2006 Women’s Soccer Wrap Up

BILLINGS, MT – The talk following women’s soccer seasons at Montana State-Billings used to center around “next year.”  But that has all changed in the past three seasons.  Now when the Lady Yellowjackets wrap up a season, they have plenty of wins and records to talk about.

For the third-straight year, the Montana State-Billings women’s soccer team posted the best season in the program’s history.  Of the 59 school records tracked annually, 49 of them fell this season.  The most important school record, of course, was the 13-6-1 mark posted by the Jackets in 2006.  The 13 wins were the most in school history.

The road to those 13 wins started with another school record: a 10-game winning streak.  The streak began in the heat of August with a 1-0 victory at Colorado School of Mines.  On the same season-opening trip, the Jackets downed Fort Lewis 1-0 in overtime and blew past Eastern New Mexico 3-1.  The three-game trip to open the season was important for several reasons.  The Jackets wracked up three regional wins before the calendar turned to September.  The MSUB defense established itself as a force.  And a newcomer asserted her presence.

“A 10-0 start in college soccer is impressive,” said Yellowjacket head coach Don Trentham.  “I knew we were a good team coming into the year, but I think the players overachieved in a good way.  They won the first 10 games and set the bar higher than what we had thought at the beginning of the year.  Going 10-0 was quite an accomplishment that maybe got lost a little bit with what our record was the last 10 games.”

The three regional wins eventually helped propel the Jackets to the top of the NCAA regional rankings a few weeks later.  The defense, which allowed just one goal that opening weekend, gave up only four goals during the first 10 games of the year.  In the overtime win against Fort Lewis, freshman Jelisa Guy scored the game winner, serving notice that the 2005 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year from Flathead High School was going to be an impact player at the college level.  She went on to score nine goals and notch eight assists.

“That opening road trip was very important,” said Trentham.  “We wanted to come out of there 2-1.  We had never played a three game road trip where we came out with two wins.  To come out 3-0 really raised expectations of what our season should be.”

Following the 3-1 win at Eastern New Mexico on August 27, the Yellowjackets didn’t allow another goal until September 16.  During that span they posted shutouts of Texas-Permain Basin, University of Mary, St. Mary’s, Texas A&M-International, and defending Heartland Conference champion Incarnate Word.  The shutout streak ended in an 18-1 romp over Texas A&M-International at home.

MSUB seemed poised to suffer its first loss of the season on September 20 in a historic game in Billings.  The Jackets faced cross-town rival Rocky Mountain at Daylis Stadium in the first college soccer night game in Montana.  The Bears broke from a scoreless halftime tie to take a 2-0 lead, which they held until the 81^st minute. 

With only 8:05 to play in regulation, the Yellowjackets came to life when Ally Stroup’s through ball fed Sara Gress for the Jackets’ first goal of the game.  With less than a minute on the clock, Guy sent a through ball to Stroup, who in turn beat the Rocky keeper one-on-one to tie the game.  Then, just 2:55 into the overtime period, Abby Bennett placed a perfect pass to Amy Stephens, who became an instant hero by hitting the game-winner.

The dramatic overtime win against their cross-town rivals kept the Yellowjackets’ record unblemished at 10-0.  They were rewarded with the No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Midwest Region.  It was the first time in school history that the Yellowjackets had reached the top of the NCAA’s regional rankings.  They were also ranked first in the regional coaches’ poll and eighth in the national coaches’ poll.

“The Rocky game was one of the best games I’ve been involved with at the college level,” Trentham said.  “I think our players, their players, and their coaches would say the same thing.  It was an exciting game.  Rocky Mountain and MSUB is always going to be a tough game.  Four of the nine games we’ve played have gone into overtime.  To be down 2-0 and maybe play our best 15 minutes of soccer at the end was exciting.  It’s just going to add to the series rivalry and make it better for next year.  It will definitely add to the excitement of the Rimrock Cup series.”

Just two days after the win against Rocky, the Yellowjackets put their unbeaten record on the line at University of Montana.  It was the first-ever regular season meeting between the two schools, and it didn’t disappoint.  The Jackets’ defense and goalkeeper Megan Plank gave the Division I Grizzlies all they could handle through a scoreless regulation and scoreless first overtime.  Montana finally escaped the upset bid with a goal early in the second overtime.

The heartbreaking loss to the Grizzlies started a second half slide that would eventually knock the Yellowjackets out of the NCAA Tournament picture.  Following a home win against Dallas Baptist, MSUB dropped two critical regional games at Metro State and Regis to start October.  A home draw with St. Mary’s and a home loss to Incarnate Word then put the Jackets’ NCAA Tournament hopes in jeopardy.

