D1 Minnesotans: Dakota Rivalry Week! South Dakota State are rolling the Summit League in goal difference, Izzy Quintaville paces a crew of MNs on South Dakota and they're both set to face northern neighbors UND and NDSU in a huge Dakota Rivalry run

Author: Mark Privratsky

Katelyn Beulke (Photo: Kayla Plummer)

It is officially North and South Dakota week at Equal Time, as the four Dakota schools embark on their turn of rivalry games. The plurality of D1 MN players in North and South Dakota make up the biggest part of our soccer pipeline and always offer a solid glance at our player pool. Shout out to the Summit League schedulers for this concentration of rivalry games, with NDSU and North Dakota playing last weekend, and the next two weeks featuring a slew of games in the 4 team Dakota pod, with South Dakota State and South Dakota playing their northern rivals in an almost round robin. NDSU is coming into this stretch on a high, with wins over Kansas City and North Dakota, also drawing Omaha. If they come through the Dakota Cup relatively unscathed, they'll be in line for a Summit League Tournament birth. With Denver dropping a few games, the Conference is up for grabs, and the rush to the postseason is sure to be tight. We'll dig into each Dakota State squad, link to our player tracker with 124 players (and counting), give you games to watch and rewind our recent podcasts for you. You can specifically note and appreciate our photographs this week from Kayla Plummer!

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Izzy Quintaville paces South Dakotas 5 Minnesotans 

Izzy Quintaville (Photo: USD)

South Dakota currently sits in the perilous 6th spot of the Summit League -- the final spot that earns a conference tournament bid. The Coyotes are a regular playoff fixture and are facing a stretch of Dakota State rivalry games in their bid to solidify their playoff opportunity. After a weekend of a tough 0-1 loss to Omaha last Thursday, South Dakota got some much needed rhythm with a 4-2 win over Kansas City on Sunday and set the stage for their matchups with South Dakota State this weekend (Oct 11, 6pm), and the North Dakota schools next weekend (at UND Oct 17, at NDSU Oct 20). The Coyotes have a pack of Minnesotans as usual, with Izzy Quintaville showing out with the goal contributions (.56/game) and Brooklyn Bordson, Brooke Nelson, Gabbie Ryan and Sadie Straight also repping MN in the 605. 

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NDSU enters 2nd half of Summit League play undefeated
​after a win over North Dakota

Photo: NDSU

Don't double take at the standings just yet, but the Bison of NDSU are starting the back stretch of Summit League play undefeated, with a 3-0-1 conference record (7-4-3 overall) and the potential for a solid playoff position -- particularly after their win over Oral Robert last night. Last week they bested Kansas City (1-0) and instate rivals North Dakota (2-1) to set up a 5 game stand with their fate in their hands. They'll face Denver (away) this Sunday before a huge homestand against SDSU and South Dakota next week. They close with St Thomas at home in a game sure to hold seeding relevance and pure spoiler factor for the Tommies. NDSU is home to a ton of Minnesotans, including Olivia Watson and Jess Hanley, who both play 75+ minutes a game for the Bison. 

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South Dakota State leads Summit League goal difference by a mile

Katherine Jones (Photo: Kayla Plummer)

South Dakota State has been a perennial contender in the Summit League in the Equal Time era, and this year they are heading into the back stretch in fine form. Nobody has scored more goals, and nobody has given up fewer goals than the Jackrabbits. They sit on 28 goals scored and 8 against, which is a goal difference of 20 in just 13 games. Katelyn Beulke is on fire with 5 goals and 3 assists (.95 g+a/game) while Katherine Jones has 5 assists in her 996 minutes to lead the squad. Lauren Eckerly, Emma Knack and Ava Grate also contribute to this years SDSU team. After a 3-0 conference start with wins over Omaha, KC and St Thomas, they'll face South Dakota (Fri Oct 11), NDSU (Thurs Oct 17) and North Dakota (Sun Oct 20) before closing the regular season with Denver and Oral Roberts at home. 

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North Dakota faces rivals in bid to join postseason play

Grace Miller (Photo: UND)

Sitting in 7th isn't comfortable when the conference tournament only invites 6, but North Dakota's record could be deceiving. Instate rivals NDSU bested them at home last Sunday, but their other two conference results were draws against respectable Oral Roberts and at Denver. Their back half schedule offers more opportunity for a postseason push, with only South Dakota State holding a big advantage on paper. They dropped a game to Omaha last night and head to Kansas City Sunday, before a weekend of hosting South Dakota (Thurs Oct 17) and SDSU (Sun Oct 20). UND is home to three Minnesotans this year, Jessica Machovec, Avery Toms and Sydney Bakritzes. 

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Player Tracker!

We strive to find any and every Minnesotan playing D1 soccer and this week our list has grown to 124 players! Thanks to all of you who have submitted and helped us highlight these athletes. As always, if we are missing someone you know of, message us on social media and we will update our tracker. Check out our list, sort data to see who's showing out this year and use the sheet at you see fit HERE.

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Equal Time Weekly with Clare Gagne of North Carolina!

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