VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota junior goalkeeper Coral Suarez began playing basketball in the first grade, and claims that as her first love.
 
"I don't want to brag, but I was a beast in basketball," Suarez said. "It was my favorite. I did that from first grade all the way through senior year. My freshman year we didn't lose a game."
 
Suarez picked up soccer in the fifth grade and played that year-round at the club level where she was first a forward, then played defense before settling on being a goalkeeper.
 
"I became the goalkeeper partly because of my hand-eye coordination from basketball," Suarez said. "Parts of it came easy to me, like tracking the ball.
 
"In club soccer, we had individual sessions which really helped. There was a lot of growing and processing with those sessions."
 
Suarez balanced her high school basketball career as a point guard leading the offense and her club soccer career as a goalkeeper, also giving directions on the field.
 
When it came to choosing a college, she made two visits to South Dakota and made her decision to play soccer 1,500 miles from her home in Thousand Oaks, California.
 
"I like traveling and wanted something different than the whole sunny California," Suarez said. "I picked here because I thought it would be a life-changing experience. I thought it was a friendly environment and it was a nice town."
 
Despite seeing limited action her first two years, Suarez was not deterred.
 
"I had a feeling as a freshman I wouldn't play much," Suarez said. "I worked hard and gave it my best. It doesn't matter if you're going to play or not, you're still cheering for your teammates, you are on the same team."
 
That hard work has paid off as Suarez took over the goalkeeper duties for the South Dakota in the second half of the season opener at Gonzaga and started her first career match the next game at Eastern Washington. Suarez has also earned starts at Nebraska and against Northern Iowa.
 
Currently, Suarez ranks 16^th in the nation with 25 saves, a number that tops the Summit League through four games. She ranks second in the conference with her .781 save percentage.
 
To get to where she is at, Suarez credited offseason work of not only her but also her teammates as well.
 
"We worked hard over the summer," Suarez said. "Our class really wanted to show that we can do more. We work hard and play with our heart.
 
"I really don't care who is starting or not. It is about doing your best, making a strong effort."
 
Suarez and the Coyotes host Creighton Thursday at 4 p.m. at First Bank & Trust Soccer Field. The Bluejays, picked eighth in the preseason BIG EAST poll, are 0-3-0 on the season after playing Wisconsin, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. Taryn Jakubowski and Hannah Miller are the leading returners from a season ago with four goals each. The Bluejays graduated Lauren Sullivan, a 16-goal scorer and second all-time leading scorer in program history.
 
McKenzie Meola has started all three games in goal for Creighton and owns a 3.0 goals against average with 22 saves.
 
South Dakota then begins a three-game road trip Sunday at North Dakota. Kickoff with the Fighting Hawks is slated for noon. UND enters the weekend 2-2-0 overall and face Omaha Friday. Katie Moller leads the team with two goals on just three shots landing on frame. Catherine Klein has started the last three games in net for the Fighting Hawks, owning a 1.07 goals against average with 23 saves.
 
Live stats and video are available for both matches.