Kearney, Neb. - The ninth all-time season in Nebraska Kearney soccer history begins this weekend with the first-ever "UNK Classic."

Coming to Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field are Drury University (Mo.), Minnesota State University-Moorhead and Montana State University-Billings.

The Lopers, now under the direction of head coach Chloe Roberts, will face the MSUB Yellowjackets Friday at 7 p.m. and the MSUM Dragons on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Drury battles Moorhead Friday at 4 p.m. and the 'Jackets Sunday at 11 a.m. Live stats will be available for all four games.

The non-UNK games this weekend will mark just the second and third times neutral site affairs have been played in Cope. Back in 2009, Colorado Mesa battled Winona (Minn.) State.

Friday's game between UNK and MSUB pits two schools with similar colors (Blue & Gold) and two head first-year head coaches. Like Roberts,

MSUB's Stephen Cavallo is in his fourth year as he previously was the program's assistant coach.

A member of the GNAC (Great Northwest Athletic Conference), the 'Jackets are coming off a 4-10-3 campaign. Going 1-1-1 in their final three contests, they were picked sixth in the nine-team GNAC preseason poll. GNAC favorite Western Washington is the defending NCAA Division II national champion.

MSUB was 2-5-1 in true road games last fall and didn't play a neutral site contest. They'll be led by junior forwards Jordan Devoto (seven points; three goals and one assist) and Alycia Wright (five points; two goals and one assist) and junior keeper Lili Delgadillo (1.64 GAA; 84 saves). The 'Jackets are a young squad, featuring 11 true freshman and only one senior.

Moorhead was picked 16th in the preseason NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) poll. They posted a 3-14-0 mark in 2016, picking up wins over league rivals Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota-Crookston and RMAC-member Black Hills State.

Having been shut out over its last seven games, the Dragons will be led by junior forward Annika Greaney (four points; two goals) and senior keeper Regan VonBerge (2.53 GAA and 119 saves). MSUM is led by second-year head coach Christie Kopietz.

Drury, from the GLVC (Great Lakes Valley Conference), went 4-10-3 last year. The Panthers were picked 10th in the 15-team conference race.

UNK returns the bulk of its roster from a 7-8-3 (4-5-2 MIAA) team. The Lopers, with four seniors and nine juniors, were picked ninnth in the preseason coaches' poll.

Kearney was used to playing close games in 2016 as they went 1-2-3 in overtime contests and saw a total of 34 goals (15 for, 19 against) in their games. Ten of UNK's goals came after halftime.

Redshirt sophomore keeper Allie Prososki (Kearney Catholic) earned honorable mention All-MIAA honors last year after posting a 0.98 GAA with six shut outs. She took over for an injured Ali Hirschman (Millard South) early in the fall; she made 91 saves and had a 1.73 GAA as the 2015 starter.

Juniors Tori Weber (Lincoln S.E.) and Kelsie Ienn (Papillion-LaVista) are the returning Lopers to have scored multiple goals last fall with defenders Marika Van Brocklin (Hastings H.S.) and defender Molly Willis (Kearney H.S.) having both started all 18 games in 2016.

UNK returns to its RMAC roots next weekend when it travels to Grand Junction, Colo., to face Colorado Mesa and Western Colorado State. GJ sits has an elevation of 4,593 feet.