Soccer heads for Oral Roberts, Omaha

Thursday, October 10

Tulsa, Okla.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Oral Roberts

Photo by: Mark Smither

10/8/2019 9:04:00 AM | Women's Soccer

GAMES 13-14: South Dakota State (9-3, 1-0) at Oral Roberts (3-6-2, 0-0-1); at Omaha (3-7-1, 0-1-0)

When	Thursday, Oct. 10 \| 7 p.m.	Sunday, Oct. 13 \| 1 p.m.
Where	Case Soccer Complex \| Tulsa, Okla.	Caniglia Field \| Omaha, Neb.
Live Video	ORUAthletics.com	Mavericks All-Access
Live Stats	ORUAthletics.com	OMavs.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #RabbitsFutbol

South Dakota State women's soccer heads South this weekend for a pair of league contests, traveling to Oral Roberts and Omaha. The Jackrabbits and Golden Eagles face off Thursday at 7 p.m. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. SDSU wraps up the weekend Sunday at Omaha with a 1 p.m. kick.

The Jackrabbits (9-3, 1-0 Summit League) carry a seven-game winning streak into the weekend, having not lost since Sept. 6. In that timeframe, SDSU has defeated Hawaii, Eastern Washington, Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Northern Illinois, New Mexico State and North Dakota.

State's defensive unit has been a key component to the Jackrabbits' success, as SDSU has posted nine shutouts (including seven straight) while limiting opponents to 5.08 shots on goal per game.

Maggie Smither (54 saves, eight shutouts) has been a rock between the pipes, playing 963-plus minutes with a 0.37 goals against average. The senior broke the school's shutout record last month and now has 27 for her career. Taylor Lock earned her first career start at Northern Illinois and recorded a shutout, facing only one shot in the victory.

Kaitlin Zabel (44 consecutive starts) and Rachel Preston have started every game in the back line for the Jackrabbit defense, while Gabby Vivier-Hannay has started 11 times. Zabel's 1,061 minutes is a team-high, and with 4,277 total minutes for her career, the Lakeville, Minnesota native is on pace to join the top 10 in minutes played later this season.

Rachel Preston is close behind for the year at 1,049 minutes, while Gabby Vivier-Hannay has played all minutes available to her (990) after missing the Minnesota contest.

Leah Manuleleua is second among Summit League goal scorers entering the weekend, finding the net seven times through 12 games with four game-winners. Her 19 shots on goal and 45 total shots lead the team. She also has one assist.

Maya Hansen has exploded over the past three weeks, scoring in each of the last four contests to sit second on the team with 10 points (including two assists). Hansen has three game-winners.

Karlee Manding, Sunniva Dunagan and Carina McLennan each have two goals for the year, as Dunagan and McLennan have found the net twice in the last two games. Dunagan is third overall on the team with six points, adding two assists for SDSU.

Marisa Schulz's three assists paces the squad, while Abigail Kastens and Gabby Vivier-Hannay each have two assists.

McLennan (17 shots, 773 minutes) has teamed with Schulz (13 shots, 598 minutes) and Darien Poelstra (nine shots, 882 minutes) to start every game in the midfield.

A Look Across the Pitch
Oral Roberts (3-6-2, 0-0-1) played Denver to a 1-1 draw in the opening weekend of league play. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 3-6-1 nonleague slate, and through 11 games are averaging 2.2 goals per contest while allowing 1.7.

ORU's Drishana Pillay (five goals, one assist), Martha Helsee (four goals, two assists) and Shayla Padilla (three goals, four assists) pace the offensive attack with 11, 10 and 10 points apiece, respectively. Mia Kitterman and Jordan Langebartels are close behind with three goals and three assists each.

Allison Austin has started all 11 games between the pipes for ORU, posting a 1.78 goals against average with 44 saves.

SDSU is 10-1-1 overall against Oral Roberts, claiming wins the last two regular season matchups.

Omaha (3-7-1, 0-1-0) hosts North Dakota State Thursday before the Jackrabbits come to town, looking to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat at Western Illinois last weekend.

Six different Mavericks have found the net in a balanced offensive attack, as Jaden Theim (one goal, three assists), Margaret Lavigne (one goal, one assist) and Laurin Mertz (one goal, one assist) are the top point scorers.

Defensively, Omaha is allowing 0.87 goals per contest (10 total) with a pair of goalkeepers splitting time. Erin Bunker has started four contests and allowed seven goals (with 22 saves) in just over 641 minutes, while Kelly Lemnke (three starts) has allowed three goals with 20 saves in 390-plus minutes.

SDSU is 5-7-1 all-time against the Mavericks with a 5-2 mark in Summit League regular season matchups. The Jackrabits topped Omaha 1-0 in the regular season last year, but dropped a 3-1 contest in the Summit League Tournament semifinals that ended SDSU's season.

