VERMILLION, S.D. – For the second consecutive season and the fourth time in five years, the South Dakota women's soccer program is in the Summit League Tournament, but this time around, the Coyotes have an opportunity to upend their in-state rivals.
 
The Coyotes (3-8-6, 1-3-4) are set to face South Dakota State (12-4-2, 5-2-1) in the Summit League Tournament Quarterfinals Friday at 6 p.m. in Brookings. The Coyotes and Jackrabbits haven't faced off in postseason play prior to Friday's match.
 
In the final week of the regular season, both teams faced Oral Roberts and Denver. The Jackrabbits lost 2-1 to the Pioneers and defeated Oral Roberts 1-0. South Dakota tied Oral Roberts 1-1 and fell to Denver 2-0.
 
With Summit League Tournament play beginning with the Yotes and Jacks Friday night, the tournament schedule is set:
 
Summit League Quarterfinals
Friday, November 1
6:00 p.m. CT: South Dakota at South Dakota State
 
Saturday, November 2
5 p.m. CT: Oral Roberts at Omaha
 
Summit League Semifinals (Fargo, N.D.)
Thursday, November 7
Noon CT: Denver vs USD/SDSU Winner
3:30 p.m. CT: North Dakota State vs ORU/UNO Winner
 
Summit League Championship (Fargo, N.D.)
Sunday, November 10
1 p.m. CT: Semifinal 1 Winner vs Semifinal 2 Winner
 
THE COYOTES
South Dakota was competitive in every conference match this season, leading to a program record four draws in eight matches. The Coyotes also set a program record for draws in a season with six.
 
Ashby Johnston leads the Coyotes with 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists). Izzy QUintavalle has nine points (4 G, 1 A), including five points in the match against Kansas City. In goal, Cambell Fischer has been a workhorse with 65 saves with a shutout and a combined shutout. Fischer played every minute in goal for the Coyotes during conference play.
 
THE JACKRABBITS
In a tightly contested race to the finish, South Dakota State came up one point shy of a first-round bye in the Summit League Tournament with a 5-2-1 conference record. The Jacks fell to No. 1 North Dakota State and No. 2 Denver in the regular season. Outside of the top two seeds, the only team the Jacks couldn't pull out a win against in Summit League play was the Coyotes.
 
Katelyn Beulke has been the leader of the Jackrabbits offense, totaling 17 points with seven goals this season. Beulke tied for second in the conference with the seven goals and is second in the Summit League with her 17 points.
 
The Jackrabbits have won six Summit League regular season titles and seven Summit League Tournaments. Since 2019, SDSU has three conference tournament championships, but no regular season titles.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This season, the Coyotes and Jackrabbits added a fourth tie since 2019 to the record books. Overall, the Jacks hold the series lead with a 9-6-4 record against USD.
 
Since Michael Thomas took the reins at USD, the series has been a bit more even. In eight matches between USD and SDSU since 2018, the two sides have tied four times.
 
Earlier this season, USD and SDSU played to a 1-1 draw. Fischer tallied seven saves to keep things even for the Yotes, and a goal from Brooke Conway is what tied the match in the 29^th minute.
 
YOTES IN THE POSTSEASON
South Dakota is still searching for its first win in the Summit League Tournament. The closest the Yotes have gotten is in 2021, where they took No. 1 Denver to penalty kicks, but ultimately fell in PKs 4-2. Last season, USD fell to Omaha 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
 
USD has played one previous Summit League Tournament match in Brookings, a 4-3, double-overtime loss to No. 1 North Dakota State in 2015.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
The Coyotes and Jackrabbits play at 6 p.m. in Brookings. Fans can watch the match live on the Summit League Network. You can also follow @SDCoyotesSoccer on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook for more content.