BILLINGS, Mont. – A youthful lineup featuring 20 underclassmen has first-year Montana State University Billings women's soccer head coach Stephen Cavallo excited about the potential to grow as a unit during the fall of the 2017 season.
 
Despite the large group of new faces, the Yellowjackets hardly have a lack of leadership or experience, as all four upperclassmen returning to the team played extensive roles on last year's squad.
 
The Yellowjackets are looking to rebound from a tough 2016 season, going 4-10-3 overall and finishing in sixth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a league record of 4-6-2. MSUB was picked to finish sixth in the GNAC preseason coaches poll, released earlier this month. The 2017 campaign kicks off Friday night on the road, as the 'Jackets take on the University of Nebraska at Kearney at 7 p.m. (Central).
 
"It is an exciting time, and we have a good returning group that is focused on the goals of the program moving forward," Cavallo said. "The freshmen will also come in and play a pivotal role. It is a big (freshman) class, and we are going to need them to help us reach our goals." 

MSUB Women's Soccer Roster by State

State	Players	Freshmen	Sophomores	Juniors	Seniors
	1	0	1	0	0
	2	0	2	0	0
	1	0	0	1	0
	5	1	2	1	1
	1	1	0	0	0
	1	1	0	0	0
	12	7	4	1	0
	1	1	0	0	0

No one has more experience than three-year letterwinner Jessica Spang, who is the lone senior on the team this year for the 'Jackets. A product of Billings Skyview High School, Spang has tallied eight goals and eight

assists in 51 career matches through her first three seasons, and will be counted on again as a forward this fall. "Jessica has put a lot of time into the program and has always been committed to the team," Cavallo said. "It has been great seeing her grow over the last four years, and her role with the team is immeasurable. She'll be our only three-year GNAC player, and she will be a great leader for the whole team."
 
Joining Spang as experienced returning veterans are a trio of juniors in Jordan Devoto, Lili Delgadillo, and Alycia Wright. Devoto, who will serve as a team captain along with Spang, tied for second on the team last year with seven points. The Wilsall, Mont., native scored three goals and played in all 17 matches, and figures to be a key attacking player this fall.
 
"Jordan had a breakout season last year, and she definitely earned that through hard work," Cavallo commented. "I am proud of her for sticking with it. She has great positive energy, and you don't ever have to worry about what she is going to bring to the field."
 
Complementing Devoto and Spang up top will be Wright, who chipped in a pair of goals and an assist last year. The Arvada, Colo., native has scored eight goals in her first two seasons at MSUB, and will look forward to a healthy year after she was limited to just 680 minutes due to injury in 2016. "Alycia is motivated, and we are excited to get her back and healthy for a whole season," said Cavallo. "She had a great freshman season and she's ready to come back and have a strong year. She's a very skilled player."
 
MSUB's other junior, Delgadillo, will be the team's starting goalkeeper after nearly 1,600 minutes in the net last fall. Delgadillo's 84 saves ranked fourth in the GNAC, and she helped put together MSUB's lone shutout of the 2016 season. "Lili is not afraid to be loud and vocal on the field, and she is always amazingly positive," Cavallo said. "She played a lot last year, and the energy and attitude she brings to every practice brings everyone together."
 
Although the sophomore class has just one year of experience under its belt, some of the team's top talent lies within its young players. Center backs Amanda Hemmen and Kalin Sandow, and outside back Courteney Shovlin all return to the back line having played in all 17 matches last year. Hemmen, the team's third captain, played every minute as a true freshman and was an honorable mention all-GNAC selection. She and Sandow, who started every game as well and had an assist, will play side-by-side in the center of the field defensively. Shovlin will be an instrumental figure at outside back for the second year in-a-row. 

"Those three got serious minutes (last year) and are going to be rocks at the back for us for years to come," said Cavallo. "Amanda and Kalin are going to gel well together at the center back positions and will complement each other very well."
 
