SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – All nine #SummitWSOC teams open their 2023 campaigns Thursday with eight of those games being streamed live on the Summit League Network. Denver, Kansas City, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Omaha, St. Thomas, South Dakota and South Dakota State will open at home to begin the season while Oral Roberts is the lone road team as the Golden Eagles play at Texas A&M–Commerce.

The preseason favorite Pioneers will stay in The Centennial State for the first two games of Julianne Sitch era as they will host Colorado State Thursday followed by a trip down south to Colorado Springs where they will face Colorado College Sunday.

South Dakota State, who has finished either first or second in the league standings along with Denver each season since 2017, will open 2023 with a pair of home games against Manitoba and Augustana. The Jackrabbits and Pioneers have reached double-digit victories in each of the past six seasons.

Those two programs also combined for the last nine Summit League Championship titles (SDSU, five; Denver, four) until last season when third-seeded Omaha ended that streak. The Mavericks won their first Summit League postseason title in program history by knocking off fourth-seeded Oral Roberts in penalty kicks.

Will the Mavericks or someone else be the team to unseat the Pioneers or Jackrabbits and claim a regular season title in 2023? The last team besides those to do that was North Dakota State, who shared the 2016 title with Denver.

DU has won at least a share of the past five titles going 44-2-4 in league play during that span. SDSU, who last earned a share of the regular season title in 2018, has four straight runner-up finishes with a 38-4-8 during that same five-year period.
 
This Week In The Summit League (All Times Local to Site)
Thursday, August 17
Montana at North Dakota (SLN) | 3 p.m.
Northern Iowa at St. Thomas (SLN) | 4 p.m.
Utah Tech at South Dakota (SLN) | 6 p.m.
Manitoba at SDSU (SLN) | 6 p.m.
Boise State at NDSU (WDAYX/SLN) | 6:30 p.m.
Oral Roberts at TAMU–Commerce (ESPN+) | 7 p.m.
Lindenwood at Kansas City (SLN) | 7 p.m.
Southern Utah at Omaha (SLN) | 7 p.m.
Colorado State at Denver (SLN) | 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, August 19
Niagara at St. Thomas (SLN) | 11 a.m.
Southern Utah at South Dakota (SLN) | 6 p.m.
Augustana at SDSU (SLN) | 6 p.m.

Sunday, August 20
Boise State at North Dakota (SLN) | 12 p.m.
Denver at Colorado College (MWN) | 1 p.m.
Kansas City at Iowa (BTN) | 1 p.m.
Montana at NDSU (WDAYX/SLN) | 1 p.m.
Utah Tech at Omaha (SLN) | 1 p.m.
Oral Roberts at Oklahoma (ESPN+) | 7 p.m.

Key: SLN (Summit League Network), MWN (Mountain West Network), WDAYX (WDAY Xtra)

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TEAM TRACKER
DENVER PIONEERS (11-4-4; 8-0-1 1st SL - 2022) | @DU_WSoccer
Next Up: vs. Colorado State (8/17; 7 p.m. MT); at Colorado College (8/20; Noon MT)
Previous Matches: N/A
The Pioneers will be led by first-year head coach Julianne Sitch, who led the University of Chicago men's soccer program to its first Division III National Championship last season and posting an unbeaten record of 22-0-1 ... Denver forwards Camryn MacMillan and Sydney Sharp, midfielder Kaitlyn Glover and defender Hannah Gallegos will all return for a fifth season this fall ... That quartet has combined for 262 appearances, including 176 starts for the Pioneers ... MacMillan returns as DU's leading scorer from a season ago as the Littleton, Colo., native registered eight goals, which was tied for the second most in the league ... DU's offense churned out a league-high 35 goals, including 25 against league foes … Glover's 18 points and MacMillian's 17 points ranked fourth and tied for fifth, respectively, last season.
 
KANSAS CITY ROOS (2-11-5; 4-5 9th SL - 2022) | @KCRoosWSoccer
Next Up: vs. Lindenwood (8/17; 7 p.m. CT); at Iowa (8/20; 1 p.m. CT)
Previous Matches: N/A
The Roos are led by a trio of returners that were recognized with postseason honors a season ago. … Senior defender Sophia Limongi earned honorable mention honors and was one of two Roos to start all 18 games in 2022 … She logged a team-high 1,596 minutes for head coach Jessica Smith, who begins her fourth year leading the Roos in 2023 … Forward Madison Page and defender Madelyn Muhr were both named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team following their first collegiate seasons … Page led the team with five goals to tie for ninth most in the league, while Muhr started seven matches and appeared in 10 on the back line with Limongi.
 
NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS (7-9-4; 3-4-2 6th SL - 2022) | @UNDSoccer
Next Up: vs. Montana (8/17; 3 p.m. CT); vs. Boise State (8/20; Noon CT)
Previous Matches: N/A
Irene Jirasevijinda, Sarah McCracken and Amelia Loeffler all scored a pair of goals last season for a UND squad that made the postseason for the first time since 2019 ... Goalkeeper Madi Livingston, an All-Summit League second team member, recorded seven wins and ranked fourth in the League with a 1.183 goals against average and third with a .807 save percentage ... Head coach Chris Logan and the Fighting Hawks will see plenty of new faces as they welcome 12 freshmen to the team ... Livingston, a fifth-year senior, is among 10 returning upperclassmen that will try to help the program make back-to-back postseason trips for the first time since joining the League in 2018.
 
NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON (8-9-3; 4-5 5th SL - 2022) | @NDSUSoccer
Next Up: vs. Boise State (8/17; 6:30 p.m. CT); vs. Montana (8/20; 1 p.m. CT)
Previous Matches: N/A
Senior forward Paige Goaley returned to the field in 2022 after missing the past two seasons and her solid play earned her a spot on the All-Summit League Second Team and United Soccer Coaches' All-West Region Third Team ... Goaley started all 20 games last season, logging 1,316 minutes on the pitch and recorded seven goals on 44 shots ... Another key offensive returner for the Bison is midfielder Olivia Watson, who recorded six goals on 28 shots and posted four game-winning goals ... The Moorhead, Minn., native played in all 20 matches with 19 starts … Defensively, goalkeeper Abby Wilkinson will provide a steady presence at goalkeeper after earning All-League Honorable Mention honors in 2022 … She record four shutouts and made 70 saves a season ago.
 
OMAHA MAVERICKS (7-9-6; 4-2-3 3rd SL - 2022) | @OmahaWSOC
Next Up: vs. Southern Utah (8/17; 7 p.m. CT); vs. Utah Tech (8/20; 1 p.m. CT)
Previous Matches: N/A
The 2022 season was a historic one for head coach Tim Walters and his Mavericks as they won the program's first Summit League Tournament title ... Sophomore Emma Konsmo returns between the pipes after she made 15 saves and posted three shutouts during Omaha's tournament-title run … Konsmo earned Championship MVP honors and was named to the Summit League All-Newcomer Team after her rookie season … Konsmo and All-League First Team defender Regan Zimmers, who also was named to the United Soccer Coaches' All-West Region Third Team, will anchor the Mavericks' defense, while the offense boasts midfielder Emilie Erland and forward Marissa Gohr, who both return after sharing the team-lead with a trio of goals in 2022 … Erland will be aided in the middle of the pitch by All-League Second Team midfielder Grace Ostergaard, who has earned that distinction each of the past three seasons.
 
ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES (10-9-3; 4-5 4th SL - 2022) | @ORUWSoccer
Next Up: at Texas A&M-Commerce (8/17; 7 p.m. CT); at Oklahoma (8/20; 7 p.m. CT)
Previous Matches: N/A
Head coach Austin Risenhoover led ORU back to the postseason for the first time since 2019 in his first season at the helm of the program … His fourth-seeded Golden Eagles would eventually fall in the title match to Omaha in penalty kicks ... The Golden Eagles' 10 wins last season were the most since 2016 and their four League wins were the program's most since 2017 ... Forward Samantha See returns after leading the team in goals with a six, while the trio of Samantha Guzman, Kennedy Langebartels and Julia Thasaphong were one off that pace after each netting five goals in 2022 … The Golden Eagles 34 goals were tied for second most among league teams ... ORU's defense surrendered just 13 goals in nine league matches last season thanks to the solid play of defender Gabrielle Abbey, who started 20 of 21 matches and earned All-Summit League Honorable Mention honors.
 
ST. THOMAS TOMMIES (6-8-3; 2-6-1 8th SL - 2022) | @UST_WomenSoccer
Next Up: vs. Northern Iowa (8/17; 4 p.m. CT); vs. Niagara (8/19; 11 a.m. CT)
Previous Matches: N/A
Junior forward Mariah Nguyen, who was named last year's Summit League Newcomer of the Year, led the Tommies in goals (five), points (14) and shots on goal (14) ... The Andover, Minn., native helped UST improve from a 4-12-1 record in 2021 to a 6-8-3 record in the program's second season as a league member  ... Goalkeeper Annie Banter earned All-Summit League Honorable Mention honors in her first season and finished with a 6-7-3 ledger, posting 60 saves and a 1.27 goals-against average ... Bantner and company helped record five shutouts and hold five other teams to one goal under the direction of head coach Sheila McGill.
 
SOUTH DAKOTA COYOTES (4-9-5; 3-4-2 7th SL - 2022) | @SDCoyotesSoccer
Next Up: vs. Utah Tech (8/17; 6 p.m. CT); vs. Southern Utah (8/19; 6 p.m. CT)
Previous Matches: N/A
USD followed up the program's first 10-win season with a 4-9-5 campaign that saw them just miss a spot in the six-team tournament field after being on the wrong side of a tiebreaker with North Dakota ... Head coach Michael Thomas returns eight starters from his 2022 squad, including Taylor Ravelo who received All-Summit League Honorable Mention accolades … It the third season that Ravelo earned postseason recognition – she was an All-Summit League Second Team honoree in 2020 and 2021 ... Among other key returners for the Coyotes are goalkeeper Caroline Lewis and forward Ashby Johnston … Lewis started all matches a season ago and made 76 saves, which ranked fourth among league goalkeepers … Johnston and fellow senior forward Shaylee Gailus are the team's top-returning goal scorers after both netted four in 2022.
 
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS (13-1-5; 7-0-2 2nd SL - 2022) | @GoJacksSoccer
Next Up: vs. Manitoba (8/17; 6 p.m. CT); vs. Augustana (8/19; 6 p.m. CT)
Previous Matches: N/A
SDSU will look to make its 11th consecutive Summit League Championship appearance after winning two of the past four league tournament titles ... Reigning Summit League Offensive Player of the Year Maya Hansen returns for her final collegiate season … She is SDSU's program leader in career points (96) and needs one more goal to break the record for career goals that she currently shares at 39 with Jennifer (Briggs) Cleary ... Former Oral Roberts standout Jessica Kellogg (2002-05) holds the Summit League record for career goals at 48 … Head coach Brock Thompson, who enters his seventh season leading the program, also has back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year Jocelyn Tanner back to anchor his defense ... Tanner owns a 25-4-6 record for the Jacks during her three-year career and was the NCAA statistical champion in goals against average last season, posting a 0.316 clip … Tanner yielded just three goals in 19 appearances last season that included nine starts … SDSU has suffered just 16 losses over the past five seasons, which is the sixth fewest in Division I soccer.
 
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