In the classic 1993 film “Groundhog Day,” Bill Murray’s character is forced to re-live the same day over and over again.

The script could have been re-written for Oakland’s women’s soccer team as the Golden Grizzlies defeated South Dakota State, 2-1, Sunday at the OU Soccer Field. Oakland (6-4-1, 2-0-0 Summit League) trailed 1-0 early on, but tied the game on a goal from midfielder Nicole DeLuca and later took the lead as forward Serena San Cartier scored.

The result was similar to Friday’s match against North Dakota State in Pontiac, as the Grizzlies trailed 1-0, but Cartier evened the score this time and DeLuca put Oakland ahead for good in a 2-1 victory.

“These wins were especially important as South Dakota State and North Dakota State were picked two and three to win the Summit League,” Oakland Coach Nick O’Shea said. “So to beat them both on the same weekend at the start of conference play, that’s huge.”

South Dakota State (6-2-3, 1-1-0) struck first with a goal just 18 seconds into the match when midfielder Tory Schiltgen found forward Danni Healy on a breakaway in the Oakland zone for a 1-0 Jackrabbits lead.

Healy outraced the Oakland defenders from the 18-yard area and the ball just got past Grizzlies goalkeeper Shannon Coley.

However, O’Shea said he didn’t need to discuss the mistake with his team. The players fixed it themselves.

“They knew they messed up,” O’Shea said. “They knew that was a mistake and they didn’t need to hear it from (the coaches). They just went out and carried on with the game plan.”

The persistence and patience of the Grizzlies paid off when South Dakota State got whistled for a foul as Oakland midfielder Shannon Doyle was brought down hard to the pitch.

DeLuca was awarded the penalty kick and scored, tying the game at 1-1 in the 38th minute. The goal was DeLuca’s sixth of the season and puts her in a tie for first in the Summit League.

Oakland completed its comeback a little more than two minutes later when Kristen Steffes found Cartier on a cross in front of the net. Cartier’s goal put the Grizzlies up 2-1 in the 41st minute. It was Cartier’s second goal this season, both coming in the last two games.

O’Shea credited the Grizzlies’ deep bench for putting them back in the game.

“When we scored those two goals, we had made, of the 10 field players that started, we had made eight substitutions,” O’Shea said. “So we had eight different players from the start. Shannon Doyle sneaks in and gets the touch that took her out, that’s the energy they have.”

Despite being outshot, 14-8, Oakland had the better scoring opportunities throughout the game. The Jackrabbits were held to two quality chances in the second half.

Cartier tried to effectively end the game in the 88th minute with another near score, but was met by the Jackrabbits goalie who saved the shot to prevent another score.

In a season of highs and lows for Oakland, it may be coming up on the summit.

The Grizzlies opened the season with a 16-0 win over Rochester College and then proceeded to lose their next four games without scoring a goal. Since then, Oakland is on a six-game unbeaten streak, having won its last five.

With the weekend sweep, Oakland has now won its first two games in Summit League play with seven more to go.

“Five wins gets you pretty much into that conference tournament,” O’Shea said. “We’re three wins away from that now with only two games played, so it’s extremely important.”

Up next for Oakland is a two-game road trip to the southernmost schools in the Summit League. The Grizzlies begin on Friday in Tulsa, Okla., against Oral Roberts and finish up on Sunday in Shreveport, La., against Centenary.

“We haven’t started preparing for (the road trip) yet,” O’Shea said. “We’re actually going to take a break (and give the players some time off) for a few days and then go back at it.”