BILLINGS, Mont. – With games on Friday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., the Montana State University Billings men's soccer team will serve as the host for the four-game Rimrock Classic sponsored by TNT Automotive and Marine.
 
The Yellowjackets will take on Colorado Christian University on Friday, before facing Colorado Mesa on Sunday in their final tune-up before Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches begin the following week.
 
San Francisco State will face Colorado Mesa on Friday at 2 p.m. in the first game of the tournament, which will be played at Yellowjacket Field on the MSUB City College campus. On Sunday, the Gators will face Colorado Christian at 1 p.m.
 
Admission for the event will be treated the same as normal MSUB soccer matches, with general admission tickets priced at $5 and tickets for seniors (age 65 and up), students age 7-12 and MSUB faculty and staff members set at $3. MSUB students with a valid ID card as well as children in sixth grade and under will be admitted free of charge.
 
A live video stream and live statistics will be provided for all four of the games here.
 
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
 
Montana State University Billings - Yellowjackets
Record: 0-1-1
Head Coach: Alex Balog, 2nd season
 
MSUB's first two games of the season have both extended into overtime, with the Yellowjackets drawing Upper Iowa University 1-1 in 120 minutes on Sept. 5 and falling to the University of Illinois-Springfield 2-1 on Sept. 7.
 
The Yellowjackets' leading goal scorer from 2013, Thorge Jess, has started his sophomore campaign off with a bang. Jess scored in both of MSUB's first two games, and junior Sam Butterworth provided assists on both of MSUB's goals against UIU.
 
Against Colorado Christian University: MSUB holds an all-time record of 9-2-1 including a perfect mark of 6-0 at home against the Cougars. The teams last played on Sept. 10, 2011, when the Yellowjackets scored a 2-1 victory at Yellowjacket field. Overall, MSUB has won the past six matches and hasn't lost to CCU in the teams' last 10 meetings (9-0-1) dating back to the 1999 season.
 
Against Colorado Mesa University: Sunday's meeting will be the first ever between the two programs.
 
Colorado Christian University - Cougars
Record: 2-0-0
Head Coach: Gary Evans, 11th season
 
Starting their season off strongly, the Cougars defeated Dallas Christian 1-0 on Sept. 4 and Dallas Baptist University 2-1 two days later. Senior Luke Burgard provided CCU's only goal against Dallas Christian, while Weston Leake and Adam Hern ensured the win over DBU with a goal apiece.
 
Burgard is the Cougars' top returner from the 2013 squad, as he tallied 18 points with eight goals and a pair of assists last year as a junior. Leake was next on the list last year, scoring three times and providing an assist for seven points.
 
After an eight-year absence from the CCU program, head coach Gary Evans rejoined the squad in 2011 after formerly serving as the lead man from 1996-2003.
 
Colorado Mesa University - Mavericks
Record: 1-1-0
Head Coach: Todd Padgett, 1st season
 
In his debut as a head coach for the Mavericks, Todd Padgett led his team to a 2-0 victory over St. Edward's University on Sept. 5. Roy Abergil got the scoring started with a goal in the 51st minute, and Alan Hernandez finished a cross from Nestor Escobar in the 75th to seal the win.
 
Two days later, CMU put up a valiant fight against the No. 12 team in the NCAA in Midwestern State, falling 2-1 in double overtime. Hernandez gave the Mavericks a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 79th minute, but MSU responded with a goal exactly two minutes later then finished the game in the 108th minute to serve CMU the tough loss.
 
Hernandez returns as the team's second-leading scorer from 2013, totaling four goals and four assists as a junior. Overall, the Mavericks have eight seniors returning from last season and 17 upperclassmen total on their roster.
 
San Francisco State University – Gators
Record: 1-0-0
Head Coach: Matt Barnes, 1st season
 
Set to play its first game of the season on Sept. 9, San Francisco State welcomes back its top scorer from 2013 in junior Sam Merritt who had nine points on four goals and an assist.
 
The Gators possess an experienced lineup with seven seniors and eight juniors. First year head coach Matt Barnes will look to bring his success from Lubbock Christian University (Texas) to the SFSU program. In 2013, Barnes guided the Chaparrals to an 11-5-1 record including an 8-1 mark in the team's first year as a member of the Heartland Conference.