South Dakota State had a bumpy start to the season, but it was smooth sailing in its game against tournament host Northern Illinois…

The Jackrabbits scored early and often, beating the host Huskies, 3-0…

Statistically speaking, the game was even, as the Jacks only held a 10-9 shot advantage, and a 4-2 shot on goal advantage. However, SDSU was able to put three of its shots on goal in the back of the net.

The offensive attack started early, as junior midfielder Christa Nyblom placed a shot off the crossbar, which ricocheted over the goal line and gave the Jackrabbits a 1-0 lead at 5:54 in the first half.

Only six minutes later, senior forward Kelsey Ferguson continued her aggressive season by taking advantage of a Cori Bonte header attempt, netting the rebound for a 2-0 lead at 11:33.

The game was scoreless for the next 26 minutes, before senior forward Kayla Braffet notched her first goal of the season, making the score 3-0 at 37:13. Junior midfielder Brittany Sipp and sophomore midfielder Abby Jurgens were both credited with an assist.

With Friday’s goal, Braffet moves into an eighth-place tie for most goals scored in school history (15 goals scored). The goal also moves her into a tie for seventh place in career scoring (43 points).

This was the score at halftime.

The three first-half goals prompted Northern Illinois to change goalkeepers, which proved to be a positive change for the Huskies, as SDSU did not score another goal in the game. NIU’s offense, however, could not get past the SDSU defense.

“It’s great to get that first win under our belt,” head coach Lang Wedemeyer said. “I felt we really started well, scored some very good goals, and managed the game well through the second half.”

Senior goalkeeper Kat Donovan, in her third start, recorded her first win in a Jackrabbits uniform. The SDSU defense was solid and kept the ball away from the goal for most of the game, as Donovan was only forced to make two saves.

“Now our focus is already on Sunday for a very good Western Michigan team,” said Wedemeyer.

The game with WMU is the first ever meeting between the two schools. It is the only neutral-site game for the Jackrabbits this season.

The game against the Broncos serves as a tournament championship of sorts, as WMU defeated North Dakota 3-0 in the early game on Friday. If the game produces a winner, that team will be the tournament champion, based on the scoring formula:

            3 points for a win
            1 point for a tie

This means that both teams have earned three points, while NIU and UND have earned none.

 If the game ends in a tie, the champion will be determined by the following formula:

1)     Head to Head

2)     Goals Difference

3)     Goals Against

4)     Goals For

However, because the teams posted identical results in Friday’s games, if the game ends in a tie, the tournament champion will be determined by some other means.

Game time is set for 11 a.m. CT.