2007-2008 Weekly Release #11 (October 31)

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This Week's Schedule

Sat., Nov. 3 - at Seattle University, 2 p.m. Mountain

Click HERE for this week's Yellowjacket Women's Soccer Show featuring head coach
Don Trentham and junior co-captain Sara Gress

Week in Review

The Yellowjackets played well in splitting two home games last week.  They snapped a three-game losing skid with a 4-0 shutout of Northwest Nazarene on Thursday.  Second-ranked Seattle Pacific kept its record perfect in a 2-0 win in Billings on Saturday, clinching the GNAC title.

Sophomore Dani Ritter scored twice in the first half to lead Montana State Billings to a 4-0 win against Northwest Nazarene in GNAC women’s soccer on Thursday.  The win moved the Yellowjackets back over the .500 mark at 9-8-1 with two games to play.  The Crusaders dropped to 7-8-2.

“Dani has played well all year,” head coach Don Trentham said.  “She’s had a very steady year, has worked hard, and she was rewarded for her work with two goals today.  It was probably her best game of the year.”

Ritter’s goals, her fourth and fifth of the season, were nearly identical.  In the 25th minute she took a great diagonal crossing pass from Sara Gress near the top left corner of the box and sent the ball into the upper right corner of the net.  The shot glanced off the hands of Crusaders goalkeeper Amanda Peters.

Ritter

In the 41st minute, Ali Gamberg provided the crossing pass which Ritter again launched from the left side and nailed the upper right corner of the net.  For the freshman Gamberg, it was her first collegiate point and first of two assists on the day.

“Ali did well off the bench,” said Trentham.  “She played two really good balls in.  That’s her job, to come off the bench and create things, and she did.”

The Jackets netted the first of two second half goals in the 78th minute when senior defender Janica Larsen broke free for a shot on the right side.  Peters dived to make a great save on Larsen’s shot from the right side, but the ball bounced loose and Kari Foreman tapped it in for her fourth goal of the year.

Just four minutes later, Gamberg picked up her second assist when she set up Jelisa Guy with a perfect through ball down the center of the box.  Guy reached the ball a split second before Peters, who blocked her attempt, but Guy bounced up and punched the ball into the empty net.

Seattle Pacific won its 19th-straight game Saturday, shutting out MSU Billings 2-0.

“I thought Seattle Pacific played well,” MSU Billings head coach Don Trentham said.  “They’re a great team and will certainly have a chance to go very far in the national tournament.  They have great players and are well coached, and they did well to beat us 2-0 at home.”

The Falcons broke through with their first goal at 24:58 when Meridith Teague’s corner kick was headed in by Claire Grubbs inside the back post.  Teague tallied the Falcons’ second goal at 65:59.  Amanda Johnson sent a long diagonal crossing pass to the far post, where Teague got her head on the ball and knocked it in the net.

SPU out-shot the Yellowjackets 22-4 in the game, including 9-0 for shots on goal.  MSUB goalkeeper Kaily Hoffman made a career-high seven saves.  The redshirt freshman was one of five freshmen starting for the Yellowjackets.

“With a young lineup against one of the best teams in the country, our team played very hard and competed,” said Trentham.  “We’re not far off from being at the level of a Seattle Pacific.  This week we played well in both our games, and we look forward to having a chance to playing another nationally ranked team next Saturday.”

The Yellowjackets close out the season at Seattle University on Nov. 3.  At 9-9-1 overall, they need a tie or a win to secure their fourth-straight .500 or better season.

Saturday’s game against SPU was the final home game of the season and senior day for Brittney Sandau, Abby Bennett, Amy Stephens, and Janica Larsen.  Both Stephens and Larsen started Saturday, but Sandau and Bennett were both out with injuries.  The 2007 senior class has a four-year record of 45-24-7, the best four-year mark of any class in the program’s history.

