South Dakota State plays one match at home and travels for another this week as the Jackrabbits wind down their non-conference schedule. The Jackrabbits host Wayne State at Fishback Soccer Park on Thursday with first kick slated for 7 p.m. The match serves as International Student Night and Feed the Students. All students will receive 300 Rabbit Rewards points for attending and get free pizza while supplies last. SDSU is 4-0 all-time against Wayne State which includes an 8-0 victory in 2018.
SDSU then travels to the West Coast to take on Oregon State in Corvallis at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday at Paul Lorenz Field. The Jackrabbits and Beavers haven't squared off since SDSU was moving from the Division II to the Division I level. Oregon State won the lone previous meeting, 3-0, in Corvallis in 2005.
The Jackrabbits are coming off a highly contested 1-1 draw at Fishback this past Sunday versus Drake. The Bulldogs scored a go-ahead goal in the 79th minute on a corner kick, however a first-career goal by freshman
Zoe Wittkop in the 90th minute closed out the match. Four of SDSU and Drake's last six meetings have come down to a goal difference while the two other results have been ties.
SDSU's match versus Drake also served as the team's annual GOALd game. The Jackrabbits raised money alongside Alex's Lemonade Stand, which is a leader in funding pediatric research projects across the globe, during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The soccer team raised over $3,000 behind the efforts of the GOALd game fundraiser.
Following a 2-1 season-opening defeat to Kansas, SDSU went on a five-match stretch away from home. During that span, the Jackrabbits went 4-1 with four shutout victories and the lone loss a 1-0 result. The Jackrabbits had three straight shutout victories which was the longest streak since 2021. South Dakota State has outshot all seven of its opponents this season and had a double-digit difference against their foes in four of them.
A blend of contributions from upperclassmen and underclassmen has been evident. Four of SDSU's 10 goal scorers this season are freshmen, while two others are sophomores. Graduate senior
Katherine Jones has a team-high four assists, while seven other Jacks have dished out assists including four freshmen.
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. SDSU's match at Oregon State will stream on ESPN+. 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.
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