SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University women's soccer team looks to regain their footing in conference play and work their way back into the win column in what would be a signature win as they visit No. 23 Colorado Mesa. The Sunday match in Grand Junction, Colorado, marks the third ranked opponent of the season for the Yellow Jackets, all of which have been played in a 4-game stretch during the last two weekends.
 
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Date/Time/Location: Sunday, October 12 / 11 a.m. / Grand Junction, Colo. / Community Hospital Unity Field
RMAC Network: Beginning in the 2025-26 season the RMAC Network will now move to Pay-Per-View. Fans can purchase a single game pass ($10), monthly ($25) or annual subscription ($130). Individuals with bhsu.edu or yellowjackets.bhsu.edu email address can still take advantage of the Peak Pricing Promotion by using the code Y26-RMACEDU.
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the contest with a record of 4-5-2 (1-4-0 RMAC), as they fell at No. 15 UCCS (4-1) on Friday afternoon.
• The Yellow Jackets currently sit in a tie for tenth place with three points on the year. Also tied with them is Western Colorado. After being in the hunt to make the conference tournament last season, the Yellow Jackets were picked to finish 11^th in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Green & Gold opened conference play with a come from behind 2-1 win at New Mexico Highlands on Friday, September 26, marking their first win in an RMAC opener since 2023. The fourth win on the year also broke the school single-season record and notched the best start to a season in program history. The win marked the final of a 3-game win streak, which marked the longest in program history.
• With wins over Dakota State (4-0) and Montana State Billings (1-0), on Thursday, September 18, and Saturday, September 20, the Green & Gold improved to 2-0 to begin the year at home for the first time in program history. The win over the DSU notched the first-ever home opening victory in program history, and the win over MSUB marked the first-ever win over the Yellowjackets in six tries.
• The opening weekend of the 2025 season was just the second time in program history in which the Green & Gold finished undefeated in the opening week of play, drawing at MSU Moorhead (0-0) on Friday, September 5, and defeating Minnesota Crookston (4-1) on Sunday, September 7. In 2023 they also went unbeaten on opening weekend, defeating Dakota Wesleyan (6-0) and Mount Marty (5-0).
• The Yellow Jackets five assists against UMC on opening weekend matched the program single game record which was set last fall against New Mexico Highlands.
• BHSU has scored four goals twice this season, each time with four different players against UMC and DSU.
• Through 11 games this season Black Hills State has recorded 14 goals, 15 assists, 43points, 165 shots, 62 shots on goal, 54 corner kicks and 39 saves, while on the other hand their opponents have notched 12 goals, ten assists, 34 points, 105 shots, 51 shots on goal, 39 corner kicks, and 48 saves.
• BHSU enters this weekend's games currently leading the RMAC in corner kicks per game (5.40) and shots per game (16.10). They've held the advantage in the two stat categories over their opponents in eight and seven games respectively.
• In 2024 the Yellow Jackets broke the school single-season record for points (51), goals (18), and assists (15).
• This year the BHSU defense has already forced four shutouts, matching the school single-season record, as they have held opponents to just 9.5 shot attempts and 4.6 shots-on-goal per game.
• Nine different players scored a goal for the Yellow Jackets this season, including Peyton Hill (4), Leah Day (2), Kayla Truong (2), Ella Cornelius (1), Jayda Hammer (1), Ally Boysen (1), Whitney Hansen (1), Audrey Sillanpaa (1), and Ainsley Wilson (1).
• Of the nine goal scorers, six found the back of the net for the first time in their career in 2025, including Boysen, Cornelius, Hansen, Hill, Truong, and Wilson.
• Additionally, eight different players have notched an assist this season for the Green & Gold, including Aubri Roth who leads the team with three on the year.
• Hill currently leads the team with ten points on the year by way of her four goals and two assists.
• After Friday's goal, Truong joins Hill and Day as the only three players on the team with both multiple goals and assists this season.
• Cornelius and Hill each recorded both a goal and an assist against UMC, while Day notched a goal and an assist against DSU. After happening only once prior to head coach John Hutchison's arrival, the match against the Golden Eagles marked the fourth time under his watch that multiple players have recorded both a goal and assist in the same match.
• Through ten matches, 2024 Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection, Ainsley Wilson leads the team with 981 minutes played on the field, while Bria Sargent has also played 911 minutes on the back line of the defense.
• Rian Barthel has made seven starts in goal, while Karsyn Fraser-Slothower has made four, each playing the entirety of their matches. Barthel has tied the school single-season record of three shutouts on the year, which includes becoming the first freshman to post a shutout in a season opener in program history. She holds a 0.795 save percentage and a 1.14 goals-against average with 31 saves. Fraser-Slothower kept Northwestern Oklahoma State off the scoreboard for the first time this season earlier this year as she has tallied a 0.667 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average with eight saves.
• 2025 marks the first time in program history that two or more goalkeepers have notched multiple wins in a season.
• The Yellow Jackets four goals allowed against UCCS were the most this season and just the third game multiple goals have been surrendered. Their eight games of zero or one goals surrendered are the most such games in program history in a single year.
• John Hutchison is in his third season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 10-28-8. Overall, 2025 is his seventh season as a collegiate women's soccer head coach with a career mark of 21-71-16 after spending four prior seasons at Presentation College. 

#23 COLORADO MESA STORYLINES

• Colorado Mesa enters the contest with a record of 7-2-0 (3-0-0 RMAC) on the year following a 4-0 win over Western Colorado on Sunday afternoon.
• The Mavericks enter the contest 6-0-0 at Community Hospital Unity Field, which includes a 14-match unbeaten streak that started with a 3-2 win over saint Martin's in the 2024 home opener on September 13, 2024.
• CMU is currently tied for third with Colorado School of Mines in the RMAC standings with nine points. They were selected third in the conferences' preseason coach's poll.
• The Mavericks are currently ranked No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches' Top-25 rankings, falling one spot from No. 22 last week. They have appeared in the top-25 in all six polls released this year, including the preseason rankings.
• Through nine games CMU has recorded 19 goals, 14 assists, 52 points, 137 shots, 54 shots-on-goal, 48 corner kicks, and 36 saves, while on the other hand their opponents have notched four goals, three assist, 11 points, 75 shots, 40 shots-on-goal, 25 corner kicks, and 35 saves.
• Kylie Wells leads the offensive attack with 18 points on the season, the only player on the team with more than five points this year, as she leads the team with eight goals and is tied for the team-lead with two assists. She posted a season-high of two goals against St. Edward's in the season opener and is currently on a streak of four consecutive games with a goal.
• Wells is one of four players on the team with multiple goals scored this season, which also includes Ellie Duncan (2), Sarah Dunn (2), and Brooklyn Baird (2).
• Dunn has spearheaded the defense, playing 805 minutes this year and helping the team to six shutout performances.
• Keely Wieczorek has started all nine matches on the year for the Mavericks, recording a save percentage of 0.892, a goals-against average of 0.44, and has totaled 33 saves to go along with six shutouts on the season.
• Jody Lingafeldt is in her second season as the head coach at Colorado Mesa, guiding the Mavericks to a career record of 21-4-4 during her tenure.

SERIES HISTORY

• Sunday marks the tenth all-time meeting on the pitch between Black Hills State and UCCS, with the Mavericks leading the all-time series 8-0-1.
• CMU secured their sixth consecutive win in the series with a 2-0 win over BHSU on October 6, 2024, in Spearfish.
• The lone tie of the series came in a double overtime battle that resulted in a 2-2 draw in Grand Junction, Colorado, on September 30, 2018.