POCATELLO, Idaho (SDSU) — Despite a nearly two-hour weather delay and being forced to compete with a player down late in the contest, South Dakota State found a way to defeat Idaho State 3-2 Sunday at Davis Field.

The contest, which was supposed to start at 1 p.m. local time, didn’t begin until after 2:30 p.m. due to lightning in the area. Within a minute of first kick, a downpour of rain soaked the playing field and players, which wound up having an effect on the game despite the weather clearing up as the first half continued.

Idaho State was nearly the first team on the scoreboard as the Bengals’ Saydree Bell got an open shot at the net due to a defender slipping, but Bell’s eighth-minute shot went wide after SDSU goalkeeper Jocelyn Tanner forced her into a mistimed strike and the score remained 0-0.

South Dakota State registered five shots on goal in the opening 21 minutes of action. However, Idaho State goalkeeper Lydia Keller made five saves to keep the Jacks at bay. SDSU finally scored in the 25th minute.

Avery Murdzek received a pass from Kaycee Manding just past midfield and dribbled through the Idaho State defense. As she neared the box, Murdzek hit a left-footed shot past a diving Keller to make it 1-0.

The Jackrabbits extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 39th minute. Maleah Evans dished the ball off to Avery LeBlanc who maneuvered her way through the Bengals defense. She snuck a pass through the Idaho State back line to Ellie Gusman who casually hit a shot into the back of the net.

South Dakota State produced two more scoring opportunities in the first half, though went into the halftime break with a two-goal lead.

Idaho State, which didn’t put a shot on goal in the first 45 minutes of the contest, quickly got back into the matchup in the second half. Bell made up for her missed open-goal attempt in the first half with a goal in the 53rd minute. Then, after being given a yellow card in the 58th minute, Bell knocked in a deflected ball in front of the goal to tie the score at 2-2 just two minutes later.

The two sides played a competitive next 18 minutes before the game saw a player sent off.

Idaho State had a breakaway opportunity towards goal in the 78th minute. SDSU’s Hayley Lindaman and the Bengal forward looked to have their feet tangled up causing both to go down. Play was stopped and Lindaman was given a red card, causing the Jackrabbits to have to play the remaining 12 minutes a player down.

The Bengals was only able to get a shot off on the resulting free kick. The Jackrabbits sealed a victory on their next possession.

SDSU got a corner kick opportunity in the 81st minute. Jadenn Carrillo took the kick and sent it in front of the goal. Idaho State attempted to clear it and was unable to as the ball sat in front of the goal line. Jackrabbit senior Katherine Jones stepped in and hit a shot into the back right corner of the goal to give SDSU another lead, 3-2.

The Bengals used its player up advantage over the remaining nine minutes to get two shots off. One shot was blocked and another was saved by SDSU’s Tanner as the Jackrabbits closed out a road victory.

Notes

  • South Dakota State improved to 5-1 overall this season while Idaho State dropped to 0-6.
  • The Jackrabbits had a 17-9 edge in shots and an 8-1 edge in corner kicks.
  • Murdzek scored her third goal of the season which ranks second on the SDSU roster. Gusman recorded the first goal of her college career, while Jones scored her second goal of the year.
  • Manding was SDSU’s lone position player to play the full 90 minutes on Sunday. Following her was Reagan Anderson who competed in the midfield for the Jacks for 85 minutes.

Up Next
South Dakota State returns to Brookings for two home matches next week. The Jackrabbits host Grand Canyon at 6 p.m. on Thursday on One Day for STATE. A donation to the SDSU program during the 24-hour day of giving to SDSU gets an individual free admission to the contest. SDSU also takes on Green Bay at noon on Sunday at Fishback Soccer Park. The match serves as a team reunion for the 2006 squad that won the program’s first conference championship.