Chris Mangan

The Jackrabbit women’s soccer team used a strong defensive effort in shutting out Southern Utah 1-0 the afternoon of Oct. 5 at Fishback Soccer Park.

The Jacks did not allow a Thunderbird shot on goal in the first half and only allowed two in the whole game.

“A big reason our defense has been so strong is that it is very mature,” head coach Lang Wedemeyer said. “That experience, combined with great depth and a good team defensive mentality, are the main reasons.”

Senior goalkeeper Nicole Lograsso recorded only one save in the match but walked away with her fourth straight shutout and fifth on the season.

“Niki has matured greatly in her time here at SDSU,” Wedemeyer said. “She has become the best GK in our conference and one of the best in our region. Her ability to read the game and make the big saves, along with the common ones, has played a big part in her success.”

The win moved the Jacks to 4-0 (8-3 overall) in the Summit League Conference, the best conference start in the program’s history.

“I believe that having last year as a way of ‘getting to know’ the Summit League and its teams gave us a good idea of what we needed to do to accomplish our goals,” Wedemeyer said. “You also have to take into account that we have a very senior-laden team that has been waiting for this opportunity for over three years now and is making the most of it.”

SDSU’s lone goal came in the 30th minute when senior forward Erin Kasmarik beat the T-Birds goalkeeper Sutton Fox. Kasmarik was set up by Kayla Braffet and Danielle Healy.

The Jacks return to action on Oct. 9 when they host Centenary and look to improve their conference mark to 5-0.

“We have been working very hard in training and taking each team, each game unto itself,” Wedemeyer said. “That is the same approach that we will take this week in our preparation.”