Last Time Out
South Dakota State women's soccer opened Summit League play with a 3-0 victory Sunday, taking down North Dakota at Fishback Soccer Park.

SDSU (9-3, 1-0 Summit League) has won seven-straight contests and saw three different Jackrabbits find the net: Maya Hansen, Carina McLennan and Sunniva Dunagan.

Gabby Vivier-Hannay and Leah Manuleleua added assists in the win, as South Dakota State outshot the Fighting Hawks, 20-4.

Maggie Smither posted her 27th career shutout in the win, stopping the lone UND shot on goal.

"I'm proud of our team and the persistence they showed to come out from halftime and play with the pace they did," head coach Brock Thompson said. "Credit to North Dakota's organization for giving us problems in the first half, but I thought the goal from Maya really opened the game up for us."

A breezy afternoon saw the teams trade possession throughout a scoreless first half, with SDSU working against the wind in the opening frame while defending against long runs and counters from the Fighting Hawks.

Maya Hansen broke the stalemate early in the second half with her fourth goal in as many games. Viver-Hannay set up the scoring opportunity with a long run from the defensive end of the field. After weaving her way through the Fighting Hawks' midfield, Vivier-Hannay's pass to Hansen was followed with a left-footed boot into the back of the net at 48:20.

McLennan made it 2-0 less than eight minutes later, when her corner kick in the 56th went untouched past a group of UND defenders and into the net.

Play evened from there as physicality picked up, with the teams combining for nine fouls the rest of the way.

As time wound down, however, SDSU added one more insurance goal in the 90th. Manuleleua took possession in UND territory as the final minute of action began, and after shaking a defender of her own, sent a low cross to Dunagan, who finished from the top of the box.

Quick Hitters

South Dakota State's 3-0 victory over Northern Illinois Sept. 22 capped an impressive road trip, but was also a record-tying performance for the defensive unit. The Jackrabbits surrendered only one shot from the Huskies in the contest, matching a feat that has now happened three times in program history. The last occurrence was in 2010 against UMKC.
After scoring just six goals through their first eight games, the Jackrabbits have broke out on the offensive end of the field with 12 goals in their last four, including 10 in the last three.
SDSU has won won seven consecutive Summit League openers and is 12-1 all-time in those contests.
The Jackrabbits are 6-12-2 all-time in season openers and 8-10-2 in home openers.
Summit League squads combined to post a 42-41-9 record leading up to conference play. That win total is the first time the Summit League has won 40 or more non-conference matches since the 2007-08 season when teams combined to go 41-46-6.
The Jackrabbits' seven-game shutout streak is the second-longest in program history, just ahead of six-match shutout streaks in 2013 and 2017. The school record for consecutive shutouts is eight, set in 2008 and 2011. All told, South Dakota State has not allowed a goal since the 61st minute of a 1-0 loss at Drake on Sept. 6, or over the last 659:45 minutes.
The Jacks have won seven straight. SDSU has put together winning streaks of four or more in six of its last eight seasons, including a nine-match streak in 2017. The school record for consecutive wins is 10, set in 2008.

Jacks Honored by Summit League
The Jackrabbit soccer team has picked up three weekly honors from the Summit League this season.

Leah Manuleleua (Offensive; Sept. 16) Manuleleua netted game-winners in all three victories, playing 178 minutes for the Jackrabbits in the attacking third. Manuleleua had nine shots (three per game) with seven on goal for the week, growing her team-leading points total to 10 (five goals). The Manteca, California native is now tied for ninth in career goals (17) and second in career game-winning goals (nine). This is her fourth-career Summit League weekly award.
Maggie Smither (Defensive; Sept. 16) Smither continued her strong play between the pipes and posted three shutouts. Playing all 270 available minutes, Smither had 20 total saves for the week, including a 10-save showing against Eastern Washington (her second-career double-digit saves performance). The Sioux Falls native closed the week with seven saves in a 1-0 Jackrabbit win against Minnesota and is now all alone in the Jackrabbit record books with 23 career shutouts. She has allowed only three goals this season, and has shutouts in all five of the Jackrabbits' wins. Smither is a five-time Summit League weekly award honoree.
Rachel Preston (Defensive; Sept. 23) Preston played all 180 minutes in a pair of shutout victories for the Jacks, topping Northern Iowa, 2-0, and Northern Illinois, 3-0, on the road. SDSU has now won five straight contests with seven shutouts on the year. The Lakeville, Minnesota native anchored State's defensive unit over the two games, limiting the Panthers to three shots on goal Friday before a record-setting performance against the Huskies on Sunday. The Jacks limited NIU to just one shot throughout the contest, matching a program-best feat that had occurred just two times, prior. The last time came in 2010 against UMKC. This is the first weekly award for Preston in her Jackrabbit career

A Pattern of Success
South Dakota State's defensive prowess, senior leadership and nonleague success since joining the Summit League has produced a trend of conference play (and overall season) success. In total, the Jackrabbits' 68 league wins (and .789 league winning percentage) is the top mark among Summit League teams, dating back to 2008.

