Black Hills State women's soccer will kick off the 2022 season this weekend as the team hits the road for two before returning home for a Monday match.

The Yellow Jackets will travel to Billings, Mont. for the MSUB Rimrock Classic, taking on UMary on Thursday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m., and then Northern State on Saturday, Aug. 27 at noon.

BHSU will then return to Spearfish to host a match against Minot State on Monday, Aug. 29 at 3 p.m.

"We will play against two Northern Sun teams in University of Mary and Northern State," said Women's Soccer Head Coach Andrew Conniff. "Last season both of these teams qualified for the NSIC Tournament, and we anticipate both to be very good again."

BHSU finished last season with a 3-11-1 record, while also setting several program marks and records.

"We have really tried to simplify our approach this season," said Conniff. "We focus on what we call, 'intangibles'. This includes being physical, winning headers, and playing with intensity. This preseason, the group has done a really good job of competing and I hope we can build consistency with our effort in these upcoming games."

In the team's last preseason scrimmage on Aug. 20, the team showcased its healthy mix of young and experiences players, starting two freshmen, four sophomores, four juniors and a senior.

BHSU scored seven goals over the team's two scrimmages with Haley Hesselgesser scoring four, Emma Avery scoring twice, and Darby Whiteley once.

Goalkeeper Makayla Dannelly has also continued to show growth coming off of last season when she led the RMAC in saves, and was fourth in save percentage.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE  Vs.  UMary   THURSDAY, AUG. 25 // 1 P.M. // BILLINGS, MONT. // AMEND PARK Live Stream / Live Stats

BHSU (0-0-0, 0-0-0 RMAC) vs UMary (0-0-0, 0-0-0 NSIC)
UMary finished last season 9-7-3 overall and 8-5-2 in the NSIC on their way to a conference tournament berth. BHSU is 0-5 all time against UMary, last facing off on Sept. 9, 2021 in a 3-0 loss.

 

BLACK HILLS STATE  Vs.  Northern State   SATURDAY, AUG. 27 // 12 P.M. // BILLINGS, MONT. // HERB KLINDT FIELD Live Stream / Live Stats

BHSU (0-0-0, 0-0-0 RMAC) vs Northern State (0-0-0, 0-0-0 NSIC)
The Yellow Jackets will also be looking for its first program win against NSU, sitting 0-3 all-time, last playing in 2018 which resulted in a 2-0 loss in Aberdeen. Last year, the Wolves finished 7-6-5 overall and 6-4-5 in the conference to earn a berth in the NSIC Tournament.

 

BLACK HILLS STATE  Vs.  Minot State   MONDAY AUG. 29 // 3 P.M. // SPEARFISH, S.D. // RONNIE THEISZ FIELD Live Stream / Live Stats

BHSU (0-0-0, 0-0-0 RMAC) vs Minot State (0-0-0, 0-0-0 NSIC)
Minot State leads the all-time series against the Yellow Jackets 4-0 with their last matchup resulting in a 2-0 Beaver win in the 2020 season. Last season, MSU finished the year ranked 10th in the Central Regional Poll with an overall record of 11-6-2. In the NSIC they went 10-3-2 and played in the NSIC Tournament.