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South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Pedersen
PREP FOR 2024 SEASON NEARS FOR JACKRABBITS
7/25/2024 1:41:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The South Dakota State soccer program found a way through a variety of trials during the 2023 season to continue its recent success among its Summit League foes. The 2024 team hopes to find itself in a similar position when November rolls around and conference title and NCAA Tournament berths are on the line.Â
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SDSU had big aspirations heading into the 2023 campaign. Optimism could have been seen as wavering as three primary starters from the season prior went down with season-ending injuries during the mid-point of the schedule. However, what those misfortunes provided was the ability for several underclassmen to get time on the pitch and contribute in SDSU's run to a Summit League Tournament Championship.Â
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"We have a lot of experience," SDSU head coach Brock Thompson said when looking at this season's roster. "We went through a great deal of adversity last year. People really stepped into roles that were needed for the team. If you look at minutes played and roles played, this team is very experienced.Â
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"We'll be a little different this year in just the depth of having healthy players back. It's exciting to have some exciting new players join us too. We're really looking forward to the challenge of building the team to eventually be at its best late in the season."
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In that aspect, the 2023 team exceeded and then some.Â
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The Jackrabbits registered a double-digit win total for the 11th consecutive season and extended the feat to a stretch of 15 of the past 16 years. SDSU lost just two regular season matches by one-goal differentials, while its lone conference loss was a 4-2 result at Denver.Â
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Despite finishing second in the conference's regular season standings with the loss of multiple key players, a 5-2 victory in The Summit League Tournament semifinals over Oral Roberts eventually led to an opportunity to host the conference title match in Brookings. The Jackrabbits earned their third Summit League tournament championship in the past five seasons with a 1-0 win over Omaha.Â
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SDSU, which led 2-1 at one time in the first half of its NCAA showing, eventually closed its season out with a 5-2 defeat to Nebraska in Lincoln. The Jacks' matchup proved even more of an obstacle as the Huskers eventually reached the NCAA Elite Eight.
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"We don't set goals as a program, instead we're focused on growth and looking at the journey of a season," Thompson said. "I think all of our players would look back on last year and say that year did not go how we thought it would go, but we wouldn't change it.
"There were some hard moments, there were some joyful moments, there was everything in between. We approach everything as an opportunity to grow because you never know how things will shake out."
Â
That takes the program into training for 2024 on an upswing as the Jackrabbits begin preparations for the campaign. South Dakota State will partake in their first practices this upcoming Tuesday with a slew of returners leading the charge. The Jacks will be buoyed by nine individuals that are seniors in eligibility, including five that are using their fifth seasons due to the truncated 2020-21 spring year in Jenna Hallen, Katherine Jones, Avery LeBlanc, Hayley Lindaman and Kaycee Manding.Â
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"The group of super seniors that we possess have played a lot of minutes, they've been through a lot of the situations, they've won championships, they've lost in conference tournaments and all of those experiences have made them kind of who they are as leaders on this team," Thompson said. "But I think most importantly, they're a consistent group in how they contribute to our culture on and off the field representing Jackrabbit soccer."Â
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Two of SDSU's greatest areas of depth on the roster when it comes to its formation for the impending season lies in its defense and midfield. Two of the Jackrabbits' primary starters on the back line a season ago in Jones and Manding have spent time as midfielders during their careers in Yellow and Blue. Lindaman has served as the Jackrabbits' starting center back for a majority of the squad's matches over the past three seasons. Lauren Eckerle, this season's team captain, had also spent a portion of her time on the pitch as a defender a season ago before an injury ended her sophomore campaign early. Junior Alohi Ramos played in a career-high 14 matches as well in 2023.
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"You want experience in that part of the field because consistency matters at that position and that comes from experience," Thompson said of the defenders. "To have a group like that is great and the exciting thing is a number of them can play in different roles too. They're really going to provide our team a lot of adaptability and flexibility for how we want to play and how we can plug different people in."
Â
The midfield for the Jackrabbits returns a variety of standouts. Avery Murdzek and Laney Murdzek have been honored performers during their time at SDSU at both a conference and national level. The Jackrabbits' depth at that level of the field continues beyond the twins with significant contributors a season ago that return in LeBlanc, Maleah Evans, Ellie Gusman, Taryn Hettich, Sophia Hoffmann and Shelby Hopeau. Those players, along with several other Jackrabbits that are expected to play roles in 2024, has Thompson confident in the group.Â
Â
"It's a position that was hit pretty hard with injury last year, but the experience that players got in the wake of those injuries I think helped our team for this year a great deal," Thompson said. "With some of the players that are incoming for us, I think our midfield group may be the deepest it's been in a long time."
