SDSU will face No. 4 seed Western Illinois in the first match, Friday at 3 p.m. at Fishback Soccer Park. No. 2 seed IUPUI and No. 3 seed North Dakota State will face-off at 6 p.m. with the winners advancing to the championship game, Sunday at noon.

Despite graduating nine seniors from the 2008 squad, Lang Wedemeyer's team is back in the race for the College Cup. The young Jackrabbits boast 13 underclassman that have played in 10 or more games this season and account for 16 of the teams 27 goals and 18 of the 25 assists.

"Getting back to the conference tournament for the second straight year is very exciting," said head coach Lang Wedemeyer. " The fact that we are doing it with almost an entirely new lineup is even more rewarding. These ladies have worked hard and we are very proud of what they have accomplished so far."

The winner of the conference tournament earns an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA College Cup. Last season, the Jacks earned that bid and shocked the nation by defeating 14th ranked and fourth seeded Colorado 1-0 in the opening round to earn SDSU's first ever NCAA post-season win. SDSU was also the first team from the Summit League to ever record a win at the College Cup.

In the first round of the conference tournament the Jacks will face No. 4 seed Western Illinois. The Fighting Leathernecks (8-7-2, 5-3-1 Summit League) enter Friday's match with the Summit League's second-longest winning streak at four games, second only to SDSU's five-match streak.

"Western is a very difficult team to play against," said Wedemeyer. " They have a style that is different than any other team in the conference and they do it very well. When you only have 4 out of 10 teams that make the tournament, you will always have to beat good teams to win it all."

Scouting Report:
Western Illinois - WIU is coached by third year head coach Tony Quinn. The Leathernecks are led on the offensive side of the ball by Alison Smyth with a team-high five goals. Kellie Julius leads the teams in total points with four goals and three assists.

Defensively, WIU made a midseason switch at the goalkeeper, opting for freshman Laura Atkinson. She has guided WIU to a 5-3-1 record, including one by shutout. She has allowed 12 goals for a 1.22 goal against average and has stopped 71 shots on frame for a .855 save percentage.

The Leathernecks have advanced to the Summit League tournament four of the past five seasons. WIU won the 2007 regular season title but is yet to notch a Summit League tournament championship.

Soccer Webcast: Subscribers to the Jackrabbit Extra on GoJacks.com can view all SDSU home soccer matches and select away events live on the internet.

To subscribe to the Jackrabbit Extra, log onto GoJacks.com and click on "sign up."

Top 10 Watch: Kaitlin Justice scored her 12th career goal on Oct. 31 against NDSU, propelling her into a tie for eighth place on the all-time goals-scored list at SDSU. Danni Healy recorded a goal against NDSU and is 10th on SDSU's points-scored list with 28. With a two assist performance against NDSU, Kayla Braffet is tied for sixth on SDSU's assists list. Tied for 10th are teammates Tory Schiltgen and Healy with eight apiece.

Summit League Championship: SDSU hosts the 2009 Summit League Women's Soccer Championships at Fishback Soccer Park. The four-team tournament will take place Nov. 6 and 8. Live stats and webstreaming will also be available through the official website of Jackrabbit Athletics, gojacks.com.

Tickets for the event are $8 for adults and $5 for children K-12. The first 100 SDSU students will get in free with valid student ID. Concessions and official Summit League merchandise will also be available.