University of Minnesota Athletics
Weekend Preview: Gophers Meet Indiana
10/1/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Weekend Preview
The University of Minnesota women’s soccer team returns to the Twin Cities this weekend after opening the Big Ten portion of its schedule on the road last weekend with matches at Michigan State and Michigan.
After dropping its Big Ten opener to Michigan State by a 2-0 score on Friday in East Lansing, Minnesota rebounded with a 1-0 win Sunday over Michigan.
This weekend, Minnesota plays host to Indiana, who is trying to bounce back from a pair of 1-0 home losses to Penn State and Ohio State last weekend.
Scouting the Gophers
Minnesota enters the second weekend of Big Ten play as the owners of an impressive 11-1-0 record. The 11 wins for Minnesota this season are the most for the program since 1999, when the team finished 13-9-0 and earned an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Gophers’ senior leadership has been central to their success this season. Seniors Kelsey Hood, Clare Grimwood and Kaitlin Wagner have been essential to Minnesota’s success in the midfield. The tough play of this group in the center of the pitch has allowed the Gophers’ fleet wide midfielders - a group led by Molly Rouse, Julie Rezac and Angie Olson - to run the pitch and wear down opponents.
Offensively, senior Lindsey Schwartz (five goals) and Rouse (two goals, six assists) lead the club with 10 points. Katie Bethke is second on the team with four goals and two of Kaitlin Wagner’s three goals this season have been game-winners. The team has outscored its opponents by a 24-4 margin this season and is on pace to score more goals by a Gopher team since the 1998 squad netted 57 goals.
The strength of the team thus far this season has undoubtedly been the defensive core. This group, which includes starters Krystle Kallman, Jennie Clark and Kylie Kallman and reserve Josie Solie, has permitted just 2.33 shots on goal per game this season and has held foes to less than 10 shots in each of the Gophers’ 12 games.
Senior goalkeeper Lindsey Dare is the owner of a Big Ten-best 0.33 goals against average (GAA) and has already recorded nine shutouts this season. The Apple Valley, Minn. native has also moved up the Minnesota Soccer career record books this season: Dare now ranks among the top Gopher keepers of all-time in career GAA (0.69, 1st), goalkeeper minutes played (2886:04, 5th), goalkeeper wins (20, 3rd), career shutouts (17.0, 3rd) and career winning percentage (.717, t-1st).
The hard work by the defensive group has not gone unnoticed. Clark, Dare and Hood have each been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week once this season.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Indiana (5-6-0, 0-2-0) comes off a pair of tough 1-0 home losses to No. 22 Penn State and Ohio State during the first weekend of Big Ten play.
In the Hoosiers’ Friday match, freshman goalkeeper Lindsey Campbell made five saves and Kristin Arnold managed three shots, but Indiana was unable to upset 2007 Big Ten regular season champion Penn State. Sunday’s match against Ohio State produced the same result, although the 1-0 loss to the Buckeyes was much harder to swallow. A goal by Courtney Jenkins in the 79th minute vaulted Ohio State to the victory. Jenkins’ goal came when her crossing attempt deflected off a Hoosier defender and into the net to give Indiana their second league loss of the weekend.
Indiana enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in the history of its program in 2007 when the team garnered its third ever at-large NCAA Tournament bid. As the No. 2 seed in the Purdue’s four-team regional bracket, Indiana defeated first round opponent Toledo by a 3-2 score in overtime. In the second round, Indiana knocked off host Purdue in penalty kicks following 110 minutes of scoreless soccer. The Hoosiers’ run came to an end with a 2-0 home loss to Duke in the third round.
This season, the Hoosiers return a pair of 2007 All-Big Ten selectees in junior Kelly Lawrence (first team, defender) and junior Kristin Arnold (second team, forward). Lawrence (Chigwell, Essex, England) has carved out a reputation as one of the Big Ten’s elite 1v1 defenders. Arnold’s 10 goals in 2007 were the fourth-most in Indiana program history.
Lauren Hollandsworth, a 2007 All-Big Ten Freshman team honoree, has split time in goal this season with freshman Lindsay Campbell. Lex Dickison has also seen some time between the pipes for the cream and crimson.
Gophers Ranked in Pair of National Polls
After splitting a pair of matches last weekend, the Gophers remain ranked in a pair of national polls. Minnesota is ranked 25th nationally by polls released this week by Soccer America and SoccerBuzz. The Gophers are receiving votes in both the NSCAA/adidas and Soccer Times polls. Minnesota contines to work toward ranked status in the NSCAA/adidas poll for the first time since September of 1999. Find complete national rankings on page three of this week’s release.
In the Great Lakes Region polls released by SoccerBuzz and NSCAA/adidas this week, Minnesota ranks fifth and seventh, respectively.
Seniors Move Up Gopher Career Lists
Seniors Lindsey Schwartz and Kaitlin Wagner continue to move up the Minnesota offensive charts as the 2008 season wears on.
With her game-winner against Michigan this past weekend, Wagner is now tied with teammate Schwartz on the Gophers’ all-time game-winning goals list for 6th with nine.
Leading the team with five goals through 12 contests, Schwartz has etched her name permanently into the Gopher record books. She ranks among the top 10 players in school history in career points (63, 8th), career goals (25, t-7th), career assists (13, 10th), career game-winning goals (nine, t-6th) and career shots (230, 4th). The Bettendorf, Iowa native needs just two more game-winners this season to match the Minnesota school record for game-winners in a season. The record is currently held by Jennifer Walek (1993) and Nicole Lee (1998) at six.
