Soccer set for final home weekend

Friday, October 19

Brookings, S.D.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Omaha

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

10/17/2018 5:05:00 PM | Women's Soccer

GAMES 16-17: South Dakota State (9-5-1, 4-1) vs. Omaha (5-9-2, 2-2-1); vs. Oral Roberts (8-9, 3-2)

When	Friday, Oct. 19 \| 6 p.m.	Sunday, Oct. 21 \| 1 p.m.
Where	Fishback Soccer Park \| Brookings, S.D.	Fishback Soccer Park \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Video	Jackrabbits All-Access	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Omaha \| Oral Roberts
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #RabbitsFutbol

Previewing the Week
South Dakota State returns to Brookings this weekend to wrap up the home portion of its 2018 regular season schedule, hosting Omaha and Oral Roberts in a pair of Summit League contests with postseason implications.

The Jackrabbits and Mavericks face off Friday at 6 p.m. from Fishback Soccer Park, and Sunday's Senior Day matchup with ORU is set for 1 p.m.

Thank You, Seniors
SDSU seniors Kyli Nelson, Kelsi Wipf, Madison Chapman, Hannah Evans, Annie Williams and Bianca Madonia will be honored pregame for their contributions as part of the Jackrabbit soccer program.

The group owns a 42-23-11 record over the last four years, including a 22-5-2 mark in Summit League play with two tournament championships, one regular season title and a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament thus far.

Scouting the Mavericks
Omaha (5-9-2, 2-2-1) knocked off USD last Sunday on the road, 1-0, and drew 1-1 with North Dakota last Friday.

Omaha enters the week trailing in goals against opponents this year, 22-11, and is averaging 11.2 shots per contest compared to opponents' 12.5 attempts per game.

Bailey Cascio (two assists) and Emily Romero (one assists) each have three goals for the Omaha offense, as Cascio leads the team with eight points and Romero has seven. Andrea Daves (six points) has assisted on a team-high four goals and is one of five Mavericks to have one goal.

Ina Gudjonsdottir and Erin Bunker have each started eight games at keeper for Omaha and allowed 11 goals apiece.

South Dakota State is 4-6-1 all-time against Omaha but has a 4-2 mark in Division I play. At home against the Mavericks, SDSU is 3-2-1.

Scouting the Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts (8-9) picked up a win in its lone action last weekend, topping Western Illinois at home, 3-1. The Golden Eagles went 1-1 the week prior with a loss at South Dakota (3-1) and a win over Purdue Fort Wayne (1-0).

ORU has been outscored by opponents this season, 28-19, but in league play has flipped the script and holds a 7-5 advantage in goals through five Summit League contests. The Golden Eagles are averaging 10.8 shots per game and allowing 13.6 shots per game from their opponents.

Jordan Langebartels (18 points) has carried the offense with seven goals and four assists in 2018, while Sierra Beall (four goals, one assist), McKenzie Edwards (three goals) and Drishana Pillay (two goals, one assist) have found the net on multiple occasions for ORU.

Between the pipes, Ryliegh Bohnenstiehl has started 13 games and played 900 minutes, allowing 12 goals with 43 saves for a 1.20 goals against average. Regan Richins (four starts) has allowed 16 goals in 639 minutes, stopping 39 shots for a 2.25 GAA.

South Dakota State is 9-1-1 all-time against ORU and is 5-0 at Fishback Soccer Park against the Golden Eagles. The Jacks have won three of the last four matchups (with a scoreless tie in 2016), last claiming a 2-0 road victory last year in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Scouting the Jackrabbits
SDSU (9-5-1, 4-1) saw its six-match unbeaten streak come to an end last Sunday at North Dakota State, snapping an 11-match winning streak in Summit League games. The Jackrabbits took down rival South Dakota, 1-0, in last Friday's match behind a 104th minute goal from Abigail Kastens.

SDSU has outscored its opponents 21-10 on the year and has eight shutouts as a team. The Jackrabbits are averaging 15.1 shots per game, putting 91 of their 226 total attempts on goal.

Karlee Manding leads the Jackrabbits with 12 points on the year, netting five goals with two assists. Leah Manuleleua is close behind with 10 points, tallying four scores and a pair of assists, and Abigail Kastens has three goals. Marisa Schulz and Stephanie Dashiell have each found the back of the net twice in 2018.

Carina McLennan (six points) leads all Jacks with four assists, while seven others have one assist each. In total, 13 Jackrabbits have recorded a point this season.

Defensively, Evans, Annie Williams, Alexa Hepner and Kaitlin Zabel have started all 15 games for a Jackrabbit back line that has allowed just 10 goals this season. Hepner leads the team with 1,319 minutes played, just ahead of Zabel's 1,304 and Williams' 1,290 minutes.

Maggie Smither has started every game at goalkeeper for SDSU and holds a 0.66 goals against average. She has allowed just two goals in Summit League play and for the season has played over 1,368 minutes with eight shutouts.

Jackrabbits Honored by Summit League
South Dakota State has earned three Summit League Player of the Week honors this season.

