BILLINGS, Mont. – A new season is set to dawn for the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team, and with the team set to open regular season action on Thursday, the team will be looking to raise the bar in 2026.
 
Chief among those objectives needed to raise that bar is the Yellowjacket's goal to qualify for their first GNAC Championship since 2015. And under fourth-year head coach Abiye Jack, the team will hope that this year's iteration of athletes has the right formula for success.
 
A new-look squad features more new faces than returning players, with an incoming group of 15 first-year players complimenting a returning core of 12 Yellowjackets who featured last season for the team. Players from both groups will look to emerge to step into the rotation for a Yellowjacket's side that returns only one goal scored from last season, along with a combined 139 appearances and 112 starts departing the program. Coming off a season in which they finished 3-15 overall, and 2-12 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, placing eighth overall in the conference standings, MSUB will need to find that improvement if they hope to end their postseason drought at ten seasons.
 
Returners Rundown
 
Leading the way for those returning players is MSUB's lone returning all-conference selection in Cesia Swain. The 5^th year from Spanish Fork, Utah will look to build off of a strong season in attack for the 'Jackets, in which she led the team with four points, scoring one goal and adding on a pair of assists. Swain has a proven eye for goal, attempting 31 shots last season with 11 on target, and flashed that ability on Saturday in the Yellowjackets exhibition against Rocky, where she shot six times, placing three shots on net and scoring an impressive shot from outside the box.
 
The Yellowjackets' two team captains are also returners from last season, with Ava Curtright set to lead the backline. The junior defender, whose 2025 season was ended early due to injury after four games, will hope to have a season more similar to her 2024 season, where Curtright was named All-GNAC Second Team and featured in all 18 of the 'Jackets contests. Meanwhile, Billings native Abby Thompson enters her first season as a team captain for the 'Jackets, and returns after appearing in all of MSUB's matches last season, making 14 starts and scoring her first career goal.
 
Alongside them return a number of rising sophomores, including midfielder Cianna Sexton, MSUB's leading returner in minutes played at 1372 and collected one assist, and Natalie Weinmaster, who featured in 14 games in net for the 'Jackets, saving 60 shots in total for a save percentage of 70.6%. Defender Peyton Tarabokija returns after playing in each of MSUB's 18 games last season, making 13 starts, and Kennedy Craig will look to expand her role in the attack in 2026 after playing in 15 games as a freshman and collecting her first career assist.
 
Fellow returners like Kelsie Cox and Alaina Asan will look to carve out expanded roles in the middle of the park, with Cox coming off a season in which she made nine starts in 13 appearances, and Asan made nine appearances off the bench. Joining them is Maggie James, who saw time on the wing in six games, and McKenzie Enright, who made a pair of appearances in defense.
 
MSUB's final returner from last season's roster is senior Millie Bamer, with the Oregon native set to play an even bigger role after seeing time in 12 games last season, including her first career start.
 
Fresh Faces
 
Joining that group of returners is a host of newcomers, consisting of 12 freshmen and three transfers. Two of those transfers feature in the backline for MSUB, with defender Vivian Giather joining after two seasons at Quincy University, as well as one semester at Cal State Dominguez Hills, and JUCO product Ava Gibbs enters the fray after being named a two-time First Team All-state Defender at Lower Columbia College. Meanwhile, forward Taylor Devaney makes her way to MSUB this season after totaling 11 points on four goals and three assists last season at Palomar College.
 
Of MSUB's incoming freshmen, three are Billings natives. Goalkeeper Tenley Leffler was a two-time All-Conference selection at Billings Skyview, along with a three-time MYSA State Champion at the club level. Alongside her are a pair of forwards in Emmersyn Burckley, who was the leading scorer for Billings Senior in their 2025 State Championship winning season, and Amaya Lorash, who won multiple All-State and All-Conference selection at Billings Central.
 