“Every game at the college level is going to be a tough game to win, whether the team is ranked 200^th in the country or ranked No. 1 in the country,” said Trentham.  “If you look at our last 10 games—one against a Division I opponent, one against the team that won the National Championship, and two against a top 15 team—four of those 10 games are very difficult.  The other games were also challenging.  It was definitely a hard stretch, but I think we played well in a lot of those games we lost.  Aside from the Metro game, we had opportunities to win those games.  The record in the last 10 games is disappointing, but at the same time we’re excited that the program was in the position to have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament.”

After the great start and all the records set along the way, the Yellowjackets’ hopes of making their first NCAA Tournament were pinned on two meetings with 13^th-ranked St. Edward’s University to end the season.  In an odd scheduling scenario, the teams met twice in a span of six days, once in Austin, TX, and once in Billings.  The Yellowjackets were tantalizingly close to upsetting the Hilltoppers in Austin on October 22, losing 1-0 in double overtime.  The following week St. Ed’s withstood a blustery day in Billings for a 2-0 that sent the Hilltoppers to the NCAA Tournament and left the Yellowjackets at home.

Despite the 3-6-1 stretch that kept the Jackets out of the NCAA’s postseason, the 2006 season has to be considered a great success for the women’s soccer program at MSU Billings.  Seniors Ally Stroup, Megan Plank, and Jenny Moellendorf finished their careers as the winningest senior class in school history with a four-year record of 42-25-7.  That’s a significant accomplishment considering the program had never had a winning season when those three seniors were recruited out of high school.

“Every senior class that we’ve had here has left a positive mark,” said Trentham.  “The one thing that this senior class did was establish a winning tradition.  They had winning seasons in three of the four years they were here.  Now it’s expected that we win in this program.  It’s expected that we work hard.  It’s expected that every game we go into we not only go in to compete, but we go in to win.  Jenny, Ally, and Megan are a big part of that.  They certainly took a chance in coming into a program that had never won, and they made sure that when they left it was a good program.”

Along with the abundance of school records (listed below), Yellowjacket players garnered their share of individual awards in 2006.  Five different Yellowjackets were named to the All-Heartland Conference First Team.  League champion St. Edward’s and the runner-up Yellowjackets accounted for 10 of the 15 spots on the all-conference team.  MSUB was represented on the HLC All-Conference team by forward Ally Stroup, midfielder Brittney Sandau, defenders Abby Bennett and Samantha Boehm, and goalkeeper Megan Plank.  Stroup, Sandau and Plank were repeat selections from 2005.

Stroup finished her career at MSU Billings as the best offensive player in school history.  She holds career school records for goals, assists, and points.  This season Stroup scored 16 goals and had seven assists to lead the Heartland Conference in points, points per game, goals, and goals per game.  She was also second in the league for game winning goals and fourth for assists and assists per game.

Sandau had 10 assists to rank second in the Heartland Conference for assists and assists per game.  After three seasons her 17 career assists rank second in school history.  Sandau also scored eight goals this year, tied for seventh in the conference, to total 26 points.  She ranked fourth in the league for points and will enter her senior season fourth in school history for career points with 57.

Plank holds every goalkeeping record at MSU Billings, including career wins, shutouts, saves, and goals against average.  This season she led the Heartland Conference in shutouts and ranked second for goals against average, save percentage, and saves.  Plank set school single season records this year for wins, shutouts, and goals against average.

Bennett and Boehm anchored the Jackets’ back line that was statistically the best defense in school history.  The Jacket defense was second in the league behind St. Edward’s for goals allowed and goals against average.  They led the conference in shutouts.  MSUB set single season school records this season for goals allowed, goals against average, shutouts, and consecutive shutouts.

In addition to all-conference honors, Stroup was named to two all-region teams.  She was selected to the Daktronics Midwest Region First team by the region’s sports information directors.  She was also selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Midwest Region Second Team.  In addition to performing at the top of her game on the field, Stroup also excelled in the classroom.  For her efforts she was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic District VII second team.

“Next year is kind of a transitional year for us,” concluded Trentham.  “The fact that we’re joining a new region again, and we’re joining the Great Northwest Athletics Conference, we’re not sure what to expect.  We know it’s a tough region and a tough conference.  It’s a year when we’re transitioning with a very experienced team.  We have 17 players coming back, including eight or nine starters.  I don’t want to say we’ll be in the top half or bottom half of the conference.  We’re just going to go out there and compete and try to win every game.  That’s the tradition that has been established here over the last couple years.”

