VERMILLION, S.D. – The final week of the 2024 regular season has arrived for the South Dakota women's soccer team, and the Coyotes will have their hands full in order to lock in their spot in the conference tournament.
 
The Coyotes (3-7-5, 1-2-3) currently sit in sixth position in the Summit League standings. Six teams make the conference tournament, meaning the Coyotes still control their own destiny into the tournament. The Summit League standings entering conference play Thursday is as follows:
 

Team	Conf. Record	Conf. Points	Overall Record
North Dakota State	5-1-1	16	9-5-3
South Dakota State	4-1-1	13	11-3-2
Omaha	3-1-3	12	9-2-5
Denver	3-1-2	11	9-5-2
Oral Roberts	3-1-2	11	8-6-3
South Dakota	1-2-3	6	3-7-5
St. Thomas	1-4-1	4	5-8-2
Kansas City	1-6	3	7-7-3
North Dakota	0-4-3	3	4-8-5

 
The Coyotes' final two opponents currently sit above them in the conference standings as USD hosts Oral Roberts and Denver to conclude the season. St. Thomas and Kansas City have two matches left as well, and North Dakota only has one.
 
South Dakota hosts Oral Roberts for Senior Day Thursday night at First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex. The regular season finale is Sunday afternoon as the Coyotes host Denver at 1 p.m.
 
THE COYOTES
The final road trip of the season was a tough one for the Coyotes, as they went 0-1-1 at North Dakota and North Dakota State last week. South Dakota played UND to a draw 1-1 Thursday before falling at North Dakota State 4-2 Sunday afternoon.
 
A couple of milestones were reached on the road trip. The first milestone came when Ashby Johnston scored her 18^th goal as a Coyote, moving her into sole possession of 10^th on the USD all-time goals list.
Earlier this season against Drake, Johnston (Gr., Corona, Calif.) moved into a tie for seventh all-time in game-winning goals. She has a chance to get into the top 10 in a few other categories as well. With two regular season matches left, Johnston needs one point to enter the top-10 for career points and five shots on goal to enter the top-10 for shots on goal.
 
The other milestone reached over the weekend came from defender Sam Luft, who scored a goal on a free kick against North Dakota State, recording her first goal as a Yote.
 
THE OPPONENTS
Oral Roberts and Denver enter the final weekend with identical 3-1-2 conference records. Oral Roberts' lone loss was a 2-1 result at North Dakota State. Meanwhile, Denver's lone loss was at Oral Roberts, a 4-2 win for the Golden Eagles.
 
Oral Roberts has two players with 14 points, Samantha Guzman (6 goals, 2 assists) and Julia Thasaphong (5G, 4A). Thasaphong has three game-winners this season. In goal, Alexa Riefer has four shutouts and 83 saves in 17 matches. She allows an average 1.52 goals per game and has a .769 save percentage.
 
The Pioneers are led by Ella Frost, who has 16 points (7G, 2A), four game-winners and two penalty kick goals this season. Michaela McGowan has 13 points (3G, 7A), and two Pioneers have four goals, presenting a balanced attack to their opponents. The Pioneers have played two keepers, but Molly Wissman has been the primary player in goal during conference play (five starts). Overall, Wissman is 6-2-2 with a 1.3 goals against average. She has three shutouts and a .698 save percentage.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Coyotes are 5-6-1 all-time against Oral Roberts and 1-11-2 all-time against Denver.
 
The Coyotes and Golden Eagles have alternated wins and losses in their last four meetings, including a 5-1 win for Oral Roberts last season. In the Michael Thomas era of USD soccer, the Coyotes are 4-2-1 against the Golden Eagles.
 
Denver has been a more difficult foe for USD. The Coyotes lone win against the Pioneers came in 2015. USD does have two ties in the last five meetings, including a 1-1 match in the 2021 Summit League Tournament that Denver advanced on PKs 4-2.
 
HOW TO WATCH
Both matches are available to watch on the Summit League Network on Midco Sports Plus. The match against Oral Roberts is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start Thursday with the match against Denver scheduled for a 1 p.m. start Sunday. You can also follow @SDCoyotesSoccer on X (Formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook for more content.
 
ONE LAST THING
Thursday is Senior Night for the Coyotes. USD has one senior being honored prior to the match. Waverly Patterson (Sr., Marion, Iowa) will be honored roughly 20 minutes prior to the match against Oral Roberts.