“Janica and Amy have had solid careers, and both played well this afternoon,” Trentham said.  “It’s obviously disappointing not to have Abby and Brittney out there today.  They have meant so much to our program over the last four years.”

From the GNAC:
LAST WEEK: Wednesday – Seattle 0 at Seattle Pacific 2. Thursday – Northwest Nazarene 0 at MSU Billings 4. Saturday – Central Washington 1 at Western Oregon 1 (2ot); Seattle Pacific 2 at MSU Billings 0; Northwest Nazarene 1 at Seattle 2; Saint Martin's 0 at Western Washington 1 (ot).

THIS WEEK: Monday – Saint Martin's at Central Washington, 2 p.m.; Western Oregon at Western Washington, 2 p.m. Saturday – Western Washington at Central Washington, noon; MSU Billings at Seattle, 1 p.m.; Western Oregon at Saint Martin's, 1 p.m.; Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene, noon. (End-of-regular season).

NSCAA National (Oct. 23) - 2. Seattle Pacific, 10. Seattle. NSCAA Far West Regional (Oct. 23) - 1. Seattle Pacific, 2. Seattle, 6. Western Washington. NCAA Division II Far West Region (Oct. 24) - 1. Seattle Pacific (17-0); 2. Seattle (15-2); 3. UC San Diego (12-2-1); 4. Cal State Dominguez Hills (10-3-2); 5. Chico State (11-5-1); 6. Western Washington (9-6-1); 7. Cal State L.A. (7-5-1); 8. Hawaii Hilo (8-4--0); 9. BYU-Hawaii (8-3-1); 10. Cal Poly Pomona (7-6). Note: Records listed are versus NCAA Division II opponents through Oct. 21. The next poll will be released Wednesday.

NCAA National Statistics (Oct. 21): Individuals: Points - 20. Sarah Martinez, SPU, 2.18; 23. Leah Wymer, SU, 2.12. Goals - 18. Sarah Martinez, SPU, and Leah Wymer, SU, 0.94. Assists - 3. Ashley Porter, SU, 0.76; 11. Meredith Teague, SPU, 0.65; 41. Shannon Oakes, SPU, 0.53. Goals Against - 6. Kaitlyn Jackson, SPU, 0.41; 9. Jesslyn Rahm,
SPU, 0.46; 48. Teresa Fish, WWU, 0.96. Save PCT. - 36. Kaitlyn Jackson, SU, .837; 42. Amber Easterbrook, CWU, .831. Saves - 24. Breanna Klasen, SMU, 7.75. Team: Scoring - 26. Seattle Pacific 2.71; 30. Seattle 2.59. Goals Against - 7. Seattle 0.41; 10. Seattle Pacific 0.53; 46. Western Washington 0.94. Shutout Percentage - 3. Seattle .706; 18. Seattle Pacific .588; 26. Western Washington .529 . Save Percentage - 23. Seattle .848.

GNAC PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK: Meredith Teague, Seattle Pacific (M, 5-4, Jr., Redmond, WA – Bellevue
Christian) scored one goal and had two assists as she was involved in all the non-penalty kick goals in 2-0 wins over
Seattle University and Montana State Billings as the Falcons clinched their fifth GNAC title in the past six years. The two assists were her 12th and 13th of the year, a total surpassed by just one player in GNAC history, Seattle’s Ashley Porter who has had 14 each of the past three years.

