Jackrabbits, Cowgirls Meet in NCAA First Round

GAME 22: South Dakota State (15-4-2) at No. 3 seed Oklahoma State (15-2-3)

When	Friday, Nov. 15 \| 7 p.m.
Where	Neal Patterson Stadium \| Stillwater, Okla.
Live Video	ESPN3
Live Stats	NCAA.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Oklahoma State
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #RabbitsFutbol

South Dakota State begins its 2019 NCAA Tournament run Friday at third-seeded Oklahoma State. The Jackrabbits and Cowgirls square off Friday at 7 p.m. from Neal Patterson Stadium.

SDSU enters the tournament at 15-4-2 overall, earning the Summit League's automatic bid after claiming the league championship in penalty kicks last week over Denver.

The Jackrabbits are making their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, taking on Oklahoma State for the first time in program history.

A Look Ahead
The winner of Friday's contest will advance to face either Santa Clara or California in the second round, held Nov. 22-24. The winning team in that bout will advance to the third round, where they will again play a single-elimination match at the same location.

Victors of third-round games will advance to the national quarterfinals, Nov. 29-30, held at four non-predetermined school sites. Winners advance to the 2019 Division I women's soccer College Cup, held Dec. 6 and 8 at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California.

About the Jackrabbits
State has outscored its opponents 29-7 on the year and has a Summit League record 15 shutouts as a team, ranking third nationally in shutout percentage. The Jackrabbits are averaging 14.5 shots per contest, putting 123 of their 304 total efforts on goal. Defensively, SDSU is limiting opponents to 10.1 shots per game and allowed only seven goals for the season, including four in the final 16 games.

Leah Manuleleua is tied for first Summit League goal scorers, finding the net 11 times with a league-best seven game-winners. Manuleleua has added four assists in her 21 starts, pacing the squad in points (26) while sitting fourth nationally in game-winning scores.

Maya Hansen ranks second on the team with 18 points, scoring seven goals alongside four assists. The Savage, Minnesota is sixth in the league in points and goals. She is just behind Manuleleua (31) with 22 shots on goal.

Karlee Manding (three goals, two assists), Carina McLennan (two goals, two assists) and Sunniva Dunagan (two goals, two assists) round out the top scorers for South Dakota State. The team has seen 10 different Jackrabbits combine for 30 team goals, while 10 student-athletes (including seven with goals) have at least one assist.

Maggie Smither has been a steady force all season between the pipes, ranking second nationally with 14 shutouts alongside 93 saves. Smither has played 1,813:58 minutes in goal, posting a 0.40 goals against average with a 14-4-2 record.

Manuleleua, Carina McLennan, Marisa Schulz, Darien Poelstra and Rachel Preston have started every game for SDSU this season. Preston has teamed with Kaitlin Zabel and Gabby Vivier-Hannay to lead a lockdown defensive unit this year, as the team has held opponents to 5.1 shots on goal per game and seven total goals. Preston leads the team with 1,892 minutes played, while Vivier-Hannay (1,840) and Kaitlin Zabel (1,821) are close behind.

Scouting the Cowgirls
Oklahoma State (15-2-3, 7-1-1) is the Big 12 regular season champion and earned the third seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Cowgirls fell to Kansas in double overtime last week in the league's tournament finals, 2-1.

OSU has outscored opponents 47-13 on the season, as Jaci Jones (seven goals, 12 assists) and Grace Yochum (11 goals, one assist) pace the offense. Five other Cowgirls have double-figure point totals: Olyvia Dowell (five goals, seven assists), Gabriella Coleman (seven goals, one assist), Charme Morgan (five goals, two assists), Kim Rodriguez (three goals, six assists) and Julia Lenhardt (three goals, four assists).

Dani Greenlee has played a majority of minutes at goalie, posting a 0.63 goals against average over 1,434:17 minutes played. Greenlee has 49 saves and five shutouts.

South Dakota State and Oklahoma State have never met.

Jacks in the NCAA Tournament
SDSU is making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and holds a 1-5 record in those games. SDSU tied Nebraska in 2016 in its last appearance, but saw the Huskers advance on penalty kicks. The Jackrabbits dropped contests at Minnesota (2015) and North Carolina (2014) in their second and third appearance. The 2008 squad claimed a 1-0 victory over Colorado in the program's first-ever NCAA game, but fell to Minnesota 2-0 in the second round that year.

