Yellowjacket Women's Soccer Hosts Seventh Annual MSU Billings Cup
Presented by Best Western Clock Tower Inn This Weekend

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BRIEFLY
The MSUB women’s soccer team opens the 2009 home slate with the Seventh Annual MSU Billings Cup Presented by Best Western Clock Tower Inn.  The Yellowjackets entertain Colorado Christian Friday at 1 p.m., and host Augustana Sunday at 12 p.m.  CCU and Augustana are scheduled to play a neutral site game Saturday at 1 p.m.

JUST FOR KICKS
The Yellowjackets finished the 2008 season with a 10-10 record and a 5-7 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  MSUB enters the week with a 1-1 mark after splitting two matches this past weekend at the Dixie State Tournament.  Colorado Christian enters with a 2-0 record, while Augustana stands at 2-1. 

SEVENTH ANNUAL MSU BILLINGS CUP PRESENTED BY BEST WESTERN CLOCK TOWER INN
This weekend marks the Seventh Annual MSU Billings Cup and it is presented by Best Western Clock Tower Inn.  This year’s field includes MSUB, Augustana College and Colorado Christian.  MSUB has a 7-3-2 record in the MSU Billings Cup.  The Yellowjackets went 1-1 last season, losing the opener to Dixie State (4-0) and defeating Fort Lewis (2-1) in overtime.

SCOUTING MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets stand at 1-1 after splitting two tough NCAA Division II West Region matches this past weekend in St. George, Utah.  Not only did the Yellowjackets battle tough teams in Cal State San Bernardino and Dixie State, they also had to battle the heat as temperatures reached near 100 degrees during both games. 

Leading the way for the Yellowjackets is freshman Jennifer Larsen who has two goals in her first two collegiate games.  She has four points with seven shots and five on goal.  Second on the team in scoring is junior Samantha Sandau who has a goal and an assist on the year.  Sandau scored the game winner at Dixie State (8/31).  Freshman Jaucelyn Richter also has a goal on the year, while senior Chelsea Libby has an assist. 

In goal, the Yellowjackets are led by junior Jordan Fenwick who has played all 180:00 minutes thus far.  She has a 1-1 record with four goals against (2.00 GAA) and nine saves. 

Head coach Don Trentham is in his eighth season at the helm of the Yellowjacket program.  He has 10 new players to go along with eight returning starters.  Trentham currently is 64-60 and owns a 3-2-2 record in home openers. 

“I think we have a nice mixture of youth and experience,” Trentham said.  “It’s a combination that pays off with success towards the middle and end of the season when we are hopefully battling for a conference title and a spot in the NCAA tournament.”

Because the Jackets are likely to return 24 of 25 players next season, Trentham is advancing a two-year approach.  The potential for so many of the team to play together for the next two years bodes well for their future performance and progress in the GNAC.

“I think we have depth at every position on the field this year,” Trentham said.  “With an experienced and deep team, and with just about everyone back in 2010, we are looking at it as a two-year project.  If we go out and play the way we are capable of playing and we get results, I think we will be able to compete for a GNAC championship either this year or next.”

RECAPPING DIXIE STATE
MSUB earned a split for the first week of the regular season with a 3-2 victory at Dixie State Monday.  The Yellowjackets avoided going 0-2 for the first time since 2002 with the victory.  The Yellowjackets jumped out to a 2-0 lead on two great goals from freshman Jennifer Larsen.  The first came off a corner kick and the second off a breakaway.  The Red Storm cut it to 2-1 towards the end of the half on a long free kick.  Dixie State tied the game early in the second half as the momentum looked as if it would swing back in favor of the home team, but Samantha Sandau and the Yellowjackets would have none of it.  Sandau scored the game winner in the 52nd minute.   

SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
The Cougars enter the week with a 2-0 record after recording a pair of 1-0 victories against Eastern New Mexico and Northern State this past weekend.  CCU scored both goals in the 75th and 87th minutes, respectively, to pull out the wins.  Megan Gilchrest scored the game winner against ENMU and Jessica Smith scored the goal against Northern State.  The Cougars has 32 shots in the two games and 17 on goal, but just two goals to show for it.  In goal, CCU is led by Liana Signorile who has nine saves in the two shutout victories.  Last season, the Cougars were 9-15 and 3-10 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.  They return 13 letter winners and eight starters.   

