University of Minnesota Athletics
BLOG: Gophers battle Irish, snow in Sweet Sixteen
11/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
The 22nd-ranked Golden Gopher soccer team has made history -- they have advanced to the third round ("Sweet Sixteen") of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the program's 16-year history. Tonight, they will tackle the coutry's No. 1 team -- undefeated Notre Dame, who enter's tonight's 6:30 (CST) match with an unblemished 23-0-0 record.
Gopher fans who aren't out able to make it to South Bend, Ind. for tonight's match can still follow the action in one of two ways -- you can view a FREE live webcast via Notre Dame's website by clicking here at game time (click "watch" on the right side), and you can also follow along with Gametracker live stats by clicking here.
Former Gopher soccer media contact and athletic communications staffer Ryan Maus (filling in for your usual correspondant, Doug Vose, on this particular weekend) will be providing occasional updates via Gophersports.com here on location in South Bend. If you'd like to ask Ryan a question or send him a comment, e-mail him at maus@umn.edu.
FRIDAY, NOV. 21
3:06, Overtime - Notre Dame wins, 1-0
And then, it was over -- Krystle Kallman fouled Notre Dame's Kerri Hanks inside the 18-yard box, setting up a free kick from only about 12 yards out right in front of the goal. Dare guessed left and Hanks went down the middle -- game over. Notre Dame advances with a 1-0 win, ending the Gophers' season.
4:23, Overtime
Could the tide be turning? The Irish have not had their normal scoring chances here in the extra period, and they are slipping all over the field. The Gophers would like nothing better than to send this one to penalty kicks.
7:45, Overtime
Tensions are running high both on the field and in the pressbox. A foul just to the left of the 18-yard box gives Notre Dame a free kick, but they cannot convert as the Minnesota defense clears the ball.
End of Regulation
And here we go! The Irish have a corner shot with about 10 seconds to go in the period, but their shot goes wide left. Minnesota has been outshot 24-10 for the match (including 9-1 in shots on goal) but the most important numbers are 0-0.
3:38, 2nd period
A foul just outside the 18-yard box results in a free kick for the Irish, but Kerri Hanks' shot just goes over the crossbar. A sigh of relief from the Gopher faithful as regulation winds down.
5:33, 2nd period
Not to sound like a broken record here, but it has been one missed chance after another for the Irish. They have retained possession for the bulk of the half and the Gopher defense is hanging on for dear life.
14:33, 2nd period
Michelle Weissenhofer of Notre Dame just missed the best scoring chance of the game for either team. She had a one-on-none chance from 30 yards out with only Dare to beat for the goal, but appeared to slip at the last second and saw her shot go wide right. Weissenhofer was so demoralized she spent a few extra seconds on the ground after the shot.
21:36, 2nd period
The Gophers continue to walk the tightrope here, but Dare continues to prove why she is one of the nation's top goalies. She has made five saves already this half (six in the game) and has frustrated the Fighting Irish at every turn. Just under the 20-minute mark we have a yellow card issued to Grimwood -- we'll see what comes of this.
28:52, 2nd period
Katie Bethke re-enters the match after getting a short rest to begin the half -- the freshman Strahota will head back to the bench. The physical play has continued here in the second half -- the sizable crowd can often be heard groaning after what they perceive as a non-call by the officials.
31:28, 2nd period
Another just-miss for the Irish -- following a corner the 31:00 mark, a header bounces off the crossbar before it is cleared by the Gophers. The match remains scoreless.
42:24, 2nd period
This just in: Lindsey Dare is awesome. She just made a great save on a wide open chance by Notre Dame's Augustin, charging at exactly the right moment to block the shot. Dare makes another save just seconds later, keeping the game scoreless.
Haltime
As the halftime buzzer sounds, the Gophers have to go into the locker room feeling very good about themselves. They have held the nation's top team scoreless for 45 minutes despite a number of excellent scoring chances, and towards the end of the half, Minnesota even managed to put together a pretty nice little possession in front of the Notre Dame goal. The halftime stats show the Irish with a 5-1 corner kick and 9-8 shot advantage, although they have forced Dare to make two tough saves (with another save by Kylie Kallman going in the books as "team" save).
