Western junior forward Gibson Bardsley and sophomore midfielder Kellan Brown move the ball upfield against Seattle Pacific University Oct. 3. Bardsley scored a goal against University of Montana Billings Saturday and Brown scored a goal against University of Mary on Monday. Photo by Alex Roberts
Western’s men’s soccer team finished a grueling two-week road trip on a positive note, defeating Montana State University Billings 3-2 on Saturday and tying non-league opponents University of Mary 1-1 in double overtime on Monday.
Both matches were in Billings, Mont., at Yellowjacket Soccer Stadium. They were Western’s final games of an eight-game road trip in which they logged a 3-4-1 record with matches in Idaho, British Columbia, California and Montana.
With the two results, Western’s record improved to 7-11-1 overall, and 4-3-0 in GNAC play. They are in second place in the conference behind Saint Martin’s University.
“We’re finding a way to defend better and we’re scoring goals, and we’re starting to come together a little bit,” Head Coach Travis Connell said.
The Vikings got a come-from-behind victory Saturday against MSU Billings. After a scoreless first half, the home side got the first goal in the 46th minute, but Western junior forward Gibson Bardsley scored four minutes later to even the match at 1-1. It was his fifth goal of the season.
The Vikings took the lead as Western junior forward Brendan Quilici scored two consecutive goals in the 60th and 68th minutes to give Western a 3-1 advantage.
MSU Billings scored again to make it 3-2, but the Vikings held on to get their second straight win on the road, having also beaten Seattle Pacific 4-0 on Oct. 29 in Seattle.
“Any time you can get a winning streak on the road, you’re happy with that,” Connell said.
The winning streak was nearly extended on Sunday against the University of Mary in Billings.
The Vikings started off well, taking the lead in the eighth minute when Western sophomore midfielder Kellan Brown dribbled past two defenders into the penalty box before shooting and scoring.
Western held on to that lead until the final seconds of regulation, when Mary played a corner kick into the box and knocked the ball into the net with just five seconds left on the clock.
Jepson said defending that type of play has been a weakness for the Vikings. He said the defense had been working on clearing balls out of the 18-yard box in practice.
The Vikings had a chance to win the game in overtime. The Mary goalkeeper cleared a ball straight to Quilici, but his shot at an open net was headed away by a Mary defender.
Western dominated Mary statistically, taking 25 shots to the home team’s eight. Mary’s goalkeeper was forced to make 11 saves, including two in overtime.
Only four teams from the West region of NCAA Division II are invited to the postseason tournament each year.
If the Vikings are not included, their season will end after Thursday, Nov. 5, which will be the first home game for Western in more than a month.
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