Women’s soccer: Undersized Jacks thinking big

The South Dakota State soccer team is long on short, regularly fielding three players in the 5-foot range.

That’s not necessarily by design, nor has it been especially detrimental. In terms of RPI, the Jackrabbits are on the short list of probable Summit League contenders as conference play kicks off this week. One of their smalls, sophomore Shelby Raper, leads the way in goals.

“It’s a coincidence – that’s just the way that things worked out,” 15-year coach Lang Wedemeyer said. “But we do laugh about it within the team, that we’re as small now as we’ve ever been from player to player across the roster.”

Frankly, the lack of height stands out across the 21-team athletic department in an era where “bigger” comes before “faster” and “stronger” on the list of aspirations.

SDSU midfielders Julia Lam and Bianca Madonia are 4-10 and 4-11, respectively. Both have appeared in every match this season as true freshmen.

Raper is listed at 5-1 and boasts a growing resume. She was named to the Summit all-freshman team last year, making 18 appearances with 11 starts and tallying three points.

This fall, she’s tied with junior midfielder Alyssa Brazil – an O’Gorman graduate – for the team lead in goals (four) and is second with 10 points.

Offensive success isn’t new for Raper – she scored more than 100 goals in her prep career in suburban Denver.

“My dad always tells me, ‘Lionel Messi – he’s just as tall as you, and he’s one of the best players (in the world). Go out there and be big and think big,’” she said. “It’s true that size doesn’t really matter in this game.”

Or at least size isn’t infallible.

Plenty of NCAA Division I teams, including the Jacks, covet and recruit size on defense, according to Wedemeyer, especially those based in the Midwest. In that regard, shorter players can be problematic matchups. Raper said she’s conscious of using her speed to get around larger defenders rather than trying to get physical.

Still, SDSU is not scheming small. It just so happened that some of the high school players they liked had strong suits other than height.

“We saw unique qualities in each of those players – Shelby with her speed, Bianca with her creativity, Julia with her tenacity and skill level,” said Wedemeyer, whose club topped Iowa State last week for its first win over a power-conference team since 2010. “You can’t have a full team that way – there has to be a balance with the other players.”

SDSU has that. To name one, sophomore defender Linsee Larson is 5-11. She and Raper are close friends, creating an abundance of funny photo ops and height-related jokes.

As for the ongoing season, things are about to get second-level serious with the start of the Summit schedule. SDSU (4-5) was runner-up to nationally ranked Denver last year and has been picked to finish there again this fall. However, the Pioneers seem to have come back to the pack with an updated RPI of 112. Oral Roberts is right there 118 and SDSU is 131, while the University of South Dakota is tops in wins (seven).

The Jacks host IUPUI (2-6-3) on Friday and Western Illinois (1-8) on Sunday, perhaps in position to get a relatively short leg up on the field.

“Everyone has an opportunity,” Raper said, “so it’s going to be determined by who comes out and really fights and can stay with it until the end.”

AT A GLANCE

No small feat: The Jackrabbits have several players in the 5-foot range, including sophomore Shelby Raper, who shares the team lead in goals.

Up next: The Jacks host IUPUI on Friday and W. Illinois on Sunday.