BILLINGS, Mont. – A west region soccer showdown will hit the Magic City this weekend, as Montana State University Billings hosts the Fourth Annual Rimrock Classic sponsored by TNT Automotive and Marine at Yellowjacket Field on Friday and Sunday.
 
The Yellowjacket men's soccer team will square off against some of the top teams in the NCAA Division II west region, hosting Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Bernardino, and fellow Great Northwest Athletic Conference foe Simon Fraser University. "We are excited to have some competitive games at home, and of course it's going to be a very special occasion," commented MSUB head coach Alex Balog. "Trevor (Wildberger's) parents will be here this week, and their presence has helped us in the past in games that turn out to be very competitive. We need to make sure that we move on from the games last week and that we are ready for Friday."
 
2017 Rimrock Classic Tournament Schedule
Friday, Sept. 8
2 PM – CSU San Bernardino vs. Simon Fraser
4:30 PM – Cal Poly Pomona vs. MSU Billings
Sunday, Sept. 10
1 PM – Cal Poly Pomona vs. Simon Fraser
3:30 PM – CSU San Bernardino vs. MSU Billings
 
Live video and live statistics will be available for all four matches in the tournament, online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.
 
TW26: The annual tournament is held in memory of Trevor Wildberger, who passed away in 2016 after a courageous battle with cancer. Wildberger had committed to joining the Yellowjackets as a goalkeeper, and his legacy lives on with the event each fall. His parents John and Tammy Wildberger will be in attendance this weekend to help perform a ceremonial kickoff.

THE OT PUZZLE: MSUB (0-2) got off to a tough start in its 2017 campaign last week in Utah, falling to both Westminster College and Dixie State University 2-1 with each game going to overtime. The narrow losses continued a theme of hard luck for MSUB in overtime contests, with the team's last victory after 90 minutes coming on Oct. 18, 2012 against Western Washington.
 
JAVY'S HARDWARE: The 'Jackets were fortunate to have freshman goalkeeper Javier Hernandez last week, as his stellar effort helped the team get to extra time in both contests. Hernandez started off by making eight

saves in his collegiate debut, then came up with five more for a total of 13 in his first two college games.
 
For his efforts, Hernandez was selected as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week, after playing every minute of the opening weekend for the 'Jackets.
 
SCHREGEL STARTS SENIOR SEASON W/GOAL: Senior Niklas Schregel was one of MSUB's goal scorers last week, giving the team a 1-0 lead in the first half against Dixie State. The midfielder has been a model of consistency during his career, scoring six total goals and playing in 49 games since the beginning of the 2014 season. 

SHANT SCORES, EARNS START: Freshman Shantik Bedrosian earned his first collegiate start last Saturday, after finding the net for the 'Jackets in his debut against Westminster on Thursday. The Netherlands native made the most of his time, lending an assist on Schregel's goal to give him points in each of his first two collegiate games.
 
HEPBURN COUNTED ON AS LEADER: The veteran presence of junior Adam Hepburn showed on the field last Saturday, when he made his first start of the year and turned in 87 quality minutes. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native now has 29 matches under his belt, and is coming off a sophomore season in which he saw action in all 18 games. "Coming back home, we definitely need to get back on track, and try to get two more wins," said Hepburn. "We played these two teams last year away and didn't get the results we wanted, and we are excited to face them at home."
 
TEAM PULSE: MSUB, which tied for third last year in the NCAA west region with 40 goals scored, will look for an offensive boost this week at home. The 'Jackets were held to less than two goals just three times at home last season, one of those matches being a 1-0 win over Seattle Pacific.
 
Visiting Team Capsules
Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
Location: Pomona, Calif.
Conference: California Collegiate Athletic Association
2017 Record: 3-0
Head Coach: Adam Reeves, 2nd season
2016 Record: 13-6-3 (8-3-1 CCAA, 3rd); Advanced to NCAA tournament, third round.
 
The Scout: CPP is two years removed from losing in the national championship game, and made a run into the third round of the regional tournament a season ago. So far, the Broncos are hinting they may be on their way to another deep playoff run, having started the season 3-0. CPP defeated Azusa Pacific, Biola, and Fresno Pacific in dominant fashion, and has out-scored opponents 13-3 through three games so far this fall.
 
Sergi Monso, a first-team all-CCAA selection last year, already has five goals and three assists, while Matthew Perez has scored three times. Five other Bronco players have scored a goal each, on a team that features a well-balanced offensive palate.
 
History vs. MSUB: The teams have each won a match in the brief two-game history of the series, with both games being played in Pomona. CPP used a goal by Dante Medina just after halftime to collect a narrow 1-0 win over MSUB last fall at Kellogg Field. The Yellowjackets' 2-0 win on Sept. 4, 2009 came thanks to a pair of goals from Hall of Famer Sam Charles, in the first-ever meeting between the teams.
 
Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes
Location: San Bernardino, Calif.
Conference: California Collegiate Athletic Association
2017 Record: 0-2
Head Coach: Darren Leslie, 2nd season
2016 Record: 10-6-1 (7-4-1 CCAA, 5th)
 
The Scout: The Coyotes have had a tough start to their 2017 season, losing to Cal Baptist 4-0 and Concordia (Calif.) 5-0 last week. A team that averaged more than a goal per game last year (23 total), is still in search of its first finish of the season. CSUSB lost leading goal scorer Diego Casillas (7 goals in 2016), but returns Ivan Quintero and Humberto Salcedo who each scored three times in 2016. The Coyotes also have an experienced goalkeeper in Jacob Huber, who is back for his sophomore season after starting all 17 matches last fall.
 
History vs. MSUB: The game at Premier Field in San Bernardino last fall was the first-ever meeting between the programs, and the Coyotes played their way to a dominant 3-0 win. Casillas scored two of the goals and assisted Salcedo on the third to tilt the brand new series in favor of CSUSB.
 
Simon Fraser University Clan
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia
Conference: Great Northwest Athletic Conference
2017 Record: 1-0
Head Coach: Clint Schneider, 3rd season
2016 Record: 14-1-3 (9-1-2 GNAC, 1st); Advanced to NCAA tournament, first round.
 
The Scout: The Clan started their 2017 season with a bang, firing on all cylinders to defeat the University of Mary 8-0 last Thursday. Among the four teams competing in this week's tournament, the Clan were the top squad from last year after winning the GNAC and earning the No. 1 overall berth into the NCAA west region tournament.
 
History vs. the Field: SFU will start off against CSUSB on Friday, and will look to repeat last fall's 3-0 shutout of the Coyotes in the tournament in California. The Clan still have a sour taste in their mouth from a season-ending penalty-kick shootout against CPP last year in the regional tournament. The NCAA's only Canadian team will have a shot at vengeance on Sunday, and will look for a repeat of last fall's 2-0 result against the Broncos.
 
Though the 'Jackets and Clan will not meet this weekend, the conference opponents will square off twice during the 2017 season. MSUB plays in Burnaby, B.C. on Oct. 7, before hosting the Clan at Yellowjacket Field on Oct. 26.