Last Time Out
South Dakota State women's soccer is heading back to the NCAA Tournament, advancing 4-2 on penalty kicks to claim the 2019 Summit League Championship, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare title.

A 1-1 tie extended through regulation and a pair of golden-goal overtimes, setting the stage for penalty kicks at Fishback Soccer Park. After two makes and a miss from both teams, Maggie Smither came up big with a save on Denver's fourth attempt. Eden Brooker sealed the game from there, burying her effort into the back of the net.

Leah Manuleleua scored SDSU's lone goal and led the team with a pair of shots, while Maya Hansen added an assist.

Maggie Smither had four saves and earned tournament MVP honors for her efforts.

Smither was joined by Shayna Stubbs, Carina McLennan and Darien Poelstra on the all-tournament team.

The Jacks had a trio of near-misses in the opening frame from Poelstra, Stubbs and Emily Cameron, but it was Denver who broke through in the 37th off the foot of Hannah Adler to take a 1-0 lead.

Down 1-0 at the break, State picked up the pressure out of the locker room and found an equalizer in the 58th. After taking possession in the midfield, Marisa Schulz sent a ball towards the top of the box for Hansen. The league's freshman of the year evaded a trio of Pioneers on her way into the box, then sent a low cross towards the feet of Manuleleua, who sent it into a near-open net.

Regulation time expired with the match locked at 1-1 and both teams even at seven shots apiece. The Jackrabbits held tough on defense through both overtime periods, keeping Denver scoreless on three shots as Smither collected two of her saves in the final 10 minutes.

Seven Jackrabbits Earn All-League Honors
South Dakota State's Maggie Smither, Leah Manuleleua and Maya Hansen headlined seven 2019 All-Summit League Jackrabbit selections. Smither was named the Goalkeeper of the Year for the third consecutive season while Manuleleua and Hansen were announced as Offensive Player and Freshman of the Year, respectively.

Announced at the Summit League Women's Soccer Championship banquet, Smither and Manuleleua joined Darien Poelstra and Kaitlin Zabel as first team selections. Hansen, Karlee Manding and Gabby Vivier-Hannay were picked to the second team, and Hansen added all-freshman team honors as well.

Preston Honored as CoSIDA Academic All-District
South Dakota State's Rachel Preston was selected to the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 Team.

The sophomore nursing major holds a 4.00 grade point average and has started all 21 games for the Jackrabbits this season.

The Academic All-America program, run by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The teams are voted on by Sports Information Director's from around the nation. Preston will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December.

She is the 12th Jackrabbit to earn Academic All-District honors and the first since Diana Potterveld in 2014.

Jackrabbits among National Leaders
Leah Manuleleua's seven game-winning goals this season puts her fourth nationally in the latest NCAA stats release. Additionally, Manuleleua ranks in the top 100 in goals per game (0.52).

Maggie Smither's marks of shutouts (14) is No. 2 in the nation as of Nov. 10. Her .920 saves percentage is second and her 0.40 goals against average is ninth.

Quick Hitters

15 victories matches a program-best from the 2008 season.
The Jackrabbits' 12-game shutout streak was the longest in program history, breaking the previous mark of eight set in 2008 and 2011. All told, South Dakota State did not allow a goal from the 61st minute of a 1-0 loss to Drake on Sept. 6 until the 47th minute of a 1-1 draw against USD. That is a span of 1,156:31 minutes.
That shutout streak also was part of a 12-game winning streak, the longest in school history. SDSU has won four or more games in a row in six of its last eight seasons. The previous school record for consecutive wins was 10, set in 2008.
SDSU broke a league single-season record in shutouts (14) Oct. 24 against North Dakota State
Oct. 13's victory over Omaha was Brock Thompson's 100th career victory along the sidelines. He is in his ninth season as a head coach and third at South Dakota State.
South Dakota State's 3-0 victory over Northern Illinois Sept. 22 capped an impressive road trip, but was also a record-tying performance for the defensive unit. The Jackrabbits surrendered only one shot from the Huskies in the contest, matching a feat that has now happened three times in program history. The last occurrence was in 2010 against UMKC.
Summit League squads combined to post a 42-41-9 record leading up to conference play. That win total is the first time the Summit League has won 40 or more non-conference matches since the 2007-08 season when teams combined to go 41-46-6.
SDSU has won seven consecutive Summit League openers and is 12-1 all-time in those contests.
The Jackrabbits are 6-12-2 all-time in season openers and 8-10-2 in home openers.

