The goals this season were the first in the career of Finley Schoenbeck And Kendall MemolyOn Thursday night, under the lights of Stewart Field, the Colorado College women’s soccer team relied on Memoly’s game-winning and first goal of her career to defeat South Dakota State 1-0 in its first home game.

“Tonight was tough,” said head coach Keri Sanchez said. “That’s one of our team values ​​and we really showed that tonight.”

SD State finished 2023 with 13 wins and was the Summit League regular season and tournament champion, making Thursday’s victory all the more memorable.

In the 66th minute the score was 0:0, Alexis Wessler set up a free kick from just inside the halfway line. After the ball bounced off a jackrabbit, Memoly stood to the right of the goalie and slotted the ball into the net to give the Tigers their first win of the season and beat last year’s Summit League champions.

“We talked about going after the first ball, but someone had to be there to catch the second ball, and Kendall did a good job of being ready when the ball popped out,” Sanchez said.

Thursday was the first ever meeting between the two teams and ended in a pleasing win for the Tigers, who were facing their third consecutive defending champions at the start of the season.

The game developed into a defensive battle with few shots on goal. The Tigers had five shots on goal, the Jackrabbits two.

goalkeeper Regan Wallace faced 13 shots in the first half and stopped just one. She finished the game with two saves, but there were several moments in the second half when the sophomore goalie shut down the opposing offense midway through the game and protected the Tigers’ lead. Wallace earned her first shutout and fourth career win.

Nine players contributed to the shot total, as no player took multiple shots. The Jackrabbits had six players take multiple shots throughout the game. Emily Hitt, Alex SandovalWessler, Schönbeck and Memoly all shot at the goal.

SD State controlled the entire time of possession, but CC’s defense stepped up and blocked all attacks in the box. It is the Tigers’ first clean sheet since October 23, 2022.

“Before the game we talked about being ruthless in both penalty areas tonight,” said Sanchez. “Our ruthlessness helped us keep balls out of our net and score a goal that secured the win.”

The Tigers will host the Bears of Northern Colorado again on Sunday, as they travel from Greely after losing their Thursday night game to Colorado State 3-0. Kickoff for Sunday’s game is set for 6 p.m., with coverage on the Mountain West Network beginning shortly before the game.