JACKRABBITS & JAYHAWKS SQUARE OFF IN OPENER

Thursday, August 15

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Kansas

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Avery LeBlanc

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

8/14/2024 10:36:00 AM | Women's Soccer

By: Andrew Pedersen

Match 1: South Dakota State vs. Kansas
Date and Time	Thursday, Aug. 15 - 7 p.m.
Location/Site	Brookings, South Dakota / Fishback Soccer Park
Stream	Summit League Network Powered by Midco Sports
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
South Dakota State	Home Page \| Game Notes
Kansas	Home Page

BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State begins its 2024 season on its home pitch on Thursday when the Jackrabbits take on Kansas at Fishback Soccer Park. SDSU hosts its annual Hometown Heroes game, with fans having the opportunity to meet local police officers, firefighters and other first responders and take a look at their vehicles pregame, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

The Jackrabbits and Jayhawks meet officially for the first time since 2018 after the two sides squared off in an exhibition a season ago. Kansas holds a 5-0-1 all-time record against SDSU with the series dating back to 2009. The Jacks last hosted the Jayhawks in 2016, a matchup that resulted in the lone tie in the series, a 1-1 draw.

South Dakota State looks to similarly repeat the result the program produced a season ago as the Jackrabbits claimed the 2023 Summit League tournament championship. The championship was SDSU's 14th overall title achieved and seventh Summit League tournament title clinched.

Last November, SDSU advanced to the conference title match as the No. 2 seed and faced No. 4 seed Omaha in a tilt in Brookings. A 67th minute goal by then freshman Ellie Gusman made the difference as the Jacks earned the Summit League crown. SDSU advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance, eventually falling to Nebraska 5-2 in Lincoln.

The Jackrabbits, a season after finishing second in the conference regular season standings, were picked on Tuesday to take runner-up again in the 2024 Summit League Coaches' Preseason Poll. SDSU picked up three first-place votes and 59 points, narrowly trailing Denver's 61 points behind five first-place votes. Omaha was third in the poll with 50 points and one first-place vote.

SDSU returns a variety of players with experience back into the fold for the 2024 season. Five players will be utilizing fifth seasons of eligibility in Jenna Hallen, Katherine Jones, Avery LeBlanc, Hayley Lindaman and Kaycee Manding. The Jackrabbits will walk out a lineup to begin 2024 that features seven individuals that have earned athletic honors from The Summit League in their careers.

Standouts that were recognized prior to the start of the 2024 slate include Jones, Manding, Avery Murdzek and Laney Murdzek. Jones and Laney Murdzek were both The Summit League Preseason Players to Watch for SDSU. Jones was the 2023 Summit League Tournament MVP, while Murdzek was Second Team All-Summit League last year. Manding and Avery Murdzek were named to their position's United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch Lists. Both were All-Summit First Team honorees a season ago.

The Jacks face a gauntlet of a scheduled to begin 2024. SDSU follows their home opener with five consecutive matches on the road. The squad's next home game is on Sept. 8 against Drake.

Coverage Information
All of South Dakota State's home matches this season, along with in-conference contests, will be streamed on The Summit League Network Powered by Midco Sports. Live stats for home SDSU games can be viewed on GoJacksLive.com with links available on the Jackrabbit soccer team's schedule page on GoJacks.com.

-GoJacks.com-