The Game
South Dakota starts Summit League play against St. Thomas at 4 p.m. Thursday at First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex in Vermillion. Conference play includes games against all eight other teams. The top six teams based on points (three for a win, 1 for a tie) will qualify for the Summit League Tournament.
The Series
This will be South Dakota's third meeting with St. Thomas, a program in the midst of a unique transition from NCAA Division III to Division I. The Coyotes defeated the Tommies 2-1 last season in Minnesota and won 4-0 in Vermillion back in 2021.
The Coyotes
South Dakota played six of its nine non-conference matches at home and went 4-2-3 overall. The Coyotes produced four shutouts in that span, tied for the second-most among Summit League members. Senior goalkeeper Caroline Lewis was credited with three shutouts and has averaged just under five saves per game.
Coyote senior Ashby Johnston had scored a goal in five consecutive matches until Saturday's 1-0 win against Lindenwood. Her five goals are second to Omaha's Sophia Green inside the conference. It was freshman Brooke Conway who struck the game winner against Lindenwood for her third goal of the season.
South Dakota is looking to return to the Summit League Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons.
The Tommies
St. Thomas (2-2-3) enters Thursday's Summit opener with some momentum. The Tommies' last two results were 1-1 ties in road games at Drake and Marquette, two programs currently ranked in the top 100 of the RPI. Junior Mariah Nguyen, who notched a hat trick in an early season win against Niagara, was the goal scorer against both Drake and Marquette.
The Tommies were 2-7-0 in their first season of Summit play and went 2-6-1 last year. They have brought in new goalkeeper Olivia Rowe, a junior from Ramsey, Minnesota, who originally committed to Oklahoma. Rowe has two shutouts and 34 saves in seven matches.
First RPI
The NCAA released its first set of RPI rankings this week. Here is how the Summit League teams rank among the 347 women's soccer teams:
107. Omaha
121. South Dakota State
158. Denver
160. South Dakota
179. St. Thomas
182. Oral Roberts
191. North Dakota State
220. Kansas City
271. North Dakota
Up Next
South Dakota will host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits Sunday at 1 p.m.