Erin Reynolds and Rachel Lythgoe also return to the defensive unit, after seeing time in eight games and four games, respectively, as freshmen. On the offensive end, Kayce Moore is another sophomore returner who saw the field in 2016.
 
Some of the team's most skilled players reside in the midfield, where the sophomore trifecta of Claire Tevaseu, Alexa Iacolucci, and Mackenzie Breeden are projected as the key players to start the year. Tevaseu started all but one match as a holding midfielder, and has shown promise as one of the top young players in the conference. She and Iacolucci will play next to one another this fall, the latter earning minutes in all 17 games and picking up an assist in her first season last year. Breeden will look for increased minutes as an attacking center mid, after playing in 13 games as a freshman.
 

"There is a lot of skill and versatility in that group, and they all bring something different," Cavallo commented on his core of central midfielders. "With our style of play, they are each going to be on the ball a lot, and need to make good decisions to help us maintain possession."
 
The unknown factor is unavoidable with MSUB's 11 freshmen, but three weeks of preseason play has yielded impressive production from the team's newest group of players.
 
Natalie Cabiad of Spokane Valley, Wash., has stood out offensively, scoring in two of the team's three preseason affairs. Brooke Johnson, Danielle Mumm, and Cierra Pinson could all factor into the offensive equation in their debut collegiate season as well.
 
In the midfield, local product Lizzy Light has been impressive and will likely play a key role as a winger in her first college season out of Skyview High School. Hallie Vervair of Spokane, Wash., and Madison Browne of Seattle provide further depth in the midfield positions, and could become familiar names over the course of their careers. MSUB's final freshman midfielder, Samea Aljundi of Kent, Wash., arrived late to training camp after competing for a spot on the Jordanian national team over the summer in Florida. She will compete for major minutes this fall as well.
 
Amanda Grimshaw, a native of Damascus, Ore., is one of the early favorites to join MSUB's three sophomores on the back line. Her breakaway speed and physical play make her a top candidate for the final outside back position across the pitch from Shovlin.
 
In goal, both Erinn Harder of Gig Harbor, Wash., and Susie Lusardi of Willow Spring, N.C., will compete for time with Delgadillo, each showing promise in preseason appearances between the posts.
 
"The class coming in will offer us depth in all three facets of the game, and we need them to be key contributors if we are going to have success this season," said Cavallo. "The goal is to get the most we can out of this class, and for them to develop a tight bond from the get-go. We need them all to be ready to play when the time comes."
 
Cavallo is in his fourth season overall with the team, and first as the head coach after spending three years as assistant coach. He credits first-year assistant coach Sarah Leiby with contributing towards a productive preseason as the team prepares to make its debut this weekend. "Sarah has been an awesome addition to the program, and I am looking forward to working with her," Cavallo commented on the former goalkeeper at NCAA Division I Vermont. "She will help us in multiple facets of the game, and she is very knowledgeable, personable, and relatable. She will help move this program forward."
 
MSUB makes its home debut at the Fourth Annual Rimrock Classic in memory of Trevor Wildberger, running Sept. 8-10 at Yellowjacket Field. Five total non-conference games are on the schedule, before the 'Jackets break into their 12-game GNAC schedule starting on the road at Northwest Nazarene University on Sept. 16. For a full 2017 schedule, click here.
 
The top-four teams in the GNAC regular-season standings will earn a berth in the 2017 GNAC Championships, hosted by Concordia University in Portland, Ore., from Nov. 2-4. MSUB has reached the conference tournament three times since its inception in 2013, and will look to return for the first time since the 2015 campaign.
 
"The goal is to make the GNAC tournament, and it is all about building a positive team culture and dynamic," Cavallo responded when asked what his team hopes to achieve this season. "We are going to be a young team, but that can't be an excuse. These players are ready to play, and they all bring a lot on and off the field. I am really excited to try to help this group gel and bring out the most in one another."
 
All MSUB home matches and select road games will feature live video and live statistics, available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.