South Dakota State left Fishback Soccer Park as victors this last Sunday as they beat Northern Colorado 6-3. Next, they will host Wyoming and St. Thomas as they eclipse the halfway point of the season.
Northern Colorado
SDSU struck first at the 13th minute as Zoe Wittkop found the back of the net. Preslie Young for the Bears tied the game in the 31st minute. A thunderstorm stopped play near the end of the first period, but SDSU was quick to break the tie with an Emma Brezenski goal after the match resumed. The Bears tied it up again just two minutes later before the half.
SDSU scored four straight goals in the second half before the Bears were able to get a penalty kick goal in the waning minutes of action, making the final score 6-3. The six goals are the second highest of the season.
“I’m really proud of the way that our team responded to some of those challenging mental moments,” head coach Brock Thompson said. “[It’s] not easy to sit in a locker room that, you know, feels a little bit like a sauna during a rain delay, you know, and to just maintain your focus.”
Mia Bosch led SDSU in shots with three, along with one goal and two assists. Ellie Gusman and Makynlie Cade each had two shots; Gusman recorded an assist while Cade had a goal and an assist. 11 assists were scored by SDSU, a team high for the season. Mallorie Benhart made three saves on the afternoon.
For the Bears, Jolee Irvin shot twice with one goal and an assist. Taryn Rea also found the back of the net on her sole shot. The three goals are the Bears highest mark this season. Ava Marshall and Preslie Young split the team’s remaining shots.
“(It was a) very weird game from how it just kinda played out,” Thompson said of the afternoon. A thunderstorm caused a delay of more than an hour in the 41st minute.
The win improves the Jacks to 5-1-3, good for second place in the Summit League behind North Dakota.
Wyoming
SDSU’s final non-conference match of the season sees them host the Wyoming Cowgirls this week. They are 5-1-1 and are coming off a 1-0 victory against Colorado Mesa on Sunday.
Alyssa Glover is the team’s leading shooter with 22 on the season. She has 12 shots on goal with five finding the back of the net, plus a pair of assists. In the victory on Sunday, Glover had seven shots with four on goal and an assist. The team high for assists belongs to Jennah Wanner, who has three on the year. Goalkeeper Haley Bartel has had five games with no goals allowed, including their most recent match.
“Wyoming is an exceptional team,” Thompson said.
The Cowgirls shutout No. 15 ranked Georgia on Sept. 4 to earn their first ranked road win in program history.
Game time is tomorrow at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on the Summit League Network through Midco Sports Plus.
St. Thomas
SDSU begins their conference play at home with a match against the Tommies. They are 2-4-1, coming off a 2-1 loss against the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sunday, and will play Western Illinois on Thursday before traveling to Brookings next week.
Tatum Trettel is the team’s leading shooter with 11 on the year. She has seven shots on goal with one goal. Mackenzie Jacobson leads the Tommies in goals with three, having 10 shots with seven on goal and two assists. Six other Tommies, including Trettel, each have one goal on the season. Olivia Rowe has started seven games at goalkeeper with a season total of 47 saves.
Game time is Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on the Summit League Network through Midco Sports Plus.