On the Defensive. Last year's squad allowed just 14 goals for the season, posting the third-best goals against average (0.71) in school history. That played into a two-year GAA of 0.78 (2017-18), the second-best mark at SDSU. The Jackrabbits have put together back-to-back seasons of 1.00 or fewer goals allowed per 90 minutes (game) three times, including the last three seasons (2016-17, 2017-18). Maggie Smither and Kaitlin Zabel bring the most experience to the 2019 defensive unit and will look to continue that trend. So far this year, the Jackrabbit defense has produced nine clean sheets and allowed four goals (0.33 GAA).
Four-Year Senior Records. South Dakota State's senior class boasts a 42-21-8 record over the last three-plus years, including a 19-4-0 mark in Summit League play with a tournament championship, two regular season titles and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. If SDSU reaches double-digit wins for the seventh-year in a row, that senior class will finish no lower than tied for fourth in the SDSU record books for most class wins. Last year's group finished with 45 victories, the third-most in school history. 49 wins is the best four-year mark (2008-11).
Nonleague Success. Including 2019, the Jackrabbits have posted a plus-.500 record in league play eight times since joining the Summit League and in four of the last five years. SDSU won a program-best eight regular season, nonleague games this year, going 8-3 in the first half of the campaign.

Home Cooking
Brookings has been good to the Jackrabbits, as South Dakota State boasts a 109-42-18 all-time home record, including tournament games at Fishback Soccer Park. Head Coach Brock Thompson, now in his third season, has a 21-3-1 mark at Fishback Soccer Park

SDSU is 45-3-2 against Summit League opponents and has lost just one home league contest since 2010.

Smither nets WPSL honors
South Dakota State's Maggie Smither was announced as the Women's Professional Soccer League's 2019 Central Region Northern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. She also earned the region's Golden Glove award for top keeper.

Smither spent the summer with Mankato United Soccer Club, helping the team to a 6-1-3 record in its inaugural season. She logged time in 10 contests, allowing just four goals with 13 saves, posting a 1.00 goals against average for the squad.

The two-time Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year was one of 10 Jackrabbits to compete in the WPSL this summer, joining Marisa Schulz, MaKayla Griffin, Rachel Preston, Taylor Lock, Eden Brooker, Adalaide Kline, Cecilia Limongi, Shayna Stubbs and Sunniva Dunagan.

SDSU Celebrating 20th Season of Women's Soccer
The Jackrabbit soccer program is celebrating its 20th season as an NCAA sport at South Dakota State University. The previous 19 seasons has seen the program win nearly 200 games, claim 11 conference championships (four Summit League tournament titles, six Summit League regular season trophies and one United Soccer Conference tournament crown), and make four trips to the NCAA Tournament.

In looking back at the past 20 years and celebrating the success of Jackrabbit soccer, fans voted for the all-time Top XI. That team was revealed in four parts during Hobo Week on GoJacks.com recognized during the Oct. 6 game.

Jacks Tabbed Second in Preseason Poll
The Jackrabbit women's soccer program was tabbed second in the 2019 Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll, released early August. South Dakota State garnered 57 points in the rankings with a pair of first-place votes, just behind top vote-getter Denver (63 points, five first-place votes). Those two were widely separated from the rest of the pack, as North Dakota State (41), Omaha (39) and South Dakota (37) rounded out the top five. The final four spots were held by North Dakota (32), Oral Roberts (31), Purdue Fort Wayne (14) and Western Illinois (10).

Smither, Manuleleua Named Players to Watch
SDSU's Maggie Smither and Leah Manuleleua were recognized as Players to Watch by the Summit League as part of their preseason release. Smither is the two-time defending Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year, while Manuleleua returns for her senior season after leading the Jacks in points (14) last year.

Jackrabbits Host GOALD Game
South Dakota State women's soccer and Sanford Children's Cure Kids Cancer! teamed up this season to host the first-ever GOALD Game, Saturday, Sept. 28 at Fishback Soccer Park. The organizations partnered to raise awareness and support during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Jackrabbit soccer sold GOALD Game t-shirts for $10 at the field, with proceeds benefiting Sanford Children's Cure Kids Cancer!, and raised funds online for a "Pie in the Face" contest. SDSU surpassed its goal of $2,000, with final totals set to be announced later this month.

-GoJacks.com-