CHENEY, Wash. – Before returning home, the Eastern Washington University soccer team travels to face South Dakota State this Friday, Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. Pacific time in Brookings, S.D.

Following Friday's competition, the Eagles travel to Vermillion S.D., to face South Dakota at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday, Sept. 15.

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits host a match versus Hawaii before facing the Eagles while the South Dakota Coyotes prepare for their next match which is against the Eagles this weekend.

Last week the Eagles battled for victory against CSU Bakersfield that ended 3-2 but did not have the same result two days later as they lost to CSUN 1-0. Goals from Mya Elder-Hammond, Sariah Keister and Brooke Flores sealed the victory for the Eagles against CSU Bakersfield. Eastern faced a penalty kick in the third minute of the match against CSUN which ended up being the winning goal.

How to Watch

Friday's match against South Dakota State can be streamed, for a fee, on the Jackrabbits All-Access Network and followed via the live stats.

Sunday's match versus South Dakota can be streamed on the Goyotes Live Network, and fans can follow the live stats here.

A Look at the Eagles

Eastern has a record of 2-3-1 and is ranked third in the Big Sky Conference behind first-place Sacramento State who has a record of 3-1-2, and second-place Northern Arizona who's record is 2-2-1, but ahead of Northern Colorado who currently sits at 2-4-1.

Sariah Keister leads the Eagles in goals and total points as she has scored three goals for the team thus far. She is currently tied for second place in points in the Big Sky Conference with six, behind Kylee Kim-Bustillos of Sacramento State who has nine. EWU has five different players who have scored at least one goal this season and four different players who have recorded one assist.

EWU goalkeeper Kelsee Winston has recorded 22 saves and one shutout and has started all six games for the Eagles, collecting 565 minutes of playing time. She is currently ranked fourth in total saves in the Big Sky behind SUU, SAC, and ISU.

Knowing Your Opponent – South Dakota State

South Dakota State is coached by Brock Thompson who is in his third season at the helm after being the assistant coach for nine years. The Jackrabbits head into this week with an overall record of 2-3 but they face Hawaii before hosting Eastern.

South Dakota State competes in The Summit League and is currently standing in the number six spot. They ended last season with an overall record of 12-6-1 and a conference record of 7-1, finishing tied for first in The Summit League. They lost to Omaha in the semifinals 3-1 to conclude their 2018 season.

The Jackrabbits return goalkeeper Maggie Smither who received United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Second Team in 2018. She has played in all five games this season recording 26 saves with a .867 save percentage.

South Dakota State also returns forward Leah Manuleleua who led the Jackrabbits in points last season with 14, and midfielders Carina McLennan and Karlee Manding who trailed right behind with 12 and nine points respectively. Manuleleua is currently leading the team with two goals and Manding is right behind her with one goal on the season.

Series History – South Dakota State

Eastern is 1-1-1 overall against SDSU and are 0-0-1 under head coach Chad Bodnar. The Eagles went into double overtime at home and ended with a 0-0 draw versus the Jackrabbits in 2018.

EWU outshot South Dakota State 17-13 and recorded nine corner kicks versus SDSU's zero in their last time out. Kelsee Winston recorded five saves during the match to secure the shutout.

Knowing Your Opponent – South Dakota

South Dakota has an overall record of 1-4 and is currently sitting in ninth place in The Summit League. They are coached by Michael Thomas who enters his second season as the head coach and who helped the Coyotes finish fifth with a record of 4-4-0 in conference play last season.

USD returns 19 letterwinners, eight of which being starters, including senior midfielder Taryn LaBree who received First Team All-Summit League and led the Coyotes with 15 points. Jordan Centineo currently leads the Coyotes with four points after scoring a goal against Loyola Chicago and a goal against Northern Iowa.

South Dakota's goalkeeper Emma Harkleroad has played in three out of the five matches for the Coyotes and has made twelve saves with a .75 save percentage.

Series History – South Dakota

The Eagles have an all-time record of 3-1-1 against South Dakota and are 2-0-1 under Bodnar. EWU tied 1-1 at home in double overtime in their last time out against USD in 2018.

Eastern outshot South Dakota 24-6 with twelve shots on target for EWU versus USD's two.

What's Next

EWU returns home on Sept. 20 to face North Dakota State at 4 p.m. PT on the EWU Soccer Field. Following this match, the Eagles host Northern Colorado on Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. PT for their first conference match.

On Sept. 29, the Eagles host Montana at 1 p.m. PT, followed by another home match on Oct. 6 versus Idaho at 1 p.m. PT.