VERMILLION, S.D. — A barrage of three first-half goals in four minutes allowed the South Dakota Coyotes to handle the New Mexico State Aggies by a score of 5-2 on Thursday afternoon at First Bank and Trust Soccer Complex. The triumph marks the fourth-straight victory for the Coyotes (5-5).
"It's really good to finally play a full 90 minutes," South Dakota assistant coach
Maddie Burdick said. "I'm really proud of the team and the effort they put forward, scoring early and getting three in the first half."
USD's first goal came in the 20
th minute by
Dani Brown. A corner kick from
Alexis Mitchell found
Joana Zanin on the left side of the box, who then shouldered the ball Brown, as she headed the ball into the back right side of the goal. The score is the first of the 2019 season for Brown, and second of her career.
A minute later,
Kellee Willer dribbled downfield and found
Taylor Kelly on the right wing, who crossed the ball to the center of the box to Mitchell. Mitchell, reigning Summit League Offensive Player of the Week, scored her third goal of the season on the connection.
Taylor Cotter bent a corner kick in the 24
th minute to the top-left side of the goalpost for another USD goal. The score was Cotter's first of the season and third of her career.
The Aggies (1-6-2) got on the board in the 36
th minute, as Alexa Barrera found a dashing Hannah Leitner on the far side. She slid past USD goalkeeper
Emma Harkleroad, who came off her line in the play. It was Leitner's first goal of the season.
Tiannah Moore returned the favor in the 53
rd minute, drawing Aggie goalkeeper Mia Montano off the goal line. Montano wasn't able to secure the ball and Moore won the scramble in the box with the NMSU defender. She put the ball to the middle of the net for her seventh career goal. This marks the second-straight game Moore has scored.
Moore, in the 56
th minute, found Willer for a goal in the bottom left portion of the net, to give USD its highest scoring output of the season. The score is Willer's second of the season and ninth of her career.
"I think defensively we're looking pretty good right now, but we're really happy with the offensive movement and the connecting passes we've had," Burdick said. "It's given us a lot of shots on goal throughout the season."
The scoring plays wrapped up in the 79
th minute, as New Mexico State's Shea O'Connor found Barrera for a goal to the bottom right corner of the net.
South Dakota outshot New Mexico State 22-9 in the match and had five different players score goals.
The Coyotes end the non-conference season on Sunday, as they head to Kansas City, Missouri, to face Kansas City (7-1-2). Coming into the match, the Roos are riding a two-game win streak, with victories over Tulsa and Oral Roberts. The contest is the first of a four-game road swing for USD.
"We know that they're going to bring out some good energy and some good quality players," Burdick. "On the road coming off our momentum - we have something to build off of."
