DENVER – The University of Denver women's soccer team dropped the tournament finale 4-2 against South Dakota State in the Summit League Final on Saturday afternoon at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
 
Scoring Summary
Denver (13-6-2): Sharp 1', McSwain 86'
South Dakota State (17-3-1): Hansen 24', Murdzek 34', Preston 54', Limongi 85'
 
Inside The Box Score:
The Pioneers and Jackrabbits split the 30 shots 15 apiece, with Denver holding an 8-5 lead in shots on target.

Quotable – Head Coach Jeff Hooker
"I want to thank the seniors for all their leadership and commitment, on and off the field. I'm proud of the way they represented us. We needed the second goal early after creating some great chances after our first goal. I feel like if one of those go in, it completely changes the game. Their keeper made some great saves to keep them in it. After that we just didn't have it today, and that's how soccer goes sometimes."
 
First Half:
Sydney Sharp opened the scoring 26 seconds into the match on a headed goal for her 16^th of the season. Jordan Crockett threw the ball in from the left side in Denver's attacking third and got it to Natalie Beckman. Beckman took a couple touches around a defender before serving it into the middle of the penalty area. Sharp was the first to the header, tallying a goal in her 16^th-different match this season.
 
Jadyn Goodrich created Denver's next best chance at a second in the 21^st minute, turning South Dakota State over in the press and sliding it over to Sharp, but Sharp's attempt on goal was denied by the keeper to keep it at 1-0.
 
McKenna Dannenhauer had the next clear shot at a second goal less than a minute later, but was once again stopped by the keeper.
 
Against the run of play, it was South Dakota State that grabbed the game's second goal. Teani Arakawa played the ball through Denver's back four to the run of Maya Hansen. Hansen won the 1v1 battle with Nerea Arrazola, finishing into the top corner to level the match at 1-1 in the 24^th minute.
 
The play evened out in the next 10 minutes before South Dakota State jumped in-front for the first time in the 34^th minute when a shot-cross found the top-left corner over Arrazola's head to put the visitors in-front.
 
SDSU took the goal advantage into the intermission. The Pioneers outshot the visitors 11-7, including 6-2 on target. South Dakota State took all three corners in the opening 45.
 
Second Half:
After Denver earned an early corner to start the half, the Jackrabbits pinned the Pioneers back in their defensive half for the better part of the next 20 minutes, taking three shots and earning seven corner kicks, including the visitors'' third goal of the afternoon, headed in by Rachel Preston off a corner kick service from Karlee Manding.
 
SDSU made it 4-2 in the 85^th minute when Cecilia Limongi finished into an open net off a feed from Maya Hansen off the counter.
 
Devan McSwain pulled one back for the Pioneers in the 86^th minute off build-up play from Riley Baker and Beckman. Beckman played the ball wide right to Baker who crossed it in first time to the head of McSwain. McSwain's goal was her third of the season.
 
Notes:

• Sydney Sharp's opener was scored 26 seconds in, the third-fastest goal to start a match in Denver's Division I history, and its fastest goal to start a match in the postseason.
• Sydney Sharp scored in her NCAA Soccer leading 16^th different match this season.
  • The goal is her 16^th of the season, one behind the single-season record set by Jenni Harris (2003) and Taryn Hemmings (2007).
  • The tally was also the 26^th of her career, bringing her into a tie for ninth with volunteer assistant coach Katie Hooker.
• Natalie Beckman's assist was her 17^th of the season and the 46^th of her career.
  • Beckman now has the single-season assist and career assist record.
• Sydney Sharp, Brittney Lewis and Devan McSwain were named to the All-Tournament Team. 

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