University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHER SOCCER ADVANCES TO BIG TEN TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL
11/5/1999 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Minnesota used an aggressive offensive attack to dominate the first half of action. The Gophers blasted several shots at Ohio State goalkeeper Amber Barnes early in the match but were unable to tally a goal in the scoring column. Senior forward Megan Johnson changed that with an unassisted goal at the 29:31 mark. Johnson broke through the Buckeye defense and fired a shot from center-net, 15 yards out. Barnes charged on the play, deflecting the shot but Johnson pounded the rebound home to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead.
The Gophers maintained the pressure on the Ohio State defense, controlling the midfield and building a 10-4 advantage in first-half shots. When the Buckeyes mounted an attack, Minnesota goalkeeper Dana Larson was there to halt the opposition and in a rare occurrence, start the offense. Larson collected her third save of the first half and sent the ball flying to midfield on a goal kick. Freshman forward Keely Dinse out-leaped a Buckeye midfielder and headed the ball to Nicole Lee, who was streaking down the center of the field. Lee finished off the play with a hard shot from 12 yards out at the 42:38 mark, with assists credited to both Dinse and Larson on the play.
Larson, who finished the match with five saves, notched her seventh shutout victory of the season in net for the Gophers. Minnesota has a total of eight shutout wins this season.
Minnesota took only two shots in the second half and completed the match with a 12-7 advantage in shots on goals. Ohio State was unable to take advantage of an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.
Minnesota will face top-seeded Penn State on Saturday in the semifinal match. The Nittany Lions defeated Wisconsin, 3-0, in their first match. Michigan and Illinois will meet in the other semifinal matchup.