Â
A season-ending injury to the program's all-time leading scorer in Maya Hansen seven games into 2023 paved the way for then-freshman Katelyn Beulke to gain valuable minutes at forward. The eventual Summit League All-Newcomer Team selection wound up second on the team in points with 12 behind five goals and two assists. Hallen scored her first two-career goals a season ago as the pair are joined by several newcomers that will compete for time at SDSU's attacking position.Â
Â
"I think (KB) showed throughout last year that she can be a consistent threat to score goals, and can score them in a variety of ways, so we're excited to see what year two brings for her," Thompson said. "The real the question with our attacking players is going to be kind of who plays with who and who plays where. I expect us to have a lot of options personnel wise."
Â
Goalkeeper at South Dakota State has been a significant position for the last several years in the throes of the Jackrabbits' Summit League opposition. During a span of six seasons, the conference award for Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year was earned by an SDSU netminder. Maggie Smither was the award winner from 2017-19, then Jocelyn Tanner claimed the accolades in 2021 and 2022.Â
Â
Tanner closed out her collegiate career in 2023 which leads to a change of the guard for the Jackrabbits in 2024. The position features junior Mia Wildeman, sophomore Emma Knack and freshman Stephanie Leckwold heading into the team's training schedule.Â
Â
"Every time we graduate a goalkeeper it seems like you can say they're probably one of the greatest ever which speaks highly of the goalkeeping culture in the program here," Thompson said. "I'm excited to see how we manage the three we have. They're great athletes and great teammates. I think they can be a position of strength for us, but it's definitely the position with the least amount of experience."
Â
Thompson's 2024 squad will begin training next week similar to how it has during his time guiding the program. The philosophy of growth over results has led the Jackrabbits to unprecedented success among their peers, having captured six tournament titles in the past decade to go along with three conference regular season championships in that same span.Â
Â
"We're probably one of the slower teams out there as far as when we start to put in like our team shape and system because we believe principles and objectives kind of have to come first," Thompson said. "We want to be a team that grows every day and that is our focus for the first few weeks of the season."
Â
The Jackrabbits will have two days of practice prior to their intrasquad scrimmage that takes place on Thursday, Aug. 1. SDSU will host one exhibition versus Jamestown on Aug. 10 before officially opening the season on Aug. 15 by taking on Kansas at Fishback Soccer Park.Â
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SDSU had big aspirations heading into the 2023 campaign. Optimism could have been seen as wavering as three primary starters from the season prior went down with season-ending injuries during the mid-point of the schedule. However, what those misfortunes provided was the ability for several underclassmen to get time on the pitch and contribute in SDSU's run to a Summit League Tournament Championship.Â
Â
"We have a lot of experience," SDSU head coach Brock Thompson said when looking at this season's roster. "We went through a great deal of adversity last year. People really stepped into roles that were needed for the team. If you look at minutes played and roles played, this team is very experienced.Â
Â
"We'll be a little different this year in just the depth of having healthy players back. It's exciting to have some exciting new players join us too. We're really looking forward to the challenge of building the team to eventually be at its best late in the season."
Â
In that aspect, the 2023 team exceeded and then some.Â
Â
The Jackrabbits registered a double-digit win total for the 11th consecutive season and extended the feat to a stretch of 15 of the past 16 years. SDSU lost just two regular season matches by one-goal differentials, while its lone conference loss was a 4-2 result at Denver.Â
Â
Despite finishing second in the conference's regular season standings with the loss of multiple key players, a 5-2 victory in The Summit League Tournament semifinals over Oral Roberts eventually led to an opportunity to host the conference title match in Brookings. The Jackrabbits earned their third Summit League tournament championship in the past five seasons with a 1-0 win over Omaha.Â
Â
SDSU, which led 2-1 at one time in the first half of its NCAA showing, eventually closed its season out with a 5-2 defeat to Nebraska in Lincoln. The Jacks' matchup proved even more of an obstacle as the Huskers eventually reached the NCAA Elite Eight.
Â
"We don't set goals as a program, instead we're focused on growth and looking at the journey of a season," Thompson said. "I think all of our players would look back on last year and say that year did not go how we thought it would go, but we wouldn't change it.
"There were some hard moments, there were some joyful moments, there was everything in between. We approach everything as an opportunity to grow because you never know how things will shake out."
