Soccer opens Summit League Championships Thursday

GAME 20: No. 2 seed South Dakota State (14-4-1) vs. No. 3 seed Oral Roberts (6-8-4)

When	Thursday, Nov. 7 \| 6 p.m.
Where	Fishback Soccer Park \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Video	The Summit League \| Jon Hiatt (Play-by-Play), Mekonnen Afa (Analyst)
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Oral Roberts \| North Dakota \| Denver \| Championship Page
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #RabbitsFutbol

South Dakota State hosts this week's Summit League Women's Soccer Championship, presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare as the No. 2 seed. The Jackrabbits kick off their tournament run Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in the semifinals from Fishback Soccer Park.

Denver is the No. 1 seed and will play No. 4 seed North Dakota at 3 p.m. Thursday. The winners of Thursday's matches will play in Saturday's title game at noon, with the tournament champion claiming the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

SDSU finished the regular season at 14-4-1 overall and 6-1-1 in Summit League play, earning 19 points in league action to sit just behind Denver's 22 points. The Jackrabbits are making their seventh consecutive appearance in the league championship and have qualified 11 times out of 12 eligible seasons of Summit League play. South Dakota State has won tournament title four times and is 6-5-4 all-time in the event.

About the Jackrabbits
State has outscored its opponents 28-7 on the year and has a league-record 14 shutouts as a team, ranking third nationally in shutout percentage. The Jackrabbits are averaging 14.8 shots per game, putting 111 of their 282 total attempts on goal. Defensively, SDSU is limiting opponents to 10.5 shots per game and allowed just three goals in league play.

Leah Manuleleua is second among Summit League goal scorers, finding the net 10 times with a league-best seven game-winners. Manuleleua has added four assists in her 19 starts, sitting tied for first in the league with 24 points.

Maya Hansen's seven goals are second on the team, as the freshman sits sixth in the Summit League in goals and points (16). The Savage, Minnesota native has four goals against league opponents, and is just behind Manuleleua (27) 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 nine different Jackrabbits combine for 28 team goals, while 10 student-athletes have at least one assist.

Two-time Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year Maggie Smither has been a steady force all season,, logging a nation-leading 13 shutouts with 87 saves. Smither has played 1,613:58 minutes between the pipes, posting a 0.39 goals against average with a 13-4-1 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 1,692 minutes played, while Vivier-Hannay (1,640) and Kaitlin Zabel (1,621) are close behind.

Scouting the Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts (6-8-4, 3-2-3 Summit League) finished the regular season strong to earn a berth in this year's championships, going 3-1-1 in its final five games of the season.

Jordan Langebartels is third in the Summit League with 23 points on the season, scoring nine goals with five assists. Drishana Pillay (six goals, two assists) and Shayla Padilla (four goals, five assists) round out the top three scorers, while Mia Kitterman has five assists and Martha Helssee has four goals.

Allison Austin has played 1,660:36 minutes at keeper for the Golden Eagles, posting a 1.46 goals against average. She has allowed 27 scores, tallied 79 saves and has a pair of shutouts in 2019.

The Jackrabbits are 11-1-1 overall against Oral Roberts, claiming the last three regular season matchups and a 1-0 victory earlier this year.

Scouting the Pioneers
Denver (11-4-3, 7-0-1 Summit League) is the No. 1 seed and will host next year's Summit League Championships, claiming the top spot after three consecutive years as the No. 2 seed. The Pioneers have won seven consecutive and are unbeaten in their last nine games.

Sami Feller (six goals, two assists) and Natalie Beckman (four goals, six assists) are the top point-scorers (14) for the Denver offense. Camryn MacMillan is close behind with five goals and a pair of assists, while Hannah Adler has set up three scores and found the net four times.

Brittany Wilson has started 17 games as the team's goalie, logging 1,594:02 minutes with nine goals allowed. Wilson boasts a 0.51 goals against average (second-best in the Summit League) and has 31 saves with seven shutouts.

South Dakota State is 5-2-2 all-time against the Pioneers, dropping a 2-1 contest last Thursday on the road.

Scouting the Fighting Hawks
North Dakota (10-7-1, 4-4 Summit League) is making its first appearance in the Summit League Championships after earning the No. 4 seed. The Fighting Hawks have dropped three of their last four games.

Mimi Eiden leads the team with eight goals and one assist (17 points), while Mara Yapello (14 points) is close behind with five scores and four assists. Megan Wright and Olivia Knox each have three goals and three assists.

Catherine Klein has played a majority of minutes between the pipes (1,298:58) and has a 0.83 goals against average for the season, posting three shutouts and 63 saves with 123 goals allowed.

SDSU is 5-3-1 all-time against North Dakota, including a 3-0 victory earlier this season at Fishback Soccer Park.

Last Time Out
The Jackrabbit women's soccer team fell in its regular season finale Thursday evening at Denver, 2-1.

South Dakota State (14-4-1, 6-1-1 Summit League) matched the Pioneers step-for-step for a majority of the contest, but a late penalty kick provided separation for the home team.

SDSU fired six shots (three on goal) in the contest, as six different Jackrabbits took aim at the goal. Gabby Vivier-Hannay recorded her first career score.

Maggie Smither had four saves in the game.

The Jacks saw the Pioneers strike first with a Camryn MacMillan goal at 4:04, but answered just two minutes later on a free-kick score from Vivier-Hannay.

The scoring slowed but even play continued the rest of the half, with both keepers logging saves and the teams finishing the period tied, 1-1.

State looked to break the tie with a shot from Maya Hansen in the 53rd that hit the post, and in the 60th Shayna Stubbs put a shot on goal, but the stalemate continued until the 79th, when a penalty kick goal from DU's Kaitlyn Glover put SDSU in a 2-1 hole.

That score held the rest of the way as the Jackrabbits saw their 13-match unbeaten streak come to an end.

Jackrabbits among National Leaders
Leah Manuleleua's seven game-winning goals this season puts her second nationally in the latest NCAA stats release. Additionally, Manuleleua ranks in the top 100 in goals per game (0.53) and is currently tied for first in the Summit League in points (24) and is second in goals (10).

Maggie Smither's marks of shutouts (13) is No. 1 in the nation as of Nov. 3. Her .925 saves percentage is third and her 0.40 goals against average is 10th. Smither already set the league's season-shutout record (13) and is a three-time Summit League Defensive Player of the Week this year.

Quick Hitters

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 Honored by Summit League
The Jackrabbit soccer team has picked up three 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). Maggie Smither and Kaitlin Zabel bring the most experience to the 2019 defensive unit and will look to continue that trend. So far this year, the Jackrabbit defense has produced 13 clean sheets and allowed seven goals (0.36 GAA) in 19 games.
Four-Year Senior Records. South Dakota State's senior class boasts a 47-22-9 record over the last three-plus years, including a 24-5-1 mark in Summit League play with a tournament championship, two regular season titles and a trip 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 112-42-18 all-time home record, including tournament games at Fishback Soccer Park. Head Coach Brock Thompson, now in his third season, has a 24-3-1 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-

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Players Mentioned

Eden Brooker

Sunniva Dunagan

MaKayla Griffin

Maya Hansen

Adalaide Kline

Cece Limongi

Taylor Lock

Karlee Manding

Leah Manuleleua

Carina McLennan

Darien Poelstra

Rachel Preston

Marisa Schulz

Maggie Smither

Shayna Stubbs

Gabby Vivier-Hannay

Kaitlin Zabel

Upcoming Event: Women's Soccer versus North Dakota on October 2, 2025 at 7 p.m.

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

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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.

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

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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

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Northern Arizona on August 31, 2025 , Tie , 1, to, 1

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