BILLINGS, Mont. – Snapping the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team's four-game winning streak on Thursday at Yellowjacket Field, visiting Seattle Pacific University overcame a halftime deficit for a 2-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory.
 
Guillaume Kremer converted a first-half penalty kick to give the Yellowjackets the lead, but the Falcons countered with goals from Gabriel Weber and Alex Mejia that came 10 minutes apart in the second half. The Yellowjackets fell to 4-5 overall and 2-1 in league play with the loss, while the Falcons improved to 5-2-1 overall and 1-1-1 in conference action.
 
"We are disappointed with the result today," said MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "We controlled the game for the most part, without necessarily playing all that well. In the end, two moments of inattention cost us dearly. Give credit to SPU for believing and finding a way to grind out a result."
 
MSUB could not find the net despite nine shots in the opening 45 minutes, and the 'Jacket offense slowed with just two attempts in the second half. 

An early corner kick nearly pushed MSUB ahead in the opening 15 minutes, as the SPU back line deflected a point-blank shot by JD Hauenstein off a cross from Guillaume Kremer.
 
The duo teamed up to give

MSUB a 1-0 lead shortly thereafter however, as Hauenstein was fouled inside the box. Kremer converted the penalty kick for his fourth goal of the year, and MSUB kept on the offensive. Victor Sanchez slotted a through ball to Hauenstein down the right wing in the next minute, and a sliding Eli Williams was just late as his shot missed high.
 
Senior goalkeeper Tom Lohmann had the first of three saves on the day in the first half, helping make MSUB's 1-0 advantage hold up through the halftime whistle.
 
SPU goalkeeper Kary Whitney made a stellar save on a shot from point-blank range 10 minutes into the second half, keeping his team's deficit at 1-0. The play developed from a run by Alexis Chavez on the left side, and after his perfectly-paced pass into the box Whitney dove to knock an attempt by Hauenstein. It was the Yellowjackets' best chance for a second goal in the match, and SPU took advantage of the stop from its keeper.
 
It took the Falcons nearly 20 minutes to break through in the second half, but the equalizer and game-winner were not separated by much time. Mejia was behind the first goal for SPU, making a strong run into the box on the left side and directing an accurate cross towards the six-yard box. Weber managed a heel-flick shot while being defended, and while Lohmann got a hand to it he could not prevent the ball from crossing the goal line.
 
Exactly 10 minutes later, it was again Mejia getting onto the score sheet, this time with a goal of his own. Trevor Lee ran onto a through ball towards the right corner of the field, and played a cross towards the top of the box on one touch. From there, Mejia had a relatively straightforward finish past Lohmann from 12 yards away.
 
Reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Week Realf Zhivanaj had another stellar 90-minute performance on the back line, helping boost the defense by winning multiple challenges and 50-50 balls. Oliver Posarelli and Luca Battistotti also each played the full match in the back for the 'Jackets.
 
Lohmann did his best to thwart SPU's 9-2 shot advantage in the second half, making two more saves.
 
THE BUZZ: Zhivanaj was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…the 'Jackets are 4-17-5 all-time against SPU, and are 3-4-2 in games played in Billings…Kremer leads the team with four goals this year, two of which have come on penalty kicks.
 
AHEAD: The 'Jackets host Saint Martin's University on Saturday afternoon in another GNAC contest. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Yellowjacket Field, and live video and live stats will be available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.