South Dakota State concluded their non-conference schedule with a home victory over USC Upstate on Thursday, Sept. 19.
The Jacks took the lead in the 15th minute with the sole goal in the first half by Hailee Christensen.
The Spartans were able to tie the game in the second half with a Dara Russo goal in the 55th minute.
SDSU answered with an Avery LeBlanc goal in the 65th minute to reclaim the lead. Several infractions late by the Spartans wrapped up the game to give SDSU the 2-1 victory.
“It [was] such an interesting game,” head coach Brock Thompson said. “It’s an opponent that nobody knew a whole lot about.”
The Jacks finished the night with 14 shots and four shots on goal. Katherine Jones led with four shots, followed by Mia Bosch and Hailee Christensen with three shots each.
Laney Murdzek put up a pair of shots while Avery LeBlanc and Avery Murdzek shot once.
Emma Knack and Stephanie Leckwold split the game on goalkeeping, recording a combined five saves.
“I think any time you have a goalkeeper union, it can go a lot of ways,” Thompson said. “But the thing I’m most proud of with Emma and Stephanie is they truly celebrate each other well. They’re truly making each other better.”
The duo finished the non-conference slate with 33 combined saves and allowed only seven goals.
Dara Russo finished the night with four shots, her best mark this season. Catarina Dantas, Savannah Noll and Adrianna Pepe combined for the remaining three shots by the Spartans, all of them on goal.
The win improves SDSU to a 7-2-1 record, placing them first in the Summit League.
At Omaha
SDSU travels to Omaha to face the Mavericks who are coming off a 6-1-2 non-conference campaign. Their last game was a 1-0 loss to Colorado State.
The Mavericks are looking to improve on their 7-5-7 record from 2023 and win the Summit League Championship, having lost to SDSU in the finals 1-0.
Their leading scorers are Marissa Gohr and Alyssa Kellar with three goals apiece.
Gohr also leads the team in shots with 19 and 10 shots on goal. As a team, the Mavericks average eight shots a game, with their highest shot total of 11 in two contests. The goaltending duo of Maja Baun and Mia Reedtz Rehde Olesen have combined for 37 saves and only allowed four goals in nine games.
“Omaha prides themselves on being really difficult to play against, really hard to score on,” Thompson said. “The moments to make plays in that game are gonna be… fewer and further in between, but they’ll still be there.”
Game time is scheduled for next Sunday at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on the Summit League Network through Midco Sports Plus.
