Box Score

NAMPA, Idaho — The Crusaders saw a ball bang off the goal-post, another smack the crossbar, and a third headed out of a waiting goal by a Yellowjacket defender.

The Northwest Nazarene men's soccer team had its chances but none of them managed to find the back of the net as visiting Montana State Billings snagged a 3-0 win at Finkbeiner Park on the NNU campus on Thursday in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

"We came out very flat tonight and paid for it," NNU head coach Joel DeLass said of his team's league-opening setback. "When you give up as many chances as we did against a quality opponent like MSUB you're going to be punished like we were tonight.

"We had a better start to the second half and unfortunately weren't able to find the equalizer before giving up some quality chances that they capitalized on."
 

NNU (3-3-1 overall, 0-1-0 GNAC) nearly broke on top in the 29^th minute, though, as Keon Jones broke in on Yellowjackets goalkeeper, Joe Scott, and fired a shot the MSU Billings goalie dove to get just a piece of.

Just enough of a piece as the ball caromed harmlessly off the left goal post.

With the game still scoreless, the Yellowjackets (5-2-0, 1-0-0) cashed in on NNU's missed opportunity and took the lead themselves when Julian Toenges scored with 12:20 left until halftime.

NNU then turned up its intensity, pushing forward looking to tie only to see MSU Billings defender Eli Williams head a potential Crusader goal away from the 'Jackets net.

The Crusaders kept pressing the attack in the second half as Jones blasted a shot off the crossbar with 11:29 gone off the clock, but NNU remained stuck at "0" on the scoreboard.

A fact that came back to haunt NNU, as just less than 5 minutes later Julien Dragomir made it a 2-0 game, then 5:39 after that, JD Hauenstein iced the win.

Ryan Foo made six saves in goal in the game for NNU, which gets a week off now to prepare for a road game at St. Martin's next Thursday.