Leah Manuleleua was named the Summit League's Offensive Player of the Week Aug. 27. It was the third time in her career she's earned the league's weekly honor. She helped the Jacks to a perfect 2-0 record at home last weekend, thanks in part to a seven-point showing against Wayne State Friday that included the ninth hat trick in the program's history. Manuleleua became the first to score three or more goals in a game for SDSU since Diana Potterveld did it in 2012.
Maggie Smither was named the Summit League's Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 17. Smither started all three games at goalkeeper for the Jackrabbits last week and posted a 1-1-1 record with a pair of shutouts. She tallied 21 saves overall and finished the week with an 0.62 goals against average while facing 50 total shots.
Smither picked up her second weekly award Oct. 8. Smither started and played all available minutes in a 1-0 shutout victory over Denver, recording six saves in a hotly contested slugfest that went to double overtime.

Jackrabbit Quick Hits

South Dakota State's 11-match league winning streak from Sept. 29, 2017 to Oct. 11, 2018 was the longest in the Summit League's history. The previous record was also held by SDSU, set between the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Kyli Nelson appeared in her 78th career game last Sunday and is sixth in career appearances at South Dakota State.. The school record of 80 is held by four Jackrabbits, last tied by 2017-18 graduate Jennie Scislow.
With a 5-4-1 mark, the Jackrabbits secured a .500 or better mark in nonleague play for the seventh time since joining The Summit League in 2007.
South Dakota State is 21-16-43 all-time in overtime matches.
13 Jackrabbits have recorded a point this season, already matching last year's total.
SDSU is 5-12-2 all-time in season openers and 7-10-2 all-time in home openers.
South Dakota State has won six consecutive Summit League openers after its 2-1 win over Purdue Fort Wayne and is 11-1 all-time in those contests.
The Jackrabbits played a trio of Power Five schools this season in Iowa State, Kansas and Arizona State. All-time against schools from the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, SEC and ACC, the Jacks are a combined 4-26-5. Three of those wins and two ties have come against Iowa State.

Home Cooking
Brookings has been good to the Jackrabbits, as South Dakota State boasts a 101-41-18 all-time home record.

Since moving to The Summit League in 2007, the Jackrabbits are 74-22-11 at home. Although the program saw an 11-match home unbeaten streak come to an end in the nonconference season, the Jackrabbits are now 13-2-1 at Fishback Soccer Park under head coach Brock Thompson.

Specific to Summit League play, the Jackrabbits are 42-3-2 all-time in home league games and have lost only one home Summit League game since 2010.

Jacks Tabbed Second in Preseason Poll
South Dakota State women's soccer was picked second in the 2018 Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll, released Aug. 13. The Jackrabbits received 57 total points in the rankings with three first-place votes, finishing four tallies shy of Denver for the top spot. Oral Roberts was picked third in the poll with 49 points, just ahead of North Dakota State's 46. The next three spots were separated by just three points, with newcomer North Dakota sitting fifth (30), South Dakota sixth (29) and Omaha seventh (28). Purdue Fort Wayne and Western Illinois tied for the final spot with 12 points each.

Four Named as Players to Watch
As part of the Summit League's preseason poll release, four Jackrabbits were named to the league's Players to Watch List: Maggie Smither, Annie Williams, Leah Manuleleua and Alexa Hepner.

Maggie Smither, last season's Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year, posted a 0.86 goals against average in 2017 and tallied 83 saves. She allowed only one goal in league play and recorded six shutouts, finishing the year with an 11-5-3 record between the pipes.
Annie Williams is the returning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year and will serve as team captain for the Jackrabbits in 2018. She started all 19 games a year ago, played 1,556 minutes and was third on the team with eight points.
Alexa Hepner is a third-year starter for a back line that surrendered just one goal in league play last year. The Prior Lake, Minnesota native logged the most minutes (1,721) for the second-consecutive season. She was a 2017 All-Summit Second Team honoree.
Leah Manuleleua enters her second season with the Jackrabbits after arriving in 2017 from San Joaquin Delta College. Manuleleua started 18 contests last season and tied for the team lead in goals (seven). She was an All-Summit League First Team pick last year.

2017 In Review
The Jackrabbits made their fifth consecutive appearance in the league tournament and have qualified nine times out of 10 eligible seasons in the league. South Dakota State has now won five regular season titles, claiming the regular season nod in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014 as well.

Nicole Hatcher (21 points, seven assists) and Leah Manuleleua (17 points, three assists) tied for the team-lead with seven goals each, while Annie Williams finished third on the team in points (eight) with three goals and two assists. Freshmen Rachel Hewitt and Marisa Schulz each netted two goals.

Between the pipes, Maggie Smither started 18 games with appearances in all 19 contests on the year, posting a 0.86 goals against average while ending the regular season with six consecutive shutouts. Smither logged 83 saves in 1,582 minutes. Taylor Lock appeared in five contests and spent 99 minutes in goal, giving up one score with five saves.

-GoJacks.com-