University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Falls to Indiana in Big Ten Opener
9/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
The Golden Gopher soccer team lost, 1-0, to Indiana on Friday night in their Big Ten opener. After the game was delayed for nearly two hours due to severe weather in the Bloomington area, Minnesota began its 2006 Big Ten Conference schedule with a tough 1-0 loss to a Hoosier team that improved to 4-3-2 on the season and is now unbeaten in its last seven matches. Minnesota fell to 6-2-1 on the year, still its best start since 1997.
Lauren Lamping scored the only goal of the match in the 59th minute for the Hoosiers. Indiana outshot the Gophers 16-8 in the game and held an 11-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Lindsey Dare (Apple Valley, Minn.) made 10 saves in the contest for the Gophers.
Just 3:19 into the match, a bolt of lightning sent both teams and fans looking for shelter. The delay lasted for 1:55, and play did not resume until just after 8 p.m. CDT.
Upon the restart, both teams looked to stamp their imprint on the game early. Lindsey Schwartz (Bettendorf, Iowa) led the attacking effort for the Gophers, who looked to find the back of the net with some long shots on goal. However, neither team was able to take the initiative and the teams went into halftime without a score.
The second half began much the same as the first, with both teams finding themselves with few scoring chances.
That changed fifteen minutes into the second half as Indiana broke the tie on Lamping’s goal. After a Minnesota foul gave the Hoosiers a free kick, senior Ali Brown passed the ball to Lamping near the center of the field. Lamping lofted a shot from 30 yards out toward the upper right corner of the net and the ball deflected off Dare’s hands into the goal to give Indiana the 1-0 lead.
The Gophers picked up their play following the Indiana goal, pressing for an equalizer. Minnesota’s best scoring chance came with ten minutes to go when Elena Fruci slipped in behind the Hoosier defense and sprinted toward the goal. With pressure coming on her back, Fruci tried to slot the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper, but her effort slid just wide of the far post.
The Golden Gophers will look to even their Big Ten record on Sunday in West Lafayette, Ind., against the 25th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m.
Game Notes
The Golden Gophers lost their first match on a Friday night all season. Minnesota is now 4-1-0 on Friday nights.
Indiana’s goal in the 59th minute was the first the Gophers have allowed on a Friday all season.
Minnesota fell to 2-2 on the season in one-goal games, all of which have been 1-0 decisions. The Gophers have defeated Army and Dartmouth and have now lost to Missouri and Indiana.
Minnesota’s record in the all-time series with Indiana dropped to 9-6-2. The home team has now won each of the last five meetings between the two schools. All five contests have been one-goal games.
Lindsey Dare recorded 10 saves on the night. It was the third time this year she has recorded double-digit saves in a match.
