week Ahead for MSUB Soccer (10/3/05)

BILLINGS, MT – The 2005 Montana State-Billings men’s soccer schedule has been a case of feast or famine.  After playing 10 of their first 12 games on the road, the Yellowjackets will play three home games in the span of five days this week.  And those will be the final three home games of the year.

The Yellowjackets, 3-9-0 overall, will host Dallas Baptist on Wednesday, Regis University on Saturday, and Colorado State-Pueblo on Sunday.  All games will be played at the MSU Billings College of Technology.  Saturday and Sunday will each feature doubleheaders as Westminster College will take on CSU-Pueblo on Saturday and Regis on Sunday following the MSU Billings game.

The Yellowjackets snapped a four-game losing streak last Saturday with a 1-0 win over Colorado Christian.  Dustin Kono (Sr., Aberdeen, SD) scored the fastest goal to start a game in the program’s history when he took a pass from Marcus Riley (Sr., Kalispell, MT) and found the net just 51 seconds into the match. 

Kono leads the Jackets with seven goals this season.  He has accounted for nearly half the team’s 16 goals and at one point during the season had a five-game scoring streak.  Riley leads the team with three assists.  Freshman Nick Slanina (Rapid City, SD) has three goals, and Jesse Spann (Sr., Rock Springs, WY) has a pair of goals and an assist.  Yellowjacket goalkeeper Jess Feldtman (Sr., Lander, WY) has played every minute of the season and has made 71 saves with a 2.30 goals against average.

MSU Billings and Dallas Baptist will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.  After starting the year 4-0, the Patriots have lost four of their last five and will come to Billings with a 5-4-0 mark.  Season statistics are not available for the Patriots, who play as an NCAA II independent. 

Regis University, which plays in the tough Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, will bring a 2-5-2 overall record to Billings.  The Rangers are 1-1-1 in their last three games with a win over St Edward’s and a draw with Incarnate Word.  Each of those Heartland Conference teams recently defeated the Yellowjackets.  Sven Trautmann leads the Rangers with four goals on the season.  Cody Berg has three goals and a pair of assists.  Despite the below .500 record, the Rangers have been outscored just 19-15.

Colorado State-Pueblo will enter the weekend with a 4-6-1 overall record.  The Thunderwolves started the season just 1-3-1 but have won three of their last six.  Last week the Twolves knocked off eleventh-ranked West Texas A&M, 3-2.  CSU-Pueblo, which also plays in the RMAC, defeated Regis 4-1 two weeks ago.  Ryan Creager leads the Twolves with four goals.  Trevor Martinet has three goals and two assists.

 Following the three-game home stand this week, MSU Billings will wrap up the season with three games on the road in Phoenix October 14, 15 and 17.  The Yellowjackets will play at Embry-Riddle on the 14^th, against Humboldt State in a neutral site game on the 15^th, and at Grand Canyon on the 17^th.