Jacks Earn Summit League Weekly Awards
The Jackrabbit soccer team picked up six weekly honors from the Summit League this season.

Leah Manuleleua (Offensive; Sept. 16) Manuleleua netted game-winners in all three victories, playing 178 minutes for the Jackrabbits in the attacking third. Manuleleua had nine shots (three per game) with seven on goal for the week, growing her team-leading points total to 10 (five goals). The Manteca, California native is now tied for ninth in career goals (17) and second in career game-winning goals (nine). This is her fourth-career Summit League weekly award.
Maggie Smither (Defensive; Sept. 16) Smither continued her strong play between the pipes and posted three shutouts. Playing all 270 available minutes, Smither had 20 total saves for the week, including a 10-save showing against Eastern Washington (her second-career double-digit saves performance). The Sioux Falls native closed the week with seven saves in a 1-0 Jackrabbit win against Minnesota to break the school's shutout record.
Rachel Preston (Defensive; Sept. 23) Preston played all 180 minutes in a pair of shutout victories for the Jacks, topping Northern Iowa, 2-0, and Northern Illinois, 3-0, on the road. SDSU has now won five straight contests with seven shutouts on the year. The Lakeville, Minnesota native anchored State's defensive unit over the two games, limiting the Panthers to three shots on goal Friday before a record-setting performance against the Huskies on Sunday. The Jacks limited NIU to just one shot throughout the contest, matching a program-best feat that had occurred just two times, prior. The last time came in 2010 against UMKC. This is the first weekly award for Preston in her Jackrabbit career.
Maggie Smither (Defensive; Oct. 14) Smither posted a pair of shutout victories between the pipes as the Jackrabbits topped Oral Roberts (1-0) and Omaha (2-0) in league play. The Sioux Falls native recorded six saves in the win over the Golden Eagles and finished the weekend with nine total saves. This was Smither's second weekly defensive honor of the season. She is a six-time Summit League weekly award honoree for her career.
Leah Manuleleua (Offensive; Oct. 21) Manuleleua recorded her 11th career game-winning goal last week, helping the Jackrabbits to a 1-0 victory over Western Illinois. The Manteca, California native followed with an assist in SDSU's 3-0 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne, raising her season points total to 21. Manuleleua ranks second in the league with nine scores this season, and is a five-time Summit League weekly award winner.
Maggie Smither (Defensive; Oct. 21) Smither continued her stellar play between the posts over the weekend, pushing her shutout streak to 11 games with a 12-save performance over the two wins. The Sioux Falls goalkeeper broke the school's career saves record over the weekend. She is a seven-time Summit League Defensive Player of the Week in her career, sitting second for the most awards in league history.

A Pattern of Success
South Dakota State's defensive prowess, senior leadership and nonleague success since joining the Summit League has produced a trend of conference play (and overall season) success. In total, the Jackrabbits' 73 league wins is the top mark among Summit League teams, dating back to 2008.

On the Defensive. Last year's squad allowed just 14 goals for the season, posting the third-best goals against average (0.71) in school history. That played into a two-year GAA of 0.78 (2017-18), the second-best mark at SDSU. The Jackrabbits have put together back-to-back seasons of 1.00 or fewer goals allowed per 90 minutes (game) three times, including the last three seasons (2016-17, 2017-18). So far this year, the Jackrabbit defense has produced 15 clean sheets and allowed eight goals (0.37 GAA) in 21 games. Their two-year goals against average of .701 is currently the best in school history.
Four-Year Senior Records. South Dakota State's senior class boasts a 48-22-10 record over the last three-plus years, including a 24-5-1 mark in Summit League play with two tournament championships, two regular season titles and a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament. Last year's group finished with 45 victories, the third-most in school history. 49 wins is the best four-year mark (2008-11).
Nonleague Success. Including 2019, the Jackrabbits have posted a plus-.500 record in league play eight times since joining the Summit League and in four of the last five years. SDSU won a program-best eight regular season, nonleague games this year, going 8-3 in the first half of the campaign.

