The SDU Force girls kicked off their spring season of 2026 by competing in Gretna at the Spring Kickoff event. Their 1st game of the tournament was against in state rival, SoDak Spurs. The game was played on a very brisk Sat morning and the game started off like the weather, cold. Both teams spent much of the half working to get their feet under them and figure out how to play at the new complex with newer turf. Late in the half the Force girls got their 1st goal to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. The 2nd half saw the Force girls deny the Spurs several scoring opportunities while creating a few of their own. The 2nd half saw striker Raina G score a pair of goals to give the girls their 3-0 win.
The 2nd game had SDU Force matched up against Columbus SC. While Force dominated possession and shots in the first half it was a break away by Columbus SC that game them a 1-0 lead going into half. In the 2nd half, SDU, again dominated possession and outshot Columbus 8-1 but it was a misplayed ball in the 18 yd box that allowed winger Cam L score a far post low corner shot! This goal was the only goal the ladies from SDU were able to muster, but they created several beautiful opportunities that showed what they were capable of.
The final game was against Gretna Elite Academy ECNL who they would have to play in the championship 4 hours later, so both teams agreed to make the early game their championship. Gretna showed why they are in the top half of their ECNL division and why they are a year in and year out threat to win in the ECNL. The SDU Force girls were not able to muster much offense against Gretna but showed signs of what kind of team they will be as the spring rolls on. Gretna won the championship but the Force girls showed well over the entire weekend and showed a lot of promise as they move forward. Great job ladies on a well played weekend overall!
