University of Minnesota Athletics
BLOG: No. 25 Gophers to Battle Elements, 'Cats
10/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
The No. 25 Minnesota women's soccer team hosts Northwestern this afternoon at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in St. Paul. The Gophers last regular season home game of the season will unfold amidst wintry conditions in St. Paul. With gametime temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, both teams will be battling wind and sleet this afternoon. To submit a question or comment, shoot an email to vosej004@umn.edu.
2:56 PM, 7:12
Tam Strahota is playing great here late in the second half. She just took another ball deep into the Northwestern zone and forced the NU defense to make a play to prevent a goal.
2:51 PM, 12:49
GOAL! Clare Grimwood nets her second goal in as many games. Lindsey Schwartz led a counter attack and reversed the ball to a streaking Tam Strahota, who heeled the pass to Grimwood. Grimwood's right-footed blast dipped just under the crossbar to give the Gophers a 2-0 advantage.
2:49 PM, 14:44
NU keeper Carolyn Edwards just made a great save on a shot by Lindsey Schwartz. Schwartz took a beautiful pass from Tam Strahota, but Edwards took the ball right off Schwartz' foot.
2:38 PM, 22:32
Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaal!!! Tam Strahota won a ball at midfield and earned herself a breakaway with NU keeper Carolyn Edwards. Strahota flipped the ball up over Edwards at the last possible moment to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead. The goal was Strahota's fourth of the season.
2:30 PM, 30:22
After the Gophers dominated play in the first half, things have been a bit more balanced here in the second half. The 'Cats forward Sam Greene has caused some issues for the Gophers on the back end.
2:25 PM
Josie Solie and Katie Shelander, who both started the first half on the bench for the Gophers, both start on the pitch for the Gophers here in the second stanza. The wind seems to be giving Northwestern a bit of an advantage.
2:12 PM
The match reaches halftime still scoreless. Minnesota can't be happy with the tie score, as the Gophers clearly owned the half, outshooting the visiting Wildcats by a 6-2 margin and earning eight corner kicks to the Cats' none. Much of the credit has to go to NU keeper Carolyn Edwards, who made several athletic plays on balls played into the box
1:46 PM
Minnesota has found itself on the brink of a goal a few times here in the last few minutes. On one chance, Katie Shelander looked to have a great shot on goal, but seemed to lose her footing. A few minutes later, a header by Clare Grimwood trickled just wide of the far post.
1:37 PM
Out of the timeout, Northwestern has had some success maintaining possession. Although the Minnesota defense has not allowed penetration, the 'Cats have done a much better job maintaining touch here.
1:33 PM
An added wrinkle during a TV telecast is the television timeout midway through the half. We'll see how the teams react to the break in such cold weather.
1:24 PM
Kelsey Hood has done a great job winning balls in the midfield. Northwestern has had difficulty maintaining touch even after the Gophers have turned it over.
1:22 PM
The Gophers have dominated play here early, earned five corner kicks and tallying three early shots. It looks like both goalkeepers could be tested here as the wind could create some scoring chances.
1:12 PM
The wind is already playing a big role here. A ball put in the air by NU keeper Carolyn Edwards sailed out of bounds. Three early corner kicks by the Gophers' Lindsey Schwartz were taken against the breeze. It looks like Minnesota's strategy on those corners will be a more driven ball.
1:09 PM
We'll start today's contest a few minutes past the hour due to the Big Ten Network's telecast. The Gophers come out wearing long-sleeved maroon jerseys with white numerals. Northwestern is wearing their road whites with purple numerals and purple trim.
12:56 PM
We just got the starting lineups. It looks like Tam Strahota will start in place of Katie Bethke at forward. Bethke is nursing a sore ankle.
12:46 PM
A stiff wind is coming straight out of the west here in St. Paul. That translated into a tough crosswind for the teams here today. Although neither team will have a decided wind advantage in either half, the wind will certainly play a significant role on corner kicks this afternoon.12:34 PM
Both teams have taken the field and are warming up. Most players are bundled with coats and hats as they get loose. Gopher fans can catch today's game live on the Big Ten Network at 1:00. It looks like the Gophers will plan to run out their usual starting lineup, but it's been rumored that Tam Strahota could start at forward again this afternoon after performing well in her first career start Friday night against Wisconsin.