Â
That takes the program into training for 2024 on an upswing as the Jackrabbits begin preparations for the campaign. South Dakota State will partake in their first practices this upcoming Tuesday with a slew of returners leading the charge. The Jacks will be buoyed by nine individuals that are seniors in eligibility, including five that are using their fifth seasons due to the truncated 2020-21 spring year in Jenna Hallen, Katherine Jones, Avery LeBlanc, Hayley Lindaman and Kaycee Manding.Â
Â
"The group of super seniors that we possess have played a lot of minutes, they've been through a lot of the situations, they've won championships, they've lost in conference tournaments and all of those experiences have made them kind of who they are as leaders on this team," Thompson said. "But I think most importantly, they're a consistent group in how they contribute to our culture on and off the field representing Jackrabbit soccer."Â
Â
Two of SDSU's greatest areas of depth on the roster when it comes to its formation for the impending season lies in its defense and midfield. Two of the Jackrabbits' primary starters on the back line a season ago in Jones and Manding have spent time as midfielders during their careers in Yellow and Blue. Lindaman has served as the Jackrabbits' starting center back for a majority of the squad's matches over the past three seasons. Lauren Eckerle, this season's team captain, had also spent a portion of her time on the pitch as a defender a season ago before an injury ended her sophomore campaign early. Junior Alohi Ramos played in a career-high 14 matches as well in 2023.
Â
"You want experience in that part of the field because consistency matters at that position and that comes from experience," Thompson said of the defenders. "To have a group like that is great and the exciting thing is a number of them can play in different roles too. They're really going to provide our team a lot of adaptability and flexibility for how we want to play and how we can plug different people in."
Â
The midfield for the Jackrabbits returns a variety of standouts. Avery Murdzek and Laney Murdzek have been honored performers during their time at SDSU at both a conference and national level. The Jackrabbits' depth at that level of the field continues beyond the twins with significant contributors a season ago that return in LeBlanc, Maleah Evans, Ellie Gusman, Taryn Hettich, Sophia Hoffmann and Shelby Hopeau. Those players, along with several other Jackrabbits that are expected to play roles in 2024, has Thompson confident in the group.Â
Â
"It's a position that was hit pretty hard with injury last year, but the experience that players got in the wake of those injuries I think helped our team for this year a great deal," Thompson said. "With some of the players that are incoming for us, I think our midfield group may be the deepest it's been in a long time."
Â
A season-ending injury to the program's all-time leading scorer in Maya Hansen seven games into 2023 paved the way for then-freshman Katelyn Beulke to gain valuable minutes at forward. The eventual Summit League All-Newcomer Team selection wound up second on the team in points with 12 behind five goals and two assists. Hallen scored her first two-career goals a season ago as the pair are joined by several newcomers that will compete for time at SDSU's attacking position.Â
Â
"I think (KB) showed throughout last year that she can be a consistent threat to score goals, and can score them in a variety of ways, so we're excited to see what year two brings for her," Thompson said. "The real the question with our attacking players is going to be kind of who plays with who and who plays where. I expect us to have a lot of options personnel wise."
Â
Goalkeeper at South Dakota State has been a significant position for the last several years in the throes of the Jackrabbits' Summit League opposition. During a span of six seasons, the conference award for Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year was earned by an SDSU netminder. Maggie Smither was the award winner from 2017-19, then Jocelyn Tanner claimed the accolades in 2021 and 2022.Â
Â
Tanner closed out her collegiate career in 2023 which leads to a change of the guard for the Jackrabbits in 2024. The position features junior Mia Wildeman, sophomore Emma Knack and freshman Stephanie Leckwold heading into the team's training schedule.Â
Â
"Every time we graduate a goalkeeper it seems like you can say they're probably one of the greatest ever which speaks highly of the goalkeeping culture in the program here," Thompson said. "I'm excited to see how we manage the three we have. They're great athletes and great teammates. I think they can be a position of strength for us, but it's definitely the position with the least amount of experience."
Â
Thompson's 2024 squad will begin training next week similar to how it has during his time guiding the program. The philosophy of growth over results has led the Jackrabbits to unprecedented success among their peers, having captured six tournament titles in the past decade to go along with three conference regular season championships in that same span.Â
Â
"We're probably one of the slower teams out there as far as when we start to put in like our team shape and system because we believe principles and objectives kind of have to come first," Thompson said. "We want to be a team that grows every day and that is our focus for the first few weeks of the season."
Â
The Jackrabbits will have two days of practice prior to their intrasquad scrimmage that takes place on Thursday, Aug. 1. SDSU will host one exhibition versus Jamestown on Aug. 10 before officially opening the season on Aug. 15 by taking on Kansas at Fishback Soccer Park.Â
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