After just a few days of fall practice, the South Dakota State soccer team played its first exhibition match of the 2007 season on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis, at a rain-soaked Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium and came up short against Minnesota 1-0.
Instead of playing two 45-minute halves, the teams played one 40-minute period and two 30-minute periods, with a five-minute break between each period, and despite a steady rain throughout the match, around 200 fans braved the elements.
The game's lone goal came late in the third and final period, when a scrum in front of the SDSU net resulted in a ball deflecting off a Jackrabbit player and into SDSU's own goal.
The Gophers controlled the ball for the majority of the match, notching 12 shots on goal to the Jackrabbits' two.
The Jacks return to action on Monday, when they host Jamestown (N.D.) in exhibition action at Fishback Park. Kick off is slated for 1 p.m.