The South Dakota State soccer program will travel to Minneapolis to participate in the NCAA Tournament as the field of 64 teams for the 43rd NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship were announced Monday by the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Committee.
The Jackrabbits will be pitted against Minnesota at the Golden Gophers’ Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The two teams are slated to play at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15
South Dakota State earned The Summit League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the conference tournament championship on Sunday over Oral Roberts, 3-1, at North Dakota State’s Dacotah Field. SDSU, which finished third in The Summit League standings, is currently 15-4-2 overall.
Minnesota earned an at-large berth to the national tournament and is a six-seed. The Gophers went 12-4-3 overall on the season and were seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 6-3-2 record. They lost 1-0 to Penn State their last time out in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.
The Jacks and Gophers have a lengthy history, but haven’t squared off officially in overt five years. Minnesota holds an 8-1-1 record all-time over SDSU. However, the Jackrabbits defeated the Gophers, 1-0, in Minneapolis the last time the two sides met in September of 2019.
South Dakota State is 1-6-1 all-time in seven previous NCAA Tournament appearances. The Jackrabbits won their first ever national tournament showing against Colorado, 1-0, in Minneapolis in 2008. SDSU’s Second Round game at that tournament saw the Jackrabbits fall to the Gophers, 2-0. The Jacks also faced Minnesota in the 2015 NCAA Tournament and lost in that meeting, 5-0.
Tickets for Friday’s match can be purchased here. Tickets cost $17.50 for adults and are $12.50 for youth, seniors, and college students.
Thirty conferences were granted automatic bids for the 2023 championship, while the remaining 33 teams were selected at-large. The top 32 teams are seeded, and conference teams cannot play each other in the first or second rounds. When pairing teams, the committee follows geographic proximity parameters.
First round action will be played November 15-17, while the second/third rounds will be held November 22 and 24, with the quarterfinals on November 29 or 30.
The 43rd annual NCAA Women’s College Cup will be played Dec. 6 and 9 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, with the University of North Carolina and Cary, NC serving as hosts. The first national semifinal will be played and broadcast live on ESPNU at 5 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 6, followed by the second semifinal beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. EST live on ESPNU. The national championship match will take place at 5 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 9 and will also broadcast live on ESPNU.