Coyote soccer looks to start off conference play strong on home turf
The USD women’s soccer team enters Summit League play with high hopes after finishing 2-4-2 in conference play a year ago.
“We want to put it together and fire on all cylinders,” head coach Mandy Green said. “If we play our best and be competitive, we can compete with anyone.”
The Coyotes start with Oral Roberts at home during Dakota Days on Oct. 2, and host Denver two days later to begin Summit League play.
Oral Roberts finished 3-5 in the Summit League a year ago but currently sit with a winning record, 4-3-2, so far in 2015. Denver ended the season in third place at 5-3 a year ago and lost to South Dakota State in the Summit League Championship, but have not been able to find the same success this season and are winless at 0-7-1.
“It’s huge that we get to play at home. We are playing well at home, and Oral Roberts and Denver are extremely tough teams,” Green said. “We will be in our own beds and don’t have to run into any travel disasters, that’s a huge advantage.”
For the players, it’s an advantage to play on their own field.
“No one has a field like the USD soccer complex,” senior midfielder Danielle Anderson said. “We know our field, all the divots and holes.”
Elena Tsakakis, a senior midfielder, said the Coyotes have a goal of finishing in the top four of the Summit League to make the conference tournament at the end of the season.
“We have high expectations,” Tsakakis said. “We have a lot of returning players and kind of have a chip on our shoulder.”
To achieve this goal, USD will have to take advantage of scoring opportunities that they couldn’t take advantage of in the non-conference schedule, going 3-7 with only one game remaining against UC-Riverside on Friday.
“We have to play the USD style and not buy into what the other team is doing,” Anderson said.
(Photo: Cutting off the opponent’s angle, sophomore forward Lara Boman pursues the ball during Sunday’s home game against Northern Iowa. USD won 1-0 in the contest. Malachi Petersen / The Volante)
