JACKRABBITS OPEN SEASON AT OMAHA

GAMES 1 & 2: South Dakota State (0-0, 0-0) at Omaha (0-0, 0-0)

When	Friday, Feb. 12 - 1:45 p.m. \| Monday, Feb. 15 - 9:45 a.m.
Where	Omaha, Neb.
Live Stats	OMavs.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Omaha
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #RabbitsFutbol

South Dakota State begins its 2021 season at Omaha. The Jackrabbits and Mavericks square off Friday at 1:45 p.m. and Monday at 9:45 a.m.

The pair of games opens a 16-game conference season for the Jacks this spring, with all games taking place Fridays and Sundays around the league.

South Dakota State is coming off a 15-5-2 season in 2019, which included winning the Summit League Championship and making its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

About the Jackrabbits
State outscored its opponents 29-8 in 2019 and had a Summit League record 15 shutouts as a team, ranking third nationally in shutout percentage. The Jackrabbits averaged 14.3 shots per contest, putting 126 of their 314 total efforts on goal. Defensively, SDSU limited opponents to 10.4 shots per game and allowed only nine goals for the season, including five in the final 17 games.

SDSU returns six starters from last season. Returning for the Jacks is the reigning Summit League Freshman of the Year Maya Hansen. A sophomore from Savage, Minn., Hansen finished second on the team in points (18) and goals (seven), along with four assists in her first season as a Jackrabbit. Hansen posted five game-winning goals in 2019 and started 20 games for the Jacks. Additionally, she earned spots on the All-Summit League Second Team and the Summit League All-Freshman Team in 2019.

Karlee Manding enters her junior year with the Jackrabbits after making the 2019 All-Summit League Second Team in 2019 and the Summit League All-Freshman Team in 2018. The midfielder from Waipahu, Hawaii has 20 career points and eight career goals over 2,000 career minutes.

SDSU brings back all three of its line of defenders to give the Jacks experience defensively. Kaitlin Zabel was a member of the 2019 All-Summit League First team while Gabby Vivier-Hannay was named to the 2019 All-Summit League Second Team.

A Look Ahead
Following this weekend's pair of games, the Jacks are scheduled to continue their season-opening road trip against Oral Roberts Feb. 26 and Feb. 28.

Scouting the Mavericks
Omaha finished the 2019 campaign 5-11-2 overall record and 2-5-1 in conference play, placing seventh in the final conference standings.

The Mavericks return Andrea Daves and Margaret LaVigne, both of whom were named Summit League Preseason Players to Watch. LaVigne earned All-Summit League Second Team honors in 2019 after leading a defense that held opponents to one goal or less in 13 matches in a team-high 1,674 minutes. Daves played 1,072 minutes in 2019 and enters her senior season with nine career assists and 11 career points.

Daves is one of two seniors on a roster featuring 15 freshmen, four sophomores and six juniors.

All-Time Series
South Dakota State enters the weekend on a streak of three consecutive shutouts against Omaha in regular season matchups with the most recent coming on a 2-0 win in Omaha Oct. 13, 2019. The Jacks are 6-7-1 in the all-time series.

Last Time Out
South Dakota State women's soccer's 2019 season came to an end Nov. 15, 2019 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 1-0 to third-seeded Oklahoma State.

Defense fueled the Jackrabbit offense in the opening period, as SDSU turned a number of Cowgirl runs into an 8-7 advantage in first-half shots.

Cecilia Limongi's effort in the 41st avoided a pack of Cowgirls as it made its way through the box, but Oklahoma State's Dani Greenlee gathered it near the right-post for a save.

Scoreless at the break, South Dakota State saw Oklahoma State pick up the pressure in the second half, and though the Jacks turned away a number of crosses into the box, the Cowgirls broke through at 68:33 off the foot of Claire Gantzer to take a 1-0 lead.

State searched for an equalizer over the final 22 minutes of action, coming close in the 80th off a corner kick and a Rachel Preston shot. A Cowgirl team save kept it out of the net, though, and OSU in the lead.

A final opportunity presented itself inside the final five minutes as Manuleleua sent a thru ball into the box from 30 yards out, but a Cowgirl defender sealed a charging Jackrabbit as OSU escaped with the win.

Jackrabbits Picked Second in Preseason Poll
SIOUX FALLS – The South Dakota State women's soccer program was picked second in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Jackrabbits earned 58 points in the rankings along with a pair of first-place votes. Kaitlin Zabel and Maya Hansen were recognized as players to watch.

Denver was picked to defend the Summit League title with 63 points and seven first-place votes. Behind South Dakota State, Oral Roberts (45), South Dakota (41) and Kansas City (32) completed the top five. North Dakota (29), North Dakota State (25), Omaha (22) and Western Illinois (9) rounded out the final four spots in the poll.

The Jackrabbits finished last season 15-5-2 (6-1-1 Summit League). They finished second in the Summit League in the regular season, while capturing its sixth Summit League Tournament title. State is under the direction of head coach Brock Thompson, who holds a 20-2-1 mark in Summit League play.

Kaitlin Zabel, a 2019 All-Summit League First Team honoree, returns for her senior campaign after starting 21 game and playing 1,911 minutes in the back line. She was a key contributor to last season's record-breaking defense that allowed only nine goals and posted 14 shutouts with a 0.40 goals against average.

Maya Hansen started 20 games and appeared in all 22 contests last season, logging 1,273 minutes on the pitch. She led the team in assists with four and finished second in points (18) and goals (seven). She was named the 2019 Summit League Freshman of the Year, while being named to the All-Summit League Second Team and All-Freshman Team.

-GoJacks.com-

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Maya Hansen

Cece Limongi

Karlee Manding

Rachel Preston

Gabby Vivier-Hannay

Kaitlin Zabel

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Northern State on April 19, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Sioux Falls on April 15, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Augustana on April 9, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Minnesota on March 28, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Soccer at Nebraska on March 7, 2026 ,

Completed Event: Women's Soccer versus Alumni Game on March 1, 2026 ,

South Dakota State University Athletics