BILLINGS, Mont.- Rocky Women's Soccer kicks off its regular season this weekend with a road trip to face a pair of NAIA National Tournament qualifiers from a season ago.

Matchups

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Rocky Mountain College (0-0) vs. (RV) Hastings College (1-1)
Saturday, August 29 | 7:00 PM (MT) / 8:00 PM (CT)
Hastings, Nebraska

Rocky Mountain College (0-0) vs. Morningside University (0-0)
Monday, August 31 | 6:00 PM (MT) / 7:00 PM (CT)
Sioux City, Iowa

Preview

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The Battlin' Bears look to build on a successful 12-4-1 campaign in 2025, which saw them reach the CCC Semifinals and narrowly miss an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championship Tournament. Last season, Rocky ranked inside the top 50 nationally in goals scored (48) and shots per game (17.1), while tying for 53rd in the NAIA with eight shutouts.

Interim Head Coach Kevin Luse takes the helm for the 2026 season. Entering his 17th year with the program, Luse steps into the head role with an experienced roster looking to take the next step forward.  The squad returns six starters and 15 players who logged action last fall, headlined by 2025 All-Conference honorees Charlize Davis (Sr. / Billings, Montana), Matea Vernon (So. / Gaston, Oregon), and Grace Curnow (So. / Billings, Montana).

The non-conference slate begins with two tough road tests against Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) foes.

On Saturday, Rocky faces Hastings College, a squad receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Top 25. The Broncos finished 2025 with a 16-4-3 record, winning the GPAC Tournament and advancing to the Second Round of the NAIA National Tournament. Hastings brings back top-tier talent, including First Team All-GPAC honorees forward Madison Rhodes and midfielder Sabrina DeHart, as well as Second Team selections midfielder Avery Higgins and goalkeeper Tatiana Villasenor. The Broncos are already two games into their 2026 campaign, posting a 2-0 road win over Dakota State before dropping a 3-0 home match to Benedictine (KS). Kickoff for Saturday's match was pushed back two hours because of extreme heat projected in Nebraska.

Rocky rounds out the road trip on Monday against Morningside University. The Mustangs compiled an 11-3-4 record last season, with both their GPAC Quarterfinal and NAIA First Round postseason runs coming to an end via penalty kick shootouts. Although Morningside graduated three First Team All-GPAC selections, they return First Team midfielder Tuva Hammarlund alongside Second Team honorees forward Trinay Garcia and defender Emma Feigl. The Mustangs are led by reigning GPAC Coach of the Year Tom Maxon.

The Battlin' Bears finished 2-1 in non-conference action during the 2025 season.