After opening Summit League play with two wins, the South Dakota State women’s soccer team will roll into Brookings with hopes to make it three straight.

The Jacks (7-4-1) will play host to the Denver Pioneers (6-4-2), who are also undefeated in conference play

The Jacks will be coming off of a pair of out-of-state wins against the Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne (IPFW) Mastodons and the Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks.

“I walk away from this weekend with really a lot of positives and a lot of things we need to work on,” said head coach Brock Thompson. “Certainly the fact that we had five players score goals was a big thing for us, we take a lot of pride in having a number of players that can do that. But I think defensively we got to get a little better individually and collectively as we head into this weekend’s game against Denver.”

Karlee Manding continues to lead the Jackrabbit’s offensive attack as she scored a goal against Western Illinois this past Sunday.

The Pioneers have been on a three-game winning streak, including a win over California State University Fullerton.

“We love playing across from Denver just because it is a high-level soccer game and that’s what players grow up dreaming to be a part of,” Thompson said. “I know our players will be ready and we’ll be at our best on Sunday.”  

Denver has scored 16 goals so far this season, with freshman forward Samantha Feller leading the charge with five of those goals.

Feller was selected as the Summit League Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals in two matches this past weekend, two of those goals were game winners.

Denver also has a strong offensive line, with seven other players hitting the back of the net throughout the season. The team also has a balanced goalkeeper in junior Brittany Wilson, who has accumulated 48 saves so far this season.

The Jacks will take on the Pioneers at noon on Sunday, Oct. 7 in Brookings at the Fishback Soccer Complex.