– Head coach Lang Wedemeyer announced the 2014 SDSU women’s soccer team schedule Tuesday. The Jackrabbits are slated to play 19 games throughout the season, including an exhibition game at Kansas on Aug. 15.
The 19-game schedule features two Big Ten schools (Minnesota and Wisconsin), two Big 12 schools (Kansas and Iowa State) and two 2013 College Cup Tournament teams (Denver and Minnesota).
“It is certainly going to be a tough schedule as always. We try to make our non-conference schedule as hard it can be and play as many of the best teams in the Midwest as we can,” Wedemeyer said. “It is great to get Creighton back on the schedule after a hiatus last year as well as Wisconsin and Minnesota. They are all great teams and provide excellent challenges for us.”
The regular season is set to begin Friday, Aug. 22 at home against Big East member Creighton. After the season-opener against the Blue Jays, the Jackrabbits hit the road for three games. The road trip starts at North Dakota (Aug. 24) and ends with a weekend slate against Big Ten teams Wisconsin and Minnesota. SDSU plays Wisconsin on Aug. 29 and the Minnesota game is scheduled for Aug. 31.
SDSU then returns home to Fishback Soccer Park for a three-game homestand. The Jackrabbits welcome the Drake Bulldogs (Sept. 5), the Bemidji State Beavers (Sept. 7) and the Northern State Wolves (Sept. 11) to Brookings.
The non-conference portion of the season comes to an end on the road. The Jackrabbits make their second trip of the year to Lawrence, Kan., but they will take the pitch against St. Mary’s (Calif.) on Sept. 19. After their game against St. Mary’s, SDSU travels to Ames, Iowa to play Iowa State (Sept. 21). The Jackrabbits make their return to Iowa a few days later to take on Northern Iowa (Sept. 26).
“It will be unique to play St. Mary’s at a neutral site since they are a team we have never played before,” Wedemeyer mentioned. “We play a lot of familiar rivals as well including Drake, Northern Iowa and North Dakota.”
The Jackrabbits open their conference schedule at home against IUPUI (Oct. 3) and Western Illinois (Oct. 5). The weekend after their conference home-opener, the Jackrabbits have a home and away series against Fort Wayne and Oral Roberts.
SDSU travels to Fort Wayne, Ind., to play Fort Wayne on Oct. 10 and they make a quick turnaround to host Oral Roberts at Fishback Soccer Park (Oct. 12). The Golden Eagles are making their way back to The Summit League after a two-year stint in the Southland Conference.
After their game against Oral Roberts, the Jackrabbits take to the road for a three-game “I-29 series.” The Jackrabbits head north on I-29 to Fargo, N.D., for a game against North Dakota State on Oct. 17 and the same weekend they head down south to Omaha, Neb., for a Sunday game against Nebraska-Omaha (Oct. 19). The Jackrabbits final road game of the season is against in-state rival South Dakota (Oct. 24) in Vermillion.
The 2014 regular season comes to a close on Oct. 31 as the 2013 regular- and postseason Summit League champions Denver make their first-ever appearance at Fishback Soccer Park.
The 2014 Summit League Postseason Championships are held on the campus of the University of Denver. The semifinals are slated for Nov. 6 and the championship game will take place on Nov. 8. The times for both days are still to be determined. The winner of the 2014 Summit League Postseason Championship receives an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
“I think it’s a great schedule, a fairly balanced schedule and the conference games will be as tough as ever,” Wedemeyer noted. “We hope the non-conference portion prepares us to have a chance for the championship at the end of the season.”
The 2013 South Dakota State women’s soccer team finished with an overall record of 11-5-2 (6-1-0). The Jackrabbits graduated four seniors from this past season, but the team is welcoming eight players to the 2014 squad.