Three more newcomers come into the program from Washington: Addy Jueco, a two-time All-League defender; Annabelle Flick, another defender who is coming into the program following a Second-Team All-State and First Team All-League level season; and Jordyn Daigle, a forward who was a First Team All-NPSL selection in her senior season.
 
Two more players enter the team from Colorado: Forward Maddy Wright comes to the program after three All-Conference level seasons, totaling 37 goals and 21 assists across her high school career, and goalkeeper Avery Swope, another one of MSUB's incoming recruits who will fight for time in net this season.
 
Another PNW prospect in Ryan Westwood joins up from Oregon, while further south from California, midfielder Macee Abraham joins up after totaling 90 points in her senior season of high school soccer, scoring 33 goals and totaling 24 assist to earn First Team All-State, All-Region, and All-League honors. MSUB's final two newcomers are Idaho native Kolbi Kiblen, who was named the Idaho 5A Player of the Year in her senior season after helping lead Moscow High School to it's first ever State championship in women's soccer, and Brooklynn Noble, a three-time All-State and All-Conference selection from Wyoming, who was one of the top scorers in the state last season.
 
A full look at the 2026 MSUB Women's Soccer Roster can be found online here.
 
Preseason Review
 
The Yellowjackets have seen competition twice so far in the preseasons, facing off against Central Wyoming College in a scrimmage before taking on Rocky Mountain College in the team's annual Rimrock Rivalry matchup last Saturday. The match between the 'Jackets and the Battlin' Bears ended in a 2-2 draw, with Cesia Swain and Abby Thompson getting on the scoresheet for MSUB. Despite the level scoreline, the Yellowjackets outshot their opponents in the match 23-9, and 9-5 in shots on goal.
 
MSUB has one more exhibition game slated on it's schedule, heading to Missoula to take on University of Montana on Sunday, August 30^th.
 
Regular Season Schedule
 
The 'Jackets will open the regular season by playing host to University of Minnesota Crookston this Thursday, August 27 at Yellowjacket Soccer Field, setting the stage for two more home games the following week against Minnesota State Moorhead and University of Mary as a part of the Rimrock Classic. The team will then hit the road for it's final non-conference game of the year against Black Hills State.
 
The 'Jackets will remain road warriors at the start of GNAC play as well, with two consecutive weeks of road contests top start conference play. After taking on Western Oregon and Saint Martin's in the first week of conference action, and Western Washington and Simon Fraser in week two, MSUB will return to Yellowjacket Field next on October 1^st and 3^rd, where it will host games against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene. They remain at home the next week as the conference schedule crosses the halfway mark, playing host to Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific, before returning to the road for rematches against Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington.
 
MSUB will play three of it's final four games at home, with the penultimate week of the regular season seeing Simon Fraser and Western Washington come to town. After that, the 'Jackets head out to Seattle to open the final week of regular season action against Seattle Pacific, before returning home to wrap up the regular season on Saturday, October 31 against Western Oregon, while also celebrating senior day.
 
A full detailed look at the Yellowjacket's schedule can be found online here.
 
Championship Calendar
 
The top four teams in the GNAC regular season standings punch their ticket on to the GNAC Championships, with the Yellowjackets hoping to be among that number this season. The 2026 GNAC Soccer Championships are scheduled for November 5-7 in Monmouth, Oregon, hosted by Western Oregon University.
 
The GNAC Women's Soccer Championship Homepage can be found online here.
 
How to Follow MSUB Women's Soccer
 
Each of the Yellowjacket's home matches, as well as all conference away games, will be streamed live on the GNAC Network. Subscription options can be viewed and purchased online here.
 
Live statistics for each of MSUB's home matches can be found online here.
 
Yellowjacket Women's Soccer continues to operate a cashless ticket booth in 2026, with both single game and season tickets for all MSUB home games are available online here. Admission to all Yellowjacket home games is free to all MSUB students and faculty, along with children 8^th grade and under.
 
To keep up with everything Yellowjacket women's soccer, make sure to follow the team on Instagram, Facebook, and X.