(MATCH NOTES)

OPENING TOUCH: Dixie State (0-2-0/0-0-0 PacWest) continues its current road-swing to open the 2016 season this weekend as the Trailblazers head up to Big Sky Country to play in the Montana State Billings-hosted Rimrock Men's Soccer Classic. DSU opens play against the host Yellowjackets (0-2-0) on Friday, Sept. 9, on the pitch at Yellowjacket Field at 4:30 p.m. (MT). The Trailblazers will also face the University of Mary on Sunday, Sept. 11, beginning at 1 p.m. (MT). Live stats information for both matches can be found HERE.

DIXIE STATE VS. THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS: Dixie State enters Friday match at MSUB looking for its first win vs. the Yellowjackets in the series. DSU played MSU Billings in the Trailblazers' first game in program history in 2008, which resulted in a 4-3 Yellowjackets win in double-overtime in a match played in Salt Lake City. The last time the two sides played was in 2010, with MSUB taking a 1-0 result in Phoenix, Ariz.
Sunday's match vs. UM will mark the first time that the Trailblazers and Marauders will have met on the pitch.

COACHING STAFF: Head Coach Tim Busen (Spring Arbor, 1994, 0-2-0 at DSU) is in his first season at the helm of the Trailblazer men's soccer program. Prior to his arrival to St. George, Busen served as head coach at Adams State for six seasons from 2010-15. He coached several All-RMAC selections and numerous RMAC All-Academic honorees during his tenure. Busen is joined on the sideline by assistant coach and former DSU player Nyle Ortiz, who will assist both the men's and women's programs this season.

TRAILBLAZERS PICKED SEVENTH IN PACWEST: Dixie State was picked to finish seventh in the Pacific West Conference preseason coaches' poll released on August 17. Defending conference champion Fresno Pacific was tabbed the 2016 preseason favorite as the Sunbirds collected eight first-place votes and 188 points to headline the poll, while Point Loma (163 points) was selected to finish second, Hawai'i Pacific (154) received two first-place nods in placing third and Notre Dame de Namur (146) got one first-place vote to claim fourth. Azusa Pacific (131), California Baptist (one first-place vote, 131) and DSU (one first-place vote, 128) rounded out the top-half of the poll.

The Trailblazers also landed two players on the preseason all-PacWest team. Senior netminder Bradley Trella (Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS) was named PacWest Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, while he and junior defender Bryan Baugh (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS) were voted onto the preseason all-conference team.

WEEK IN REVIEW: Dixie State began the 2016 season on a down note as the Trailblazers dropped a pair of matches against RMAC foes last weekend in Colorado. DSU opened the campaign at preseason No. 6-ranked Colorado School of Mines last Friday in Golden. The Orediggers tallied two goals in the span of just over one minute midway through the first half and cruised to the 3-0 victory.

Then on Sunday, the Trailblazers traveled to Denver to face Metropolitan State, against which they took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half as senior midfielder Sean Jenne (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) bent in a free kick into the right side of the frame in the 22nd-minute. The Roadrunners, who fired 15 first-half shots (seven on goal) answered with the equalizer early in the 35th-minute when Kevin Beck headed home a corner kick to knot the score at 1-1. Beck struck again two minutes later when he headed home a long ball feed from the left side to give MSUD a one-goal advantage. DSU, which was held to just the Jenne shot in the opening stanza, attempted six shots in the second half, two on frame, but could not come up with the game-tying goal before time expired.

QUICK KICKS: Jenne tallied his sixth-career goal in Sunday's match at MSUD, which moved him into a three-way tie for sixth on DSU's career goals scored list ... Jenne also climbed up to t-seventh on the program's career points list with 14 (6G/2A) ... Dixie State two losses to open the weekend matched the program's loss total from a season ago (10-2-4) ... DSU was out shot 43-20 in its two matches last week, including a 20-9 clip on goal ... freshman forward Moises Medina (Mesquite, Nev./Virgin Valley HS) leads the team with two shots on frame and co-leads the team, along with older brother sophomore MF Gabby Medina (Mesquite, Nev./Virgin Valley HS) and senior D Hunter Ketterer (Heber City, Utah/Wasatch HS), with three shot attempts ... Trella started in both matches in goal and played all but the final three-plus minutes at MSUD and made 14 saves.

ABOUT THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS: Montana State Billings enters Friday's match looking for its first win of the year after starting 0-2-0. The Yellowjackets dropped a hard-fought 1-0 match at No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona last Thursday, followed by a 3-0 loss at Cal State San Bernardino last Saturday. On the flip side, the University of Mary begins the week with a 2-0-0 mark after posting a 2-0 result at Colorado Christian last Thursday and a 3-2 home triumph vs. South Dakota Mines this past Sunday.

UP NEXT: Dixie State opens the home portion of its 2016 schedule against Northwest Nazarene next Saturday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 p.m., at Legend Solar Stadium.