BROOKINGS, S.D. – Karlee Manding scored for South Dakota State in a 1-0 win over the Drake University women's soccer team Sunday afternoon at Fishback Soccer Park in Brookings, S.D.
 
Manding scored her second goal of the season for the Jackrabbits (2-2) as Drake (1-3) dropped its second straight 1-0 decision. Manding's game winner came in the 27^th minute (27:58) after she played a long pass from Sunniva Dunagan and beat Bulldogs' goalkeeper Kelsie Stone with a shot to the lower right of the goal.
 
"Early this season we are going to encounter growing pains, and today that was apparent," said head coach Lindsey Horner. "Our capacity to solve problems in the run of play, direct each other, and communicate on the field was not at the level we need it to be to go on the road and win games." 
 
Drake had a chance to stake an early lead from a penalty kick by sophomore Olivia Bruce (Lakeville, Minn.) in the seventh minute. However, South Dakota State keeper, Maggie Smither made a save and then seconds later tallied another save on a shot by junior Cassie Rohan (Palatine, Ill.).
 
In the second half, the Bulldogs had six shots with four by freshman Allison Walls (Kansas City, Mo.) and two by Alyssa Brand (Skokie, Ill.) but couldn't get the equalizer. Walls finished with a team-high five shots, including two on goal. As a team, Drake recorded 13 shots with five on goal.
 
"We had several positives including the play of several underclassmen," Horner said. "Our ability to connect with our forwards and combine was much improved, which led to our penalty chance, and several dangerous moments in the second half.  I'm excited to see how we respond as a group to help each other, how we take accountability of our growth at an individual level, and how these changes impact our performance this coming weekend."
 
Drake continues its season-long six match road trip to start the season, Friday night, with a contest at UMKC. First kick with the Kangaroos is scheduled for 8 p.m.