Lady Yellowjackets have Home-Opener this Weekend (August 27, 2002)

BILLINGS – Montana State University-Billings opens the 2002 women’s soccer season Labor Day weekend when the Lady Yellowjackets host the Inaugural MSU Billings Cup Sponsored by Thrifty Car Rental.  The University of Minnesota-Morris and Metropolitan State University will each travel to Billings to face the Jackets.

The 2002 home-opener for the Yellowjackets will be on Friday, August 30 at Yellowjacket Field on the campus of the MSU Billings College of Technology.  MSUB will face Minnesota-Morris at noon.  On Saturday the Yellowjackets will take on Metro State, also at noon.

Metro State and Minnesota-Morris will square off against each other on Sunday, September 1 at noon.

MSU Billings, which finished last season at a school-best 9-9, is guided by first-year coach Don Trentham, who has 14 players on the roster.  The Jackets are led by last year’s leading goal scorer, sophomore Margot Merril-Johnson, and team captains Candie Cherry and Heidi Robertson.  Cherry is a sophomore from Missoula, and Robertson is a junior from Great Falls.  Also returning for MSUB are senior defenders Kristen Johnson and Vicky McCarthy.

Minnesota-Morris returns all 11 starters from last year’s squad that finished 6-13-1.  The Cougars feature two-time all-conference player Rebecca Witters.  The junior is already the school record holder for goals in a season, career goals, career assists, and career points at Minnesota-Morris.

Metro State also finished 6-13-1 a year ago.  The Roadrunners are led by senior midfielder Jenelle Brandt, who tallied 14 points in 2001.