AROUND THE GNAC: Hilary Hughes scored Northwest Nazarene’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss at Seattle University. The Crusaders were outshot 29-1 in the contest, but the Redhawks still had to score twice in the final 14 minutes to pull out the victory. Leah Wymer scored the first goal, her league-leading 17th of the season as Ashley Porter earned her 14th assist, equaling her own GNAC single-season record she first set in 2005 and tied last year. Jasmine then got the game-winner two minutes later. . .Jesslyn Rahm had four saves in Seattle Pacific’s two shutout wins, her eighth and ninth shutouts of the season. Kara Hamby and Claire Grubbs had the game-winner goals. . .Danielle Ritter had two goals in Montana State Billings’ 4-0 shutout of Northwest Nazarene. Ali Gamberg earned two assists. . .Teresa Fish had two saves in registering her school record 10th shutout of the season in Western Washington’s 1-0 defeat of Saint Martin’s. The shutout increased Fish's career total to a school and GNAC-record 31. Lucy Miller scored on a header for the lone goal, her sixth goal and third-game winner of the season. . .Amber Easterbrook and Kelsie Blachly each had
six saves as Central Washington and Western Oregon battled to a 1-1 tie. The tie was CWU’s fourth of the year equaling the GNAC record set by Seattle Pacific in 2005 and equaled last year by the Wildcats.

Upcoming Opponents

The Redhawks' only losses have been to teams currently ranked in the top six in the region.  They have fallen twice to unbeaten Seattle Pacific and once to Chico State.  In their 16 wins, Seattle has only been scored on by four different teams for a total of five goals.

Leah Wymer leads Seattle and the GNAC with 17 goals.  Ashley Porter has 14 assists.  Twelve different Redhawks have scored at least one goal this season.  Kaitlyn Jackson has played every minute in goal, posting a .052 goals against average.

The last time the Jackets and Redhawks met, Seattle blew open a tight game with three second half goals to win 4-0.  That was also the game MSUB lost senior captain Brittney Sandau for the season to a broken leg.

All-time Series:  SU leads series 6-0-0
Last Meeting:  SU def. MSUB 4-0 on Oct. 6, 2007 in Billings

The Stats

Click HERE for current MSU Billings 2007 season statistics

The Standings

2007 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Standings
(Through games of Oct. 28, 2007)

The GNAC Stats Leaders

Click HERE for GNAC Stats Leaders

The Polls

The Players

The Last Time in Yellowjacket Women's Soccer

The School Records (records that include 2007-2008 in bold)

Points
Game – 1. Jelisa Guy (14); 2. Brittney Sandau (9); 5. Mandy Ploskonka (7)
Season – 1. Ally Stroup (39); 3. Brittney Sandau/Jelisa Guy (26)
Career – 1. Ally Stroup (109); 2. Brittney Sandau (76); 5. Mandy Ploskonka (36); 6. Jelisa Guy (33)

Goals
Game – 1. Jelisa Guy (5); 3. Brittney Sandua (3); 3. Samantha Sandau (3)
Season – 1. Ally Stroup (16)
Career – 1. Ally Stroup (40); 4. Brittney Sandau (27); 5. Mandy Ploskonka (13)

Game Winning Goals
Season – 1. Ally Stroup/Margot Merrill-Johnson (4); 4. Brittney Sandau/Melissa Carlson (3)
Career – 1. Ally Stroup (12); 3. Brittney Sandau (8)

Assists
Game – 1. Jelisa Guy (4); 3. Mandy Ploskonka/Brittney Sandau (3)
Season – 1. Brittney Sandau (10); 2. Jelisa Guy (8); 8. Mandy Ploskonka (6)
Career – 1. Ally Stroup (29); 2. Brittney Sandau (22);  6. Jelisa Guy (11); 7. Mandy Ploskonka (10)

GK Wins
Season – 1. Megan Plank (13)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (41) 

Saves
Game – 1. Jenny Bunnell (23); 4. Jordan Fenwick (17)
Season – 1. Jenny Bunnell (151)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (336) 

Shutouts
Season – 1. Megan Plank (10)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (23) 

Goals Against Average
Season – 1. Megan Plank (0.77)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (0.95) 

Minutes in Goal
Season – 1. Megan Plank (1868:15)
Career – 1. Megan Plank (6376:53) 

Fastest Goal from Start of Game
1. Kelly Bryn – 0:27 

Games Played
1. Ally Stroup (74); 1. Amy Stephens (74) 4. Abby Bennett (72) 5. Brittney Sandau (70);

Games Started
1. Ally Stroup (74); 5. Brittney Sandau (69)

Schedule & Results

The Coaches

Don Trentham, Head Coach
Don Trentham enters his sixth year as head women’s soccer coach at MSU Billings in 2007.  Under Trentham’s direction the program has gone 44-39-7.  He is the winningest coach in the history of the program in terms of both total wins and winning percentage, and his teams have posted the only three winning season in team history.