INSIDE THE SERIES...
This is the first meeting between MSUB and Colorado Christian.  The Yellowjackets have a 10-32-1 record against teams from Colorado.  MSUB downed Fort Lewis 2-1 in overtime last year in the MSU Billings Cup and defeated Adams State (2-1) at the Augustana College Tournament last season. 

SCOUTING AUGUSTANA COLLEGE
The Vikings enter the week with a 2-1 mark with a pair of shutouts over New Mexico Highlands and Adams State (2-0 both) and a 4-0 loss to Fort Lewis.  Leading the way for the Vikings is Stephanie Goos who has two goals on the year with one game winner and two penalty kicks.  She is tied for the team lead in shots with six and leads the team in shots on goal with four.  Jenna Doerneman and Jessie Huff each have a goal, while Katie Shandri and Alison Schmitt have an assist each.  Between the posts, the Vikings have split time between Melissa Fowler and Amanda Wagner.  Fowler has started all three games, allowing two goals, with 13 saves and a 2-1 record in 135 minutes of action.  Wagner also has allowed two goals in 135 minutes with 10 saves.

INSIDE THE SERIES...
Augustana owns a 1-0 record in the series as the teams met last year in Sioux Falls.  The Vikings won a 4-0 decision over MSUB.  Despite the score, the Yellowjackets outshot the Vikings 23-17 and 12-7 in shots on goal, but nothing would fall for MSUB.  The Vikings scored four first half goals en route to the victory. 

JACKETS FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
Montana State Billings was picked fifth in the annual GNAC Coaches Poll.  The Yellowjackets received 22 ½ points, behind conference favorite Seattle Pacific with 47 points.  Defending conference champion, Western Washington, was selected second (43 points) and one first place vote, followed by Central Washington (34), Saint Martin’s (25 ½), the Yellowjackets, Western Oregon (14) and Northwest Nazarene (8) was seventh to round out the league.  Points are awarded on a 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

YOUTHFUL JACKETS
The Montana State Billings women’s soccer team has just one senior on the team this year in Chelsea Libby.  The ‘Jackets have 11 juniors, three sophomores and nine freshmen.

IMPACT FRESHMEN
The nine Montana State Billings freshmen have made a significant impact this season already.  In the exhibition games, Jennifer Larsen and Jaucelyn Richter have had impressive starts to their Yellowjacket careers.  Larsen scored three goals in two exhibition games, while Richter added three assists in those two exhibitions.  That trend carried over to the regular season as Richter scored her first collegiate goal in a 2-1 loss to Cal State San Bernardino last week and Larsen scored the first two goals of a 3-2 win at Dixie State last Monday.  Thus far, six of the nine freshmen have seen action.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN ‘09
Montana State University Billings’ head women’s soccer coach Don Trentham begins his eighth season at the helm of the Yellowjackets in 2009.  With the goal of advancing to the top ranks of a very competitive Great Northwest Athletic Conference, Trentham is expecting good things from a two-year, targeted program aimed at consolidating ten newcomers, with the depth and experience of 10 veteran juniors, four sophomores and one fifth-year senior.

“I think we have a nice mixture of youth and experience,” Trentham said.  “It’s a combination that pays off with success towards the middle and end of the season when we are hopefully battling for a conference title and a spot in the NCAA tournament.”

Because the Jackets are likely to return 24 of 25 players next season, Trentham is advancing a two-year approach.  The potential for so many of the team to play together for the next two years bodes well for their future performance and progress in the GNAC.

“I think we have depth at every position on the field this year,” Trentham said.  “With an experienced and deep team, and with just about everyone back in 2010, we are looking at it as a two-year project.  If we go out and play the way we are capable of playing and we get results, I think we will be able to compete for a GNAC championship either this year or next.”

LIVE ON THE WEB
This season ALL MSUB home women’s soccer games will be FREE on the internet with live video and audio as the voice of the Yellowjackets, Ken Adelblue, will have the call.