August 14, 2007

Jacket Men Picked Fourth in GNAC

BILLINGS, Mont. – Entering its first season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the Montana State Billings men’s soccer team has been picked to finish fourth in a poll of league coaches.  The Yellowjackets edged first-year program Saint Martin’s by two points for the fourth spot in the poll and were two points behind Western Washington for the third spot.

The poll highlighted the two tiers in the five-team GNAC.  Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University each received 25 points and two and a half first place votes to claim the title of co-favorites.  Western Washington garnered 12 points, followed by MSUB with 10 and Saint Martin’s with eight.

Seattle, which is in its final season in the GNAC before moving to Division I, has won or shared the GNAC title in five of the last six seasons.  The Redhawks won the NCAA Far West Region last year and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.  Seattle and Seattle Pacific shared the GNAC title last year with 3-1 records.  Seattle was 12-8-1 overall, and Seattle Pacific was 12-7-0.  In the NSCAA preseason poll, Seattle is ranked 12th in the nation while SPU is ranked 22nd.

The Yellowjackets, 5-11-2 last year in the Heartland Conference, begin their season Aug. 23 on the road at Colorado Christian.  Their first GNAC contest will be at home Sept. 10 against Western Washington.