Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. â€" A first-half goal off a free kick was the difference as Montana State University-Billings defeated Western Washington University, 1-0, Saturday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer game at Harrington Field.

The loss drops the Vikings to 5-7-3 overall, 3-7-2 in the GNAC. MSUB is 8-4-3, 6-3-2 in conference play.

Thiago Novis scored the lone goal for the Yellowjackets, driving a low free kick into the left corner from 19 yards out in the 26th minute.

MSUB had a 13-11 advantage in shots, but Western had an 8-6 edge in the second half and created a number of chances in the last 30 minutes, the best when Luke Olney (So., Enumclaw, WA) hit the crossbar with a header from eight yards out.

"The guys did a good job of executing the things we asked them to do at halftime," said WWU coach Greg Brisbon."We created good opportunities, even hit the crossbar. Overall, it was a pretty even game."

It was the final home game of the season for the Vikings, who complete the regular season with three road contests, starting at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday (4 p.m. MDT).