BURNABY, B.C. – Reigning NCAA Division II West Region Player of the Year Adam Jones gave the crowd at Terry Fox Field a taste of brilliance Saturday night under the lights, drilling a 25-yard free kick into the upper corner of the net to lift No. 22 Simon Fraser University to a 1-0 win over Montana State University Billings in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer action.
 
Jones's fourth goal of the year was an unstoppable right-footed blast, that curled from the left side of the field inside the far post five minutes before halftime. The reigning All-American was in his second game back in the lineup Saturday night, after a three-game hiatus in which SFU endured its worst stretch of the year at 0-2-1. The second win in-a-row for SFU boosted its record to 7-1-2 overall, and 3-1-1 in league play.
 
MSUB (5-6, 3-2 GNAC) slipped to fourth place in the GNAC standings with the loss, as the Clan jumped ahead of the 'Jackets and moved into a tie for second place alongside Seattle Pacific University with 10 points.

 
The Clan went on the offensive early on in the match, creating a handful of chances in the opening 10 minutes. MSUB goalkeeper Tom Lohmann came through with an early sliding save on a shot by Jones, diving backwards to secure the ball before it reached the goal line. 

MSUB countered SFU's early attack by winning a corner kick of its own, which resulted in a header shot by JD Hauenstein that grazed the outside of the net towards the near post.
 
Earning a dangerous free kick just outside the box on the right side of the field, SFU had one of the best scoring looks of the first half. Kyle Jones curled a left-footed shot around MSUB's defensive wall, but Lohmann was there to swallow up the shot for another save.
 
Jones's top class finish came with just five minutes to go in the opening half, after the 'Jackets conceded another dangerous free kick deep in their defensive third.
 
MSUB won a pair of corner kicks 15 minutes into the second half, the second of which resulted in an on-target header shot by Oliver Posarelli. SFU goalkeeper Miguel Hof was there to make the relatively straightforward save, one of two total he had on the night.
 
SFU countered on its next possession down the field, as Lohmann had to dash forward off his line to smother a close-range shot by Matteo Polisi. Lohmann finished the evening with six saves, handling every shot on goal by SFU except for Jones's score.
 
A defensive miscue by SFU with five minutes to play nearly resulted in an own goal, as Hof's attempted clearance clanged off Kristensen and rolled over the end line. The 'Jackets squandered the ensuing corner kick, but kept its hopes alive with a final push as time wound down. Inside of one minute to play, the 'Jackets created a wild scrum inside the penalty area with the ball winding up out of bounds for a final corner kick. Guillaume Kremer got the final service of the match off with five second to go, but SFU managed one final clearance to seal the win.
 
Magnus Kristensen and Brendan Shaw patrolled the defensive unit for the full 90 minutes for SFU, helping the team to its fourth shutout win of the season.
 
THE BUZZ: Posarelli earned St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day honors…MSUB is 0-18-3 all-time against SFU and is 0-9-1 in games played in Burnaby…Saturday marked MSUB's third game this season against a nationally-ranked opponent…the 'Jackets lost 4-0 against No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona on Sept. 8 before defeating No. 12 Upper Iowa University 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 16…Saturday was just the second time this season MSUB has been held without a goal.
 
AHEAD: The 'Jackets are back on the road next week, with matches at Western Washington University on Oct. 12 in Bellingham, Wash., and at Northwest Nazarene University on Oct. 14 in Nampa, Idaho. Both games will feature live video and live statistics, available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.