VERMILLION, S.D. – With less than five minutes to play, the Coyotes scored their first and only goal of the match to force a 1-1 draw against Oral Roberts Thursday night at First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex.
With the draw, the Coyotes (3-7-6, 1-2-4) punched their ticket to the Summit League Tournament, solidifying the field of six. North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Omaha, Oral Roberts, and Denver all already locked up a spot in the tournament prior to action Thursday. The Coyotes are guaranteed the No. 6 seed in next week's conference tournament.
The South Dakota goal was scored by way of an own goal from the Golden Eagles (8-6-4, 3-1-3).
Brooke Conway booted the corner kick into the penalty box, where
Sam Luft attempted a contested header. An Oral Roberts player was unable to clear the ball away and it went off her head into the net for a USD goal.
Oral Roberts took the lead with a goal right at the 19-minute mark of the first half, also scored out of a corner kick. The Golden Eagles controlled the first half with 13 shots. Both teams had three shots on goal, but the Coyotes were called offsides five times in the half, limiting their ability to put pressure on the ORU defense.
Overall, the Golden Eagles had more shots (22-13) and more shots on goal (9-6) than the Coyotes. USD got out in front of the defense for a total of seven offsides, but were able to put enough pressure on the ORU defense to get the score to even the match with less than four minutes remaining.
Rylee Haldeman and
Ashby Johnston had four shots each, with Haldeman putting three on goal and Johnston adding two more at the ORU goalkeeper. In goal for the Coyotes,
Cambell Fischer reset her career-high with eight saves, topping her previous best of seven set at South Dakota State earlier this season.
The six draws this season is a program record, surpassing the 2022 Coyote squad who had five. The four draws in conference play are also a USD record. Thursday was also Senior Night for USD, as the Coyotes honored
Waverly Patterson prior to the match.
The Coyotes have one final match in the regular season before making a second consecutive Summit League Tournament appearance and their fifth in program history. Sunday the Coyotes host the Pioneers at 1 p.m. at First Bank & Trust Soccer Complex. Denver is still looking to improve upon their tournament seeding, and the Coyotes are looking for their first win over the Pioneers since 2015.
