.—South Dakota scored three times in the first half and twice late in the second to score a 5-0 win against Viterbo Saturday in an exhibition contest at USD Soccer Complex. The Coyotes open their 2014 season at 4 p.m. Friday at home against Northern State.
USD outshot Viterbo 22-3 and allowed the V-Hawks one shot on goal. The Coyotes had five different goal scorers including sophomore Corey Strang and freshman Lara Boman, who each added an assist.
“We have been focusing a lot on possession at practice so I was pretty happy that we were able to keep possession and connect a lot of passes today,” said USD head coach Mandy Green. “It’s always great to see people finishing balls. We got a lot of people on the field today and got to see a lot of people and different combinations of people. Good win. Good confidence builder.”
Twenty-six players took the field for USD and all but one logged at least 15 minutes. Junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Viktor was held out with a leg injury but is expected to start the opener. Senior Kylee Willer started in net and then moved to her normal position at midfield during the second half. Sydney Hardin, a freshman from Phoenix, Ariz., took the second half and recorded a save.
Junior Danielle Anderson got the Coyotes on the board in the 16th minute with a nifty flick up and over Viterbo keeper Alicia Seachord, and then finished into the open net. Anderson had four goals a year ago.
Junior Taylor Nivala beat Seachord to a cross from Strang in the 22nd minute and slid a goal into the left-hand side of the net. Strang made it 3-0 just before halftime by drilling a shot from the top of the box.
Boman deflected a free kick off Seachord and across the line in the 79th minute that made it 4-0. Moments later, senior Shannon Keller hauled in a rebound and scored USD’s fifth goal.
Viterbo, an NAIA program from La Crosse, Wis., made its second trip to Vermillion in as many years. The V-Hawks finished 15-4 a season ago. They are led by junior Molly Machometa, who scored 31 goals as a freshman and added 17 goals in 12 games a year ago. Machometa got off two shots in 64 minutes Saturday and had her team’s lone shot on goal.
