LATE GOAL LIFTS JACKRABBITS PAST LOPES

Sunday, August 21

Phoenix, Ariz.

7:00 PM MT / 9:00 PM CT

South Dakota State University

1-0-1, 0-0-0

Grand Canyon

1-1-0, 0-0-0

South Dakota St.

Grand Canyon

Alohi Ramos

Photo by: Nena C Photography

8/22/2022 12:50:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A game that had been controlled by each team's respective back lines was spoiled in the 83rd minute by South Dakota State's Avery Murdzek as the Jackrabbit sophomore found the back of the net to break a tie and propel SDSU on Sunday, Aug. 21, to a 1-0 victory over Grand Canyon at GCU Stadium.

Both teams were NCAA Tournament squads a season ago and the two looked the part again in a match that eventually ended on Monday in the central time zone.

The match was pushed back over an hour due to lightning in the area but eventually kicked off as SDSU (1-0-1) and GCU (1-1-0) squared off for the first time ever. Each team took some time to settle into the late evening action, as GCU narrowly held a 3-2 edge in shots after the first 45 minutes of play.

The Antelopes gained control of possession early in the second half and eventually rattled off a 12-4 advantage in shots throughout the game. Grand Canyon had one of its best chances in the 57th minute as Brenna Alderson had a shot go off the top crossbar then a following shot by Jaycee Iranshad saw SDSU's Rachel Preston get in the way to deflect it out of bounds.

Each side only placed one shot on goal and that one opportunity would be enough for the Jacks.

Maya Hansen dribbled the ball on the left side of the field and passed it to Karlee Manding who dribbled to the middle. She sent it along to Murdzek who outside the top of the box kicked a shot from right to left across GCU's diving goalkeeper and scored with the ball finding the back corner of the goal. Manding was credited on the assist while Murdzek picked up her first goal of the year.

That point on saw Grand Canyon get one corner kick and one shot off as Hailee Fischer snagged SDSU's lone save in goal of the match.

Notes
The Jackrabbits had a variety of players play strong minutes. Hayley Lindaman competed for all 90 minutes and Laney Murdzek appeared for a season-high 68 minutes. Reagan Anderson made her first start of the season and played 64 minutes. Abria Brooker made her SDSU debut off the bench and Delaney Grant made her first appearance of the season.

Up Next
The Jackrabbits close out their three-game stretch in Arizona on Tuesday when SDSU faces Northern Arizona in Flagstaff at 9 p.m. CT. The Lumberjacks are 0-0-1 this season with their latest match Sunday versus Utah Tech canceled. The match is scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+.

-GoJacks.com-