Jackrabbits claim eighth straight win, share of Summit League title

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BROOKINGS – Facing steady winds above 30 miles per hour on a cold night at Fishback Soccer Park, the South Dakota State women's soccer team fought off a pesky South Dakota squad in a 2-0 win to claim their eighth consecutive victory and wrap up a share of the Summit League's regular season title.

SDSU (10-4-3, 6-0 Summit League) pushed their unbeaten streak to 10 games with the victory, taking advantage of two USD (4-12, 2-4 Summit League) own goals to match the school record for consecutive games without a loss.

"We really had to play against two opponents tonight, a very good South Dakota team and a brutal wind," said SDSU coach Brock Thompson. "It was an ugly game but I'm proud of the way we stayed focused on the little things. I thought the difference in the game was how we defended in the first half."

Tori Poole, Leah Manuleleua and Eleanor Dick lead the team with two shots apiece while Nicole Hatcher, Darien Poelstra and Marisa Schulz added shots on goal. In total, the Jackrabbits outshot the Coyotes on the evening, 10-7.

Maggie Smither posted her fifth straight shutout and now has logged over 477 consecutive minutes of scoreless action between the pipes. Smither recorded five saves in the game and was the catalyst in the Coyotes' own goal chaos.

Going against the wind in the first half, State kept things scoreless despite five first-half attempts from USD and gained momentum and the wind for the final frame.

Fifteen minutes into the second, Smither came out of the box for a free kick near the midfield line, and from 65 yards away put a ball into the box, where a Coyote defender attempted to clear it with a header, but the momentum of Smither's free kick carried the ball backwards into the net.

Ahead 1-0 at that point, a second USD own goal in the 62nd gave State a two-goal advantage. Off a corner kick from Julia Lam, the Jackrabbits crashed the net and a failed clearance just beat the diving Coyote keeper across the goal line.

Game Notes: South Dakota State has now secured a share of the 2017 Summit League Regular Season Title, and can finish no lower than second in the league standings. … Eight straight wins ranks as the second-longest streak in school history, two shy of the school record (10) set in 2008. … Ten straight games without a loss matches the school record for longest unbeaten streak, set in 2008 and 2011… SDSU earned a point in the S.D. Corn Showdown Series and is now even with USD, 1-1.

Up Next: South Dakota State concludes the regular season at home Sunday against North Dakota State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. with Senior Day celebrations taking place pregame. A win for the Jackrabbits would secure the No. 1 seed for The Summit League Championships next week in Fargo, N.D.