BROOKINGS, S.D. -- South Dakota State graduate student Kaycee Manding made her final strike at Fishback Soccer Park a golden one. Her free kick from just inside midfield soared through the air and made its way into the back of the net to lift the third-seeded Jackrabbits to a 2-1 double-overtime victory over sixth-seeded South Dakota in the opening quarterfinal of the 2024 Summit League Women's Soccer Championship.
Manding and company rallied for the win over their upset-minded, in-state rivals, who had their first tournament win in sight before an 86th-minute goal by SDSU defender Katherine Jones evened things at 1-1.
The Jackrabbits dominated possession throughout the match but it took just over 85 minutes before Jones put away the breakthrough on what was SDSU's 21st shot of the match. The senior put home the equalizer and forced extra time when she controlled a pass from Mia Bosch in the penalty box, made a quick turn and fired her second goal of the season past a diving Cambell Fischer.
SDSU was able to get two more shots off in the final minute of regulation, including a final-second strike by Katelyn Buelke that went just over the crossbar as time expired. The Jacks finished with a 24-4 edge in shots in regulation.
The Coyotes final of those four shots put them in the lead in the 54th-minute when Brooklyn Bordson headed home a cross from Izza Quintavalle for her first career goal.
From there, the Coyotes packed things in looking to keep a potent SDSU offense off the scoreboard but their efforts came up just short.
SDSU would get a decent look from Adrianne Agbayni in the 74th minute but her strike went straight to the hands of Fischer. It was the Jacks' first shot on goal after halftime after putting three on goal in the opening 45 minutes.
The Jackrabbits best chance to score in the opening period came with under 10 minutes to go but Fischer fended off a blast by Manding from just outside the penalty box.
Fischer dove to her left to make the save on Manding's shot that resulted in one of five first-half cornerkicks for the Jackrabbits, however, none of those attempts yielded a decent scoring chance for the home team.
Manding and the Jackrabbits' defense did not allow a shot on goal in the opening half and the one shot the Coyotes could muster was blocked.
The Jackrabbits will play No. 2 seed Denver next Thursday in a semifinal match to be played at 12 p.m. CT in Fargo, N.D.
Turning Point
- South Dakota State's Kaycee Manding took advantage of an early free kick in the second overtime session, sending a free kick from just inside midfield over the Coyotes' defense and into the back of the net.
Inside the box score
- SDSU held a 24-4 edge in shots during regulation play, including a 6-2 edge in shots on goal.
- SDSU held an 11-1 edge in corner kicks, including an 8-0 gap in regulation.
- The Jackrabbits' two goals came from a pair of upperclassmen who had just one goal each during the regular season.
- Bordson's 54th-minute goal was the first of her career and came on USD's second shot on goal of the match.
News & Notes
- South Dakota State improved to 12-6-6 in Summit League Tournament action with the victory. The Jackrabbits were playing in the quarterfinals for the first time since the field expanded to six in 2021. SDSU had a bye into the semifinals in each of the previous two seasons.
- South Dakota State will meet Denver for the fifth time in tournament history. The Jackrabbits defeated the Pioneers 4-2 in the 2021 title game and advanced via penalty kicks in the previous three meetings, winning the title in 2014 and 2019 and advancing to the championship in 2016.
- The Coyotes fall to 0-4-1 all-time in five tournament appearances.
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