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South Dakota State University Athletics
SDSU Faces Storied UNC in First Round
11/12/2014 4:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The South Dakota State women's soccer team travels to Chapel Hill, N.C. Friday to face storied North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 4 p.m.
About the Jackrabbits
The Jackrabbits clinched their second NCAA Tournament berth by defeating Denver in the Summit League Tournament final Nov. 8.
After Nicole Hatcher tied the game at one with 31 seconds remaining in regulation, South Dakota State topped the Pioneers, 5-4, on penalty kicks. Tori Poole netted the winner in the first round of sudden death while Nicole Inskeep made two saves.
In the semifinal match Nov. 6, the Jackrabbits toppled rival North Dakota State, 2-1. Poole scored both South Dakota State goals, including one 41 seconds into the game, a school record for quickest goal. Inskeep made two saves to earn her first career postseason victory.
Poole, Hatcher, Inskeep and Diana Potterveld were named to the all-tournament team. Poole became the first freshman in the history of the Summit League/Mid-Continent Conference to earn Tournament MVP honors.
The Jackrabbits also won their fourth regular-season title this season, compiling a 5-2-1 record in league play. They clinched the crown in their final game of the regular season, besting Denver, 2-0, on Oct. 31.
Offensively, South Dakota State is led by Potterveld (6g-12a) and Alyssa Brazil (7g-2a). Potterveld's 12 assists broke a single-season school record set in 2001. Brazil's seven goals set a new career high. The Jackrabbits rank second in the Summit League in goals (33) and assists (30).
South Dakota State has never faced an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, but head coach Lang Wedemeyer is familiar with the league. In the early 1990s, he played for Virginia Tech, and was twice voted as its top defensive player, before transferring to Old Dominion his junior season.
The Jackrabbits last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Playing in St. Paul, Minn. they upset fourth-seeded Colorado, 1-0, before falling to Minnesota, 2-0.
About the Tar Heels
North Carolina has played in every NCAA Tournament since its inception in 1982, posting a 118-9-3 record in tournament action and capturing a NCAA-record 21 titles. By 2000, when South Dakota State's program began play, the Tar Heels had compiled a 466-19-11 record and 16 national tiles.
This season, the North Carolina earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after posting a 12-3-2 record. The ACC regular-season champion fell to No. 4 Virginia, 2-0, in the ACC Tournament semifinals Nov. 7. The Tar Heels entered that game riding a 12-game unbeaten streak, posting an 11-0-1 record from Sept. 5 to Nov. 2 and going undefeated in ACC play (9-0-1).
North Carolina features a balanced attack as 16 players posted at least a point in its 17 games. Nine players were multi-goal scorers, with Emily Bruder (5), Paige Nielsen (4) and Megan Buckingham (4) leading the way. Joanna Boyles (3g-7a), Bruder (5g-1a) and Summer Green (2g-6a) were the top point producers.
The Tar Heels have allowed just 14 goals this season and recorded six shutouts. Lindsey Harris and Bryane Heaberlin have split time in net and each boasts a goals against average less than one at 0.61 and 0.94 respectively. North Carolina has outshot its opponents by more than a 2-1 margin.
Anson Dorrance is in his 36th season as head coach and has posted a 775-57-31 record. Along with their 21 NCAA titles, the Tar Heels have captured 21 ACC regular-season crowns, 20 ACC tournament championships and one AIAW title.
Last year, the Tar Heels blanked three-straight opponents, outscoring them by a 10-0 margin, to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals. Despite having home-field advantage, North Carolina dropped its game to UCLA in double overtime, 1-0.
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