Playing at home on Friday, the T-birds extended the program record for the best start to a season.
SUU got on the board early when Hailey Hamataka delivered a pass to Rachael Hunt in the sixth minute. Hunt then fired the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 advantage.
“There’s nothing like playing from the lead,” SUU coach Kai Edwards said. “All five games we’ve scored in the first 15 minutes and I think that just helps the group be ready to go.”
While it felt like the T-birds largely controlled the match, the score still remained the same heading into the halftime break.
SUU doubled the lead 15 minutes into the second half when a corner kick resulted in a ball that just crossed the line. The goal was again scored by Hunt, giving the T-birds a 2-0 lead and Hunt a brace.
The second goal sealed the win for SUU, as the team held South Dakota off the board for the final half hour to secure the result.
Clean sheets
The 2-0 win was the fourth shutout in five matches for the T-birds, led by four saves from Megan Short.
“They were super competitive and we were able to go multiple players deep,” Edwards said of SUU’s ability to post the shutout.
“I think we played 7, 8, 9 in the back and they were all ready to go and they stepped up. I thought that was important to spread the 90 minutes over 7-9 players instead of 4 and everyone was prepared to play,” he added.
During the first five games, SUU has tallied 22 goals while allowing only one (vs. UTEP).
School record winning streak
Not only is the 5-0 start a continuation of the best in program history, but the five-game winning streak broke the school record for the most consecutive victories.
Up next
The T-birds look to stretch their winning streak to six straight at home on Sunday. SUU faces Cal State Fullerton at 11 a.m. and the match can be seen on ESPN+.
