FARGO, N.D. — South Dakota State scored in the 14th minute and never wavered from that point as the Jackrabbits defeated Oral Roberts, 3-1, to win the 2024 Summit League Women’s Soccer Championship at Dacotah Field on Sunday. The title was the second consecutive claimed by SDSU, while the program earned its ninth overall conference tournament crown and 15th overall all-time championship.
It took two initial shots, but following the attempts, South Dakota State quickly had a 2-0 advantage on the scoreboard.
Oral Roberts sent a pass back to its keeper who tried to clear the ball in the 14th minute. SDSU freshman Hailee Christensen stepped into the clearance and her deflection found its way into the back of the net, giving her the first goal of the championship match.
The Jackrabbits were on the board again a minute later.
A string of passes from Avery Murdzek to Laney Murdzek found Christensen who quickly tapped it into the box to Katelyn Beulke. SDSU’s sophomore forward made a move past the Golden Eagle keeper, then hit a left-footed boot in for a goal to make it 2-0 in the 15th minute.
“I love the way that we started,” SDSU head coach Brock Thompson said. “Credit to Oral Roberts, after the second goal, they really re-grouped and made it hard for us the remainder of the game. I Thought we had enough composure in the right moments and some grit in the difficult ones.”
SDSU starting goalkeeper Stephanie Leckwold made a key save in the 37th minute on a 1-on-1 opportunity for ORU to keep the Golden Eagles scoreless in the first half. The Jackrabbits went into halftime up 2-0 while holding a 6-4 edge in shots.
The Jackrabbits added another goal to their tally early in the second half. Katherine Jones sent a pass from the wide side of the field in front of the net which the ORU keeper couldn’t possess. The ball found its way to Beulke in the box who hit a right-footed strike to make it 3-0 in the 48th minute.
South Dakota State worked to keep Oral Roberts at bay, but the Golden Eagles scored in the 63rd minute as ORU’s Marlee Fray made it 3-1.
The Jackrabbit defense was stellar for the final 27 minutes. SDSU allowed just one shot, which came in the 87th minute, as South Dakota State closed out the match for another Summit League Tournament Championship.
South Dakota State earned back-to-back Summit League Tournament titles on Sunday. The Jackrabbits have won the conference’s tournament championship three times in the previous four seasons.
The SDSU program tied former conference member Oakland for the all-time record of Summit League tournament titles won with eight. The Jacks have previously claimed the Summit League Tournament trophy in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2023. SDSU also won a United Soccer Conference Tournament championship in 2006.
NOTES
- South Dakota State improved to 15-4-2 on the season while Oral Roberts fell to 9-8-5. The Jackrabbits are now 4-0-1 in The Summit League Tournament all-time against the Golden Eagles. They also own an 18-1-3 mark overall versus ORU.
- SDSU improved to 5-1-3 all-time in The Summit League Championship match and hold a 14-6-6 record in the entire tournament.
- South Dakota State outshot Oral Roberts 10-7 which included a 4-2 edge in shots on goal. The Golden Eagles were called for 16 fouls to SDSU’s eight.
- Beulke recorded a brace which was the second of the season for the SDSU sophomore. She has an SDSU-high nine goals and 21 points. Christensen had a goal and an assist for the Jackrabbits which improved her point total to 11 this year.
- South Dakota State had four individuals named to The Summit League All-Tournament Team. Earning selections were Hailee Christensen, Katherine Jones and Hayley Lindaman, while Kaycee Manding was recognized on the team as well as the Summit League Tournament MVP.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State clinched The Summit League’s automatic qualifying spot for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Jackrabbits will make their eight trip to the national stage and hold an all-time record of 1-7 in postseason play. SDSU awaits to hear its name called during the NCAA Selection Show which is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Monday on NCAA.com.