SDSU begins Summit League play 1-0; looks at Kansas City. and St. Thomas – The Collegian

South Dakota State opened Summit League play with a win at Caniglia Field in Omaha on Sunday.

It only took a handful of minutes for a jackrabbit to find the end of the net, namely Hailee Christensen. Jenna Hallen equalized in the 40th minute and made it 2-0 at halftime. Omaha opened the second half with a goal from Lindsey Birch in the 47th minute, bringing the game to within one goal. Two goals from Laney Murdzek allowed the Jacks to get past the Mavericks and claim a 4-1 victory.

“I always say…the conference games are the most fun,” Laney Murdzek said. “I think we as a team really gave it our all, played well and scored a lot of great goals.” Murdzek has scored three goals this year.

SDSU made 17 shots, with four of the Jacks starters finishing the day with three shots each. Jenna Hallen scored a couple, including one on goal. Emma Knack recorded three saves in the second half, bringing her total to 16 saves this season.

The Mavericks scored a dozen shots. Marissa Gohr led the team with three goals, while Emilie Erland, Maggie Gundersen and Lindsey Birch each scored a pair. Maja Baun, who played all 90 minutes, recorded three saves. The four goals scored by SDSU are the most the Mavericks have allowed this season.

“[This was the] “Best game we’ve ever played on the offensive side of things,” head coach Brock Thompson said. “So that we can score four goals [goals] really speaks to the performance of our offensive players.”

SDSU improves to 8-2-1 on the year and has now won 17 Summit League opening games.

Kansas City

The Jacks return to Fishback Soccer Park in Brookings to host the Kansas City Roos. They enter the contest at 6-3-3 overall and are looking for their first Summit League win this season, with losses to Denver and North Dakota State.

Adrianna Benassi and Madison Page scored four goals each for the Roos. Benassi has 10 shots on goal on the year and scored multiple goals in two games, both at home in non-conference time. Brianna Castleberry is the Roos’ leading shooter, averaging just over two shots per game, but has only scored once all season. Goalkeepers Riley Moore and Maddie Sibbing made 38 saves while allowing eight goals. The Roos failed to win three straight in August and have allowed multiple goals in just one game since.

Game time is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. and can be watched on the Summit League Network via Midco Sports Plus.

St Thomas

The Jacks headed to Saint Paul this weekend to play the Tommies. They enter this competition with an overall record of 4-5-2 and are also looking for their first Summit League win of the season.

The Tommies are still looking for a goal in the Summit League after finishing their first game in a scoreless draw against South Dakota and giving up a goal against Oral Roberts. Lexi Huber is the team’s leading scorer with five goals, but has not scored since September 8 against Viterbo. Sophia Barjesteh leads the Tommies with 23 shots on goal per year and nine shots on goal. Olivia Rowe has played goalkeeper for almost 900 minutes this season, making 36 saves but allowing 17 goals this year. The Tommies are 4-1-1 when allowing one goal or fewer, while they are 0-4-1 when allowing multiple goals.

Game time is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. and can be watched on the Summit League Network via Midco Sports Plus.