Home Cooking
Brookings has been good to the Jackrabbits, as South Dakota State boasts a 113-42-19 all-time home record, including tournament games at Fishback Soccer Park. Head Coach Brock Thompson, now in his third season, has a 25-3-2 mark at Fishback Soccer Park

SDSU is 47-3-2 against Summit League opponents and has lost just one home league contest since 2010.

Smither nets WPSL honors
South Dakota State's Maggie Smither was announced as the Women's Professional Soccer League's 2019 Central Region Northern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. She also earned the region's Golden Glove award for top keeper.

Smither spent the summer with Mankato United Soccer Club, helping the team to a 6-1-3 record in its inaugural season. She logged time in 10 contests, allowing just four goals with 13 saves, posting a 1.00 goals against average for the squad.

The two-time Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year was one of 10 Jackrabbits to compete in the WPSL this summer, joining Marisa Schulz, MaKayla Griffin, Rachel Preston, Taylor Lock, Eden Brooker, Adalaide Kline, Cecilia Limongi, Shayna Stubbs and Sunniva Dunagan.

SDSU Celebrating 20th Season of Women's Soccer
The Jackrabbit soccer program is celebrating its 20th season as an NCAA sport at South Dakota State University. The previous 19 seasons has seen the program win nearly 200 games, claim 11 conference championships (four Summit League tournament titles, six Summit League regular season trophies and one United Soccer Conference tournament crown), and make four trips to the NCAA Tournament.

In looking back at the past 20 years and celebrating the success of Jackrabbit soccer, fans voted for the all-time Top XI. That team was revealed in four parts during Hobo Week on GoJacks.com recognized during the Oct. 6 game.

Jacks Tabbed Second in Preseason Poll
The Jackrabbit women's soccer program was tabbed second in the 2019 Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll, released early August. South Dakota State garnered 57 points in the rankings with a pair of first-place votes, just behind top vote-getter Denver (63 points, five first-place votes). Those two were widely separated from the rest of the pack, as North Dakota State (41), Omaha (39) and South Dakota (37) rounded out the top five. The final four spots were held by North Dakota (32), Oral Roberts (31), Purdue Fort Wayne (14) and Western Illinois (10).

Smither, Manuleleua Named Players to Watch
SDSU's Maggie Smither and Leah Manuleleua were recognized as Players to Watch by the Summit League as part of their preseason release. Smither is the two-time defending Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year, while Manuleleua returns for her senior season after leading the Jacks in points (14) last year.

Jackrabbits Host GOALD Game
South Dakota State women's soccer and Sanford Children's Cure Kids Cancer! teamed up this season to host the first-ever GOALD Game, Saturday, Sept. 28 at Fishback Soccer Park. The organizations partnered to raise awareness and support during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Jackrabbit soccer sold GOALD Game t-shirts for $10 at the field, with proceeds benefiting Sanford Children's Cure Kids Cancer!, and raised funds online for a "Pie in the Face" contest. SDSU raised a total of $3,984.99 for Cure Kid's Cancer! and nearly doubled its fundraising goal of $2,000.

-GoJacks.com-

Calendar

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Players Mentioned

Eden Brooker

Emily Cameron

Sunniva Dunagan

MaKayla Griffin

Maya Hansen

Adalaide Kline

Cece Limongi

Taylor Lock

Karlee Manding

Leah Manuleleua

Carina McLennan

Darien Poelstra

Diana Potterveld

Rachel Preston

Marisa Schulz

Maggie Smither

Shayna Stubbs

Gabby Vivier-Hannay

Kaitlin Zabel

Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer versus North Dakota State on October 5, 2025 at 1 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer at Denver on October 9, 2025 at 8 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer versus Omaha on October 12, 2025 at 1 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer at South Dakota on October 18, 2025 at 3 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer at Kansas City on October 23, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer at Oral Roberts on October 26, 2025 at 1 p.m.

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus North Dakota on October 2, 2025 , Tie , 2, to, 2

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus St. Thomas on September 25, 2025 , Win , 6, to, 0

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Wyoming on September 18, 2025 , Win , 2, to, 0

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Northern Colorado on September 14, 2025 , Win , 6, to, 3

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Drake on September 10, 2025 , Win , 1, to, 0

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Oregon State on September 7, 2025 , Tie , 1, to, 1

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