Jackrabbits soccer topples Big 12′s Kansas State Wildcats

BROOKINGS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - South Dakota State took control of the match early and ultimately produced two goals in the second half en route to a 2-0 victory over Kansas State on Sunday, Sept. 18, at Fishback Soccer Park.

The Wildcats registered the first shot of the contest in the 10th minute as Kansas State’s Adah Anderson struck it on goal and SDSU goalkeeper Hailee Fischer made the save.

From there, South Dakota State grabbed the momentum of the game. The Jackrabbits finished the first half with a 6-3 edge in shots and an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks. The matchup remained scoreless, but it told the story for the remainder of the match.

The Jackrabbits recorded the eventual game-winning goal in the 50th minute. Laney Murdzek dribbled the ball up field and through the Kansas State defense. She found Maya Hansen in the box who struck a left-footed strike into the net for her fifth goal of the season.

SDSU added an insurance tally in the 65th minute. On a change of possession in the Wildcat attacking zone, Katherine Jones gained the ball and sent a deep pass up field to Cece Limongi. The Jackrabbit forward was defended well, but the Wildcat defender lost her footing leaving Limongi one-on-one with the keeper. Limongi notched her third goal of the season to put the Jacks up 2-0.

“I think it’s the most complete 90 minutes we’ve played up until this point of the season,” SDSU head coach Brock Thompson said. “We played against a really good team in Kansas State, they’re really well organized. I’m proud of the way we did the things we asked of our players. To play facing forward, to move the ball quick, and really just to trust our style of play in a game like this.”

The Jackrabbits ended the match with a 16-8 in shots and 14-1 margin in corner kicks. SDSU earned only its second victory at home against a ‘Power Five’ opponent and first win since 2008 when the Jacks defeated Iowa State 2-1 in a double overtime affair.

South Dakota State improved 6-0-3 with the victory while Kansas State dropped to 4-4-1. SDSU closed out its non-conference schedule with nine Summit League contests left on the Jackrabbits’ slate.

“Our program has always been based on growth,” Thompson said. “Nothing more, nothing less, and so it’s great to see growth. The real challenge is we have to get better this week because conference play is around the corner. We have a great matchup on Saturday that will test us in ways in which some of these games we’ve played haven’t tested us yet.”

Notes

SDSU improved on its unbeaten streak during regular season matches at Fishback Soccer Park to 37. Jocelyn Tanner finished with two saves in goal for the Jacks and Fischer snagged the one early in the first half. Seven Jackrabbits recorded shots with Hansen’s six leading the way.

Up Next

The Jackrabbits begin conference play on Saturday, Sept. 24, at Fishback Soccer Park. SDSU hosts South Dakota at 6 p.m. in both sides’ Summit League opener and as a part of the SD Showdown Series.