BILLINGS, Mont. – The Eighth Annual MSUB Cup Presented by Best Western Clock Tower Inn kicks off the 2010 Montana State Billings women's soccer season this weekend at Yellowjacket Field. The Jackets will open the tournament on Friday, Sept. 3, at 5 p.m. against Dixie State College and will conclude the tournament on Monday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m. against the University of Mary.

The Dixie State College Red Storm enter the 2010 season as the defending PacWest champions and are expected to repeat after receiving six of the possible nine first place votes in the preseason poll. The Red Storm finished 2009 with a 14-5-0 record overall and were 13-1-0 in the conference.

Dixie State returns seven starters and 13 letterwinners from last years' squad including a pair of All-PacWest Preseason selections in junior midfielder Camille Peterson and senior forward Wendy Stratford.

An All-PacWest First Team choice in 2009, Peterson scored 17 points in 18 starts. She tallied her points on five goals and seven assists. Stratford was a first team member in 2009 and amassed 16 points in 16 games on seven goals and two assists.

 A year ago MSUB traveled to St. George, Utah, to open the season at Dixie State, coming away with a 3-2 victory after Jennifer Larsen put the ball in the net late in the second half for the game-winner. The Yellowjackets are 1-1 all-time against the Red Storm.

The University of Mary enters the weekend with a 1-0-0 record after a 2-0 season-opening victory over the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Aug. 27. The Marauders were 9-8-4 overall a year ago and were 7-4-2 in the Northern Sun.

Upperclassmen Jess Curl and Megan Hellrung are the Marauders' top two returning players from last years' squad.

A junior midfielder from, Curl scored goals in each of her first two games for the Marauders in 2009 before sitting out the rest of the season with an injury. She was an all-conference selection her freshman year at Southwest Minnesota State in 2007.

A third team All-NSIC selection and an all-academic selection, Hellrung scored four goals last season, second most on the Marauders. Hellrung spearheads a defense that allowed just 25 goals in 21 games last season, including nine shutouts.

Last season the Yellowjackets and Marauders played to a 1-1 tie in Bismarck. MSUB is 7-9-1 all-time against Mary and are currently riding a two game unbeaten streak.