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South Dakota State University Athletics
PAIR OF SDSU SOCCER STANDOUTS SET TO APPEAR IN USL W LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
7/21/2022 12:36:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Current South Dakota State soccer players Maya Hansen and Rachel Preston have spent the summer of 2022 competing against high-level competition in the USL W League and have helped their club to a championship appearance this weekend.Â
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Hansen and Preston each play on Minnesota Aurora FC which is part of the pre-professional women's soccer league that kicked off its inaugural season in May. Aurora FC went 11-0-1 during its regular season and won the Heartland Division en route to qualifying for the eight-team playoff in the league that consists of 44 squads.Â
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Aurora FC won its quarterfinal matchup, 2-1, over Indy Eleven at their home facility TCO Stadium in Eagan, Minn., on July 13. The team followed it with a 1-0 semifinal victory over McLean Soccer on July 17 to advance to the league title game. The championship game is slated for 7 p.m. on Saturday at TCO Stadium against South Georgia Tormenta FC. Playing in front of an average of over 5,000 fans each home game, both of the club's playoff games were contested in front of sell-out crowds and the championship match is already sold out.Â
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Hansen and Preston have been integral to Aurora's success this summer.Â
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Preston has steadied the back line as she has done over the last two seasons for the Jackrabbits. At SDSU, Preston is a two-time All-Summit League selection. She helped lead the Jacks to the Summit League Tournament title last November and was named the tournament's MVP.Â
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The Lakeville, Minn., native has played in all 14 games for Minnesota Aurora FC this summer. She leads the squad with 1,161 minutes played and has played in the full 90 minutes in 11 matches. Â
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Hansen has carried her offensive prowess at SDSU to the USL W League. Hansen ranks among the best in program history for the Jackrabbits in multiple offensive categories and is a three-time all-conference selection. Her 28 goals in her college career are third most ever by a Jackrabbit.
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The Savage, Minn., native has participated in 13 of 14 games for Aurora. During the regular season she tied for third on the team with four goals, tied for fourth on the team with eight points, while leading the club with 24 shots. Hansen played 90 minutes, a season high, in the team's quarterfinal win over Indy Eleven. In the semifinal, she opened the play that led to an eventual-game winning goal and was credited her first assist of the season in the win over McLean Soccer. Â
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Minnesota Aurora FC's championship match can be streamed at ElevenSports.com.Â
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Hansen and Preston each play on Minnesota Aurora FC which is part of the pre-professional women's soccer league that kicked off its inaugural season in May. Aurora FC went 11-0-1 during its regular season and won the Heartland Division en route to qualifying for the eight-team playoff in the league that consists of 44 squads.Â
Â
Aurora FC won its quarterfinal matchup, 2-1, over Indy Eleven at their home facility TCO Stadium in Eagan, Minn., on July 13. The team followed it with a 1-0 semifinal victory over McLean Soccer on July 17 to advance to the league title game. The championship game is slated for 7 p.m. on Saturday at TCO Stadium against South Georgia Tormenta FC. Playing in front of an average of over 5,000 fans each home game, both of the club's playoff games were contested in front of sell-out crowds and the championship match is already sold out.Â
Â
Hansen and Preston have been integral to Aurora's success this summer.Â
Â
Preston has steadied the back line as she has done over the last two seasons for the Jackrabbits. At SDSU, Preston is a two-time All-Summit League selection. She helped lead the Jacks to the Summit League Tournament title last November and was named the tournament's MVP.Â
Â
The Lakeville, Minn., native has played in all 14 games for Minnesota Aurora FC this summer. She leads the squad with 1,161 minutes played and has played in the full 90 minutes in 11 matches. Â
Â
Hansen has carried her offensive prowess at SDSU to the USL W League. Hansen ranks among the best in program history for the Jackrabbits in multiple offensive categories and is a three-time all-conference selection. Her 28 goals in her college career are third most ever by a Jackrabbit.
Â
The Savage, Minn., native has participated in 13 of 14 games for Aurora. During the regular season she tied for third on the team with four goals, tied for fourth on the team with eight points, while leading the club with 24 shots. Hansen played 90 minutes, a season high, in the team's quarterfinal win over Indy Eleven. In the semifinal, she opened the play that led to an eventual-game winning goal and was credited her first assist of the season in the win over McLean Soccer. Â
Â
Minnesota Aurora FC's championship match can be streamed at ElevenSports.com.Â
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Players Mentioned
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