FIRST-HALF GOAL LIFTS SDSU OVER ORU SENIOR DAY

Sunday, October 27

Brookings, S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

12-4-2, 5-2-1

Oral Roberts

8-7-4, 3-2-3

Oral Roberts

South Dakota St.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

10/27/2024 5:55:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Andrew Pedersen

BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State scored a goal in the opening 10 minutes of its regular season finale versus Oral Roberts, and fended off constant second-half pressure from the Golden Eagles attack, to complete a 1-0 shutout on Sunday at Fishback Soccer Park.

The Jackrabbits took advantage of an early opportunity to take control of the contest.

Kaycee Manding sent a pass into the box that found teammate Maleah Evans. The SDSU senior midfielder struck a shot that was initially saved by ORU goalkeeper Alexa Riefer. The rebound off Riefer's foot found its way to forward Katelyn Beulke who snuck the ball past a Golden Eagle defender on her attempt to give the Jacks a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute.

SDSU finished the first half with a 3-0 edge in shots on goal as the Jackrabbits took the one-goal advantage into halftime.

Oral Roberts came out for the second half looking for an equalizer.

The Golden Eagles put their first shot on goal within a minute of opening the frame and eventually recorded a total of seven shots on net during the second half. Freshman goalkeeper Stephanie Leckwold wound up snagging a career-high seven saves during her 45 minutes on the pitch. ORU's final shot came in the 86th minute as the Jackrabbits held the Golden Eagles attack at bay.

South Dakota State improved to 12-4-2 overall while Oral Roberts dropped to 8-7-4. The Jacks also closed out their Summit League schedule with a 5-2-1 record and the Golden Eagles closed the regular season with a 3-2-3 mark.

NOTES

South Dakota State, which outshot its opponents in the first 16 matches of the season, was outshot for the second straight match as Oral Roberts finished with a 13-11 margin.
Avery Murdzek had a team-high three shots for the Jackrabbits. She was followed by Beulke and Mia Bosch who recorded two apiece.
Leckwold's seven saves, while a career best, are also an individual high by a Jackrabbit keeper this season.
Hailee Christiansen played a reserve-best 54 minutes for the Jackrabbits as SDSU started its eight seniors on Senior Day. The SDSU seniors recognized prior to the match were Maleah Evans, Jenna Hallen, Katherine Jones, Avery LeBlanc, Hayley Lindaman, Kaycee Manding, Avery Murdzek and Laney Murdzek.
SDSU extended its unbeaten streak against ORU to 14 consecutive matches. The Jackrabbits are 17-1-3 all-time against the Golden Eagles.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State, with its 5-2-1 record in conference play, completed The Summit League schedule with 16 points. The Jackrabbits earned the No. 3 seed in the upcoming conference tournament as North Dakota State (19 points) claimed the regular season title and Denver (17) followed as the No. 2 seed.

SDSU will host a quarterfinal match as part of the 2024 Summit League Women's Soccer Championship. The Jackrabbits are slated to face No. 6 South Dakota at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, in Brookings at Fishback Soccer Park. The winner of that game will advance to the semifinals held in Fargo, North Dakota, and face No. 2 Denver on Thursday, Nov. 7.

-GoJacks.com-