South Dakota State women’s soccer opens the 2018 regular season this weekend with a pair of contests against Big 12 schools, taking on Iowa State Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Kansas Sunday at 1 p.m.

SDSU went 11-5-3 last season with a perfect 7-0 mark in Summit League play, claiming the 2017 Summit League regular season title. Seven players earned All-League honors, including five returners for the upcoming campaign.

Annie Williams was named Defensive Player of the Year, Maggie Smither was the Goalkepeer of the Year and Brock Thompson earned Coach of the Year honors. Also back for SDSU are All-Summit League picks Leah Manuleleua, Alexa Hepner and Kaitlin Zabel.

Scouting the Cyclones

Iowa State, coming off a 3-12-3 season, returns a solid mix of returners and newcomers in 2018, including 11 of its top-12 scorers from last year while mixing in nine freshmen. The Cylones finished ninth in the 2017 Big 12 standings with a 1-6-2 conference mark.

Klasey Mendelberg started all 18 matches for the Cyclones in 2017 and led the team with three goals, playing 1,273 minutes. She returns alongside Courtney Powell (two goals, one assist) and Emily Steil (2 goals) for a team that was outscored by opponents, 28-13 last year.

Between the pipes, both goalkeepers who saw playing time last season are back. Antonio Reyes appeared in 12 contests with a 1.43 goals against average, while Dayja Schwichtenberg played in nine games and posted a 1.53 GAA. Joining the keepers as a defensive returner is Jordan Enga, who played 1,690 minutes for the Cyclone.

Scouting the Jayhawks

Kansas returns seven starters from a 2017 squad that finished sixth in the Big 12, going 8-9-3 overall. The top three Jayhawk scorers are back from a year ago, as Grace Hagan (seven goals, five assists), Katie McClure (six goals, two assists) and Sophie Maierhofer (four goals, one assist) will lead the KU attack.

The Jayhawk defense returns three starters from last year’s team that posted a 1.34 goals against average overall, allowing one or fewer goals in 14 of their 20 matches. Regan Gibbs carries the most experience between the pipes, playing in two games last year and allowing four goals.

Last Time Out

South Dakota State dropped a 2-1 exhibition contest at Minnesota Aug. 11 in its lone tune-up for the 2018 campaign. The Jackrabbits did not allow a goal in the second half and were led offensively by Darien Poelstra, who netted a score in the 69th minute.

All 24 available Jackrabbits saw action in the preseason tune-up, as Leah Manuleleua put two shots on goal and Bianca Madonia added the other SDSU attempt.

Maggie Smither (two saves), Taylor Lock (two saves) and Hailee Fischer (three saves) split time between the pipes, all playing around 30 minutes as Smither and Lock allowed goals.

Jackrabbitss Tabbed Second in Preseason Poll

South Dakota State women’s soccer was picked second in the 2018 Summit League Preseason Coaches Poll, released Aug. 13. The Jackrabbits received 57 total points in the rankings with three first-place votes, finishing four tallies shy of Denver for the top spot. Oral Roberts was picked third in the poll with 49 points, just ahead of North Dakota State’s 46. The next three spots were separated by just three points, with newcomer North Dakota sitting fifth (30), South Dakota sixth (29) and Omaha seventh (28). Purdue Fort Wayne and Western Illinois tied for the final spot with 12 points each.

Four Named as Players to Watch

As part of the Summit League’s preseason poll release, four Jackrabbits were named to the league’s Players to Watch List: Maggie Smither, Annie Williams, Leah Manuleleua and Alexa Hepner.

Maggie Smither, last season’s Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year, posted a 0.86 goals against average in 2017 and tallied 83 saves. She allowed only one goal in league play and recorded six shutouts, finishing the year with an 11-5-3 record between the pipes.

Annie Williams is the returning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year and will serve as team captain for the Jackrabbits in 2018. She started all 19 games a year ago, played 1,556 minutes and was third on the team with eight points.

Alexa Hepner is a third-year starter for a back line that surrendered just one goal in league play last year. The Prior Lake, Minnesota native logged the most minutes (1,721) for the second-consecutive season. She was a 2017 All-Summit Second Team honoree.

Leah Manuleleua enters her second season with the Jackrabbits after arriving in 2017 from San Joaquin Delta College. Manuleleua started 18 contests last season and tied for the team lead in goals (seven). She was an All-Summit League First Team pick last year.

2017 In Review

The Jackrabbits made their fifth consecutive appearance in the league tournament and have qualified nine times out of 10 eligible seasons in the league. South Dakota State has now won five regular season titles, claiming the regular season nod in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2014 as well.

Nicole Hatcher (21 points, seven assists) and Leah Manuleleua (17 points, three assists) tied for the team-lead with seven goals each, while Annie Williams finished third on the team in points (eight) with three goals and two assists. Freshmen Rachel Hewitt and Marisa Schulz each netted two goals.

Between the pipes, Smither started 18 games with appearances in all 19 contests on the year, posting a 0.86 goals against average while ending the regular season with six consecutive shutouts. Smither logged 83 saves in 1,582 minutes. Lock appeared in five contests and spent 99 minutes in goal, giving up one score with five saves.

Photo from www.gojacks.com.