2006 Individual Records
1^st – Season Wins by Goalkeeper: 13 – Megan Plank
1^st – Season Goalkeeper Minutes Played: 1868:15 – Megan Plank
1^st – Season Shutouts by Goalkeeper: 10 – Megan Plank
1^st - Season Goals Against Average: 0.77 – Megan Plank (16 goals allowed)
1^st – Consecutive Shutout Minutes: 525:53 – Megan Plank
1^st – Career Wins by Goalkeeper: 41 Megan Plank
1^st – Career Saves: 336 – Megan Plank
1^st – Career Shutouts: 23 – Megan Plank
1^st – Career Goals Against Average: 0.95 – Megan Plank (67 goals allowed)
1^st  – Career Goalkeeper Minutes Played: 6376:53 – Megan Plank
1^st – Career Points: 109 – Ally Stroup (40 goals, 29 assists)
1^st – Season Points: 39 – Ally Stroup (16 goals, 7 assists)
1^st – Season Game Winning Goals: 4 – Ally Stroup
1^st – Career Assists: 29 – Ally Stroup
1^st – Goals in a season: 16 – Ally Stroup
1^st – Career Goals: 40 – Ally Stroup
1^st – Consecutive games with at least one point: 10 – Ally Stroup
1^st – Career Game Winning Goals: 12 – Ally Stroup
1^st – Most Games Played: 74 – Ally Stroup
1^st – Most Games Started: 74 – Ally Stroup
1^st – Points in a game: 14 – Jelisa Guy
1^st – Goals in a game: 5 – Jelisa Guy
1^st – Assists in a game: 4 – Jelisa Guy
1^st – Assists in a season: 10 – Brittney Sandau
1^st – Least Time Elapsed Between Goals Scored by Same Player: 30 seconds vs. UTPB - Brittney Sandau

2006 Team Records
1^st – Wins in a Season: 13
1^st – Season Shutouts: 10
1^st – Team Defense: 0.77 gaa
1^st – Fewest Goals Allowed in a Season: 16
1^st – Largest Margin of Victory: 17
1^st – Points in a game – 50 vs. TAMIU
1^st – Points in a season – 153
1^st – Goals in a game – 18 vs. TAMIU
1^st – Goals in a season – 54
1^st – Assists in a game – 14
1^st – Assists in a season - 45
1^st – Scoring Offense: 2.60 – 54 goals/20 games
1^st – Consecutive Shutouts: 5
1^st – Consecutive Shutout Minutes: 525:53 (Megan Plank)
1^st – Consecutive Wins: 10
1^st – Consecutive Unbeaten Streak: 10
1^st – Consecutive Unbeaten Streak on the Road: 7
1^st – Least Time Elapsed Between Goals Scored: 30 seconds vs. UTPB
1^st – Consecutive Winning Seasons: 3 seasons (2004-Present)
1^st – Highest NCAA Regional Ranking: #6
1^st – Highest NSCAA Regional Ranking: #7
1^st – Highest Home Game Attendance: 423 vs. Rocky Mountain College (Daylis Stadium)
1^st – Highest Season Average Attendance: 146 – 8 games (includes one game at Daylis Stadium)
1^st – Highest Season Total Attendance: 1171 – 8 games (includes one game at Daylis Stadium) 

Career Scoring Leaders
1^st – Ally Stroup (40 goals; 29 assists; 109 points)
4^th - Brittney Sandau (20 goals; 17 assists; 57 points)
6^th – Jelisa Guy (9 goals; 8 assists; 26 points)
8^th – Mandy Ploskonka (6 goals; 9 assists; 21 points)
13^th – Amy Stephens (5 goals; 5 assists; 15 points)
14^th – Jenny Moellendorf (5 goals; 4 assists; 14 points)
15^th – Melissa Carlson (4 goals; 5 assists; 13 points) 

Awards

·        7 Heartland Players of the Week

·        5 Heartland All-Conference members ---- Megan Plank, Brittney Sandau, Ally Stroup, Samantha Boehm, Abby Bennett (most ever for the program)

·        2 MSU Billings Athletes of the Week (most ever for the program)

·        CoSIDA ESPN Academic All-District (2nd Team) ---- Ally Stroup

·        1 Daktronics Midwest All-Region Player (1st Team) ---- Ally Stroup

·        1 NSCAA Midwest All-Region Player (2nd Team) ---- Ally Stroup

* The 2006 MSUB women’s soccer team broke 49 of the 59 school records (individual and team) that are recorded on a year to year basis