Trentham attended Columbia College (Missouri) and played for head coach Dan Hogan, who is now head coach at University of Southern Indiana.  At Columbia he was part of an NAIA program that was consistently ranked in the top-20, won two conference tournament championships and twice advanced to the regional tournament.  In his senior year, the team finished 17-5 and was ranked ninth in the nation.

It was during his playing days at Columbia when Trentham began coaching.  He was head coach of two teams for the Columbia Pride Soccer Club and was assistant camp director for Columbia College Soccer Camps during the summer.  In 1998 the Missouri Youth Soccer Association honored Trentham as the Boys’ Coach of the Year.

Trentham began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Florida where he had the chance to work two seasons with one of the finest soccer tacticians in the country – David Gregson.  At Embry-Riddle he assisted in guiding the team to a #16 NAIA National Ranking in the final poll of 1999 season, two NAIA Regional Tournament appearances and a Florida Sun Conference regular season championship.

"I've been very fortunate to have played for and coached with two great people," says Trentham.  "Much of what I learned about the game came from Coach Hogan and David Gregson.  Had it not been for those guys, I don't know if I'd be coaching today."

Aside from his head coaching duties with the team at MSU Billings, Trentham also plays an active role in developing players throughout the state and the region.  Over the past two years he has served as the u13 and u14 girls head coach for the Magic City Soccer Club, guiding each team he has coached to Montana State Championships.  In the past he has also coached in the Olympic Development Program serving as the ODP girl's head coach for Montana, as well as an ODP staff coach for Region IV.  Furthermore, he holds many camps, clinics, tournaments, and leagues during the course of the year for both adult and youth players throughout the state.

Trentham earned his bachelor of arts in education from Columbia College and a master's of education in sport management from East Stroudsburg University.  He holds an "A" license from the United States Soccer Federation, as well as an Advanced National license from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. 

Ally Stroup, Assistant Coach

The 2007 season will be Stroup’s first as the Yellowjackets’ women’s assistant soccer coach.  She is a 2007 graduate from MSU Billings, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in psychology with a minor in coaching and graduating cum laude.  

“Ally is a great addition to the coaching staff here at MSUB,” said Director of Soccer and Head Women’s Coach Don Trentham.  “She had a terrific career and a major impact here as a player, and I am confident she will have as big an impact, if not bigger, on our program as a coach.  She knows the game very well and has a tremendous passion for MSUB soccer, and it will be exciting to see her pass on her knowledge and passion to the players in the program.”

As a player, Stroup was a four year starter and two-time captain for the Yellowjackets.  Her freshmen season she was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-West Region Second Team.  As a junior, she received the following honors: MSU Billings Most Valuable Student-Athlete, Heartland All-Conference Team, Scholar-Athlete by her teammates, and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Second Team.  For her senior season, she received the following honors:  ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII Second Team, Dakrtonics All-Midwest Region Team, Scholar-Athlete and MVP by her teammates, NSCAA/adidas College Scholar All-West Region Team, NSCAA/adidas Women’s Soccer Scholar All-America College Division First Team. 

At one point during her senior season, the team was ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region and ranked nationally in the top 10.  Stroup finished her MSU Billings career as the school record holder for career goals, assists, points, game winning goals, and games started. 

Stroup plans to begin her Masters of Science in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling at MSU Billings in the spring of 2008.  She is married to Garret Stroup, a 2006 graduate of MSU Billings.