Zach Anderson

It was a tale of two halves. Just under a week after getting scored on in the first minute of the game against Kansas the Jackrabbits women’s soccer team scored their own quick goal when Kaitlin Justice took a pass from teammate Kayla Braffet and kicked the ball past Mary (N.D.) goalie Ashley Akers into the net 48 seconds into the match. Three second half goals helped SDSU defeat Mary 4-0 at Fishback Soccer Park on Sept. 23.

“Mary is a well coached team, and they played good defense in the first half,” SDSU coach Lang Wedemeyer said. “We played with more energy in the second half and that was the difference.”

Early in the second half, Mary’s Megan Wilson attempted to tie the game up on a breakaway shot but Jacks goalie Brie Rogers came up with the save. That would prove to be the last real threat Mary had of scoring.

Defense played a big part in the victory as the Jacks only allowed four shots the entire game. Rogers came up with three saves in the shutout.

“We were good at keeping the field locked in half,” Wedemeyer said. “We let up one time and Brie (Rogers) made a big save for us.”

SDSU then quickly got down the field and Braffet got behind the defender and scored on a shot just past the outstretched hands of Akers.

At halftime, Wedemeyer talked to his players about getting behind the defense. Braffet’s goal came at the 47:49 mark. “It was a good momentum builder for us,” Wedemeyer said.

Braffet, Christa Nyblom and Kelsey Ferguson added goals for the Jacks in the second half.

“It was very important for us to be able to get some goals and build some confidence,” Wedemeyer said.

The win moves the Jacks to 3-4-2 on the season while Mary moves to 2-3-2 on the year.

Up next for the Jacks is a match up with Centenary on Friday Oct. 2 at Shreveport, La.