SOCCER HEADS FOR ORAL ROBERTS

GAMES 3 & 4: South Dakota State (0-0-2, 0-0-2) at Oral Roberts (0-3-0, 0-2-0)

When	Friday, Feb. 26 - 7 p.m. \| Sunday, Feb. 28 - Noon
Where	Tulsa, Okla.
Live Video	ORUAthletics.com
Live Stats	ORUAthletics.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Oral Roberts
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #RabbitsFutbol

South Dakota State returns to the field for its second series of the 2021 season this weekend at Oral Roberts. Start times are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and noon Sunday in Tulsa, Okla..

The Jackrabbits continue their 16-game conference schedule after two scoreless ties against Omaha Feb. 12 & 15 to open the season.

About the Jackrabbits
Through two matches, the Jacks have held strong defensively, recording two shutouts and eight saves with the duo of Hailee Fischer and Taylor Lock splitting time between the pipes. Defensively, the Jacks held the Mavericks to eight shots on goal in 25 attempts in their season-opening series.

Offensively, SDSU has attempted 27 shots with 10 of them being on goal. Leading the team in shots is Rachel Hewitt, who in 157 minutes played, has fired four shots on goal in seven tries. Hewitt ranks first in the Summit League in shots on goal. Seven other Jackrabbits have recorded at least two combined shot attempts so far on the season.

State outscored its opponents 29-8 in 2019 and had a Summit League record 15 shutouts, 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, Minnesota, 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. Hansen 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
SDSU begins its six-game homestand when it hosts Kansas City March 5 & 7.

Scouting the Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts enters the matchup with South Dakota State 0-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The Golden Eagles had their conference-opening pair of games against North Dakota postponed due to inclement weather.

Most recently, ORU fell in both games on the road against Denver Feb. 19 & 21. Denver outscored Oral Roberts 7-1 in the two games. In three games, opponents have outscored the Golden Eagles 12-3. The 12 goals allowed ranks last in the Summit League.

Last season, Oral Roberts qualified for The Summit League Women's Soccer Championships with a 6-9-4 overall record and 3-2-3 record in league play. The Golden Eagles fell to South Dakota State in the championship semifinals, 0-1.

Entering 2021, ORU was ranked third in the Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll while Brianna McGowan and Drishana Pillay were named players to watch. Pillay, a member of the 2019 All-Summit League Second Team, scored five goals and 12 points last season, including a hat trick (3 goals) and seven points against Arkansas - Pine Bluff.

ORU head coach Roger Bish is in his eighth season leading the Golden Eagles, leading the program to the Summit League Championship three times.

All-Time Series
South Dakota State enters the weekend 12-1-1 all-time against Oral Roberts, including taking both matchups by a score of 1-0 in 2019. The lone Jackrabbit loss came in 2015 when State fell 3-2 in overtime at Oral Roberts.

Last Time Out (Feb. 15, 2021)
OMAHA, Neb. — For the second time on the opening weekend of Summit League women's soccer action, South Dakota State and Omaha battled to a scoreless draw.

SDSU created more scoring opportunities, out-shooting the Mavericks by a 19-8 count. The Jackrabbits held a 9-3 advantage in shots in the first half and recorded a 7-3 edge during the second half. Omaha posted a 3-2 margin in shots during the two 10-minute overtime periods, but Jackrabbit goalkeeper Taylor Lock came up with a save with about a minute and a half to go in the second overtime to preserve the tie.

Lock finished with two saves as she played the final 65 minutes. Hailee Fischer started in goal for the Jackrabbits and also notched a pair of saves in the opening half.

Senior forward Rachel Hewitt led the Jackrabbit offensive attack with five shots, while Maya Hansen fired three shots.

Both Friday and Monday's games were moved indoors to The Center due to frigid weather conditions.

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-

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Players Mentioned

Hailee Fischer

Maya Hansen

Rachel Hewitt

Taylor Lock

Karlee Manding

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 ,

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