USD soccer dives into MVC with winning record

In a match where intense physical play stretched the entire 90 minutes, the University of South Dakota women’s soccer team maximized an aggressive offense to down the University of Northern Iowa 3-0 Sunday afternoon.

Head coach Mandy Green said she knew UNI was coming to Vermillion ready to battle.

“We knew Northern Iowa coming in was going to be big and be physical,” Green said. “We were prepared for that, and I thought our girls matched their physicality well.”

The Coyotes figured the best way to counter a physical attack was to manage much of the possession in the contest, something Coach Green knows is important as the season goes along.

“We have been working a lot on our possession,” Green said. “We really have been focusing with our midfield to win the ball first then being composed, keeping our heads up and seeing where we can make passes. We did that very well today.”

The Coyotes eventually capitalized on their possessions when forward Jamie Karch took an assist from midfielder Rebecca Sparkman and chipped in a goal over the UNI goalie in the 16th minute.

Just a first-year, Karch has started her career at USD in a big way, leading the team in goals with five through 10 games. The quick start has come as a surprise for the first-year who did not expect she would see herself at the top of the goals list.

“I feel it’s just a coincidence that I’m on top of goals right now, but I’m glad I’m on top,” Karch said. “I absolutely did not expect this at all coming into the season. I didn’t have any big expectations, and this is way more than I thought the season would be.”

The Coyotes also received a spark from sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Viktor. Viktor only recorded three saves during the game, but the timing of her saves paid big dividends.

According to Viktor, the entire game was a strong indication of the improvement the team has made on defense from last year.

“We are working better as a unit defensively from back to front,” Viktor said. “It’s not just our defenders on defense. It’s our entire team.

Any games where I make few saves is a good game. I think we did very well staying connected, and our defense did a great job of working together.”

The Coyotes’ record now stands at 5-2-3 heading into a clash Thursday at 4 p.m. vs. Drake University.