1:57, 1st period
The Gophers regain possession here in the final three minutes of the half, but are again unable to convert that into a scoring opportunity. Clare Grimwood and Julie Rezac get long shots off, but both sail high.
10:35, 1st period
The defining characteristic of this half has been physicality. Minnesota might not be as fast or as quick as the Irish, but they are determined not to be pushed around. The Kallmans have been harassing every Notre Dame player brave enough to push towards the goal. The midfielders, led by Kelsey Hood, have also been doing a nice job of jostling for position in the middle of the field. The fouls are tied at four right now.
13:10, 1st period
Looking for an offensive spark, Denney Wright substitutes Tamara Strahota for Lindsey Schwartz at the 13-minute mark. Meanwhile, the crowd has really started to get into this match -- a Notre Dame football pep rally (the Fighting Irish host Syracuse tomorrow afternoon) ended shortly before this match began, and a good contingent of students have made their way to Alumni Field.
16:00, 1st period
While the Gophers have had the ball in the Irish zone a couple of times tonight, they simply haven't been able to convert those possessions into a legitimate scoring chance. Of Minnesota's five shots, none have been on goal and at least two have been blocked by an Irish defender.
18:57, 1st period
Whoa, that was close -- the Irish just had another spectacular scoring chance. Henderson again appeared to have an open shot just outside the six-yard box, but her attempt was blocked by Kylie Kallman at the last second. The rebound went to Rose Augstin, but her follow-up went high over the goal.
20:24, 1st period
While I seek to provide you with the very best Minnesota Soccer commentary I can, I highly encourage you to tune into UND.com's free webcast and listen to these two announcers. The pair are students, but they're actually quite good -- I'm having a good time listening to them myself.
30:20, 1st period
Now I see why the Irish are the nation's top-ranked team: They are really, really dangerous. Minnesota's defensive corps has been holding its own, but the Irish have had a number of solid chances already. Melissa Henderson just narrowly chipping a 1v1 chance past Dare, as her shot went just wide left. Just three minutes later (near the 27:00 mark) Henderson is thwarted on another wide open chance thanks to a spectacular play by Dare in goal.
35:45, 1st period
The weather conditions are creating some interesting playing conditions on the field -- the frozen, matted grass is causing the ball to skip quickly around the ground, but the players seem to be having a little trouble with their footing, causing the ball to occasionally slip away from the player attempting to dribble it down the pitch.
39:43, 1st period
I'm not a big fashion guy, but I am a firm believer that if you look good, you feel good. And the Gophers definitely look good tonight -- they have chosen to go with the long black pants and long-sleeve maroon tops, the first time they've gone with this combo all season. It's in sharp contrast to Notre Dame's white tops and white socks.
42:15, 1st period
It's an action-packed first few minutes here in South Bend. The two teams quickly trade corner kicks; the Gophers get a shot from Clare Grimwood but it's blocked. Notre Dame's back-to-back corners also pass harmlessly.
7:32 p.m. EST
And we're underway! Be sure to check out the live webcast (in addition to refreshing this blog) for the full Minnesota Soccer interactive experience.
And since blogging is all about the game-within-the-game, here's a fun note for you: Notre Dame keeper goalie Kelsey Lysander's father, Rick, actually pitched for the Minnesota Twins from 1983-85. Kelsey's brother Brent, a former All-American pitcher at Sonoma State and 2007 16th round draft choice of the Oakland Athletics, also pitched for the St. Cloud River Bats in the Northwoods League during the summer of 2006.
7:11 p.m. EST
A few tidbits before we get things underway here in South Bend (courtesy of the Notre Dame sports information department):
- Although the two teams have never officially met in NCAA play before tonight, Notre Dame and Minnesota actually share a few surprising common attributes. Both teams are headed by their conferences' respective coach of the year (Denney Wright for Minnesota in the Big Ten and Randy Waldrum for Notre Dame in the Big East).
- Both teams are also well-known for their defensive stinginess -- the Gophers are ranked sixth nationally with a 0.434 goals-against-average this year, while the Fighting Irish rank fifth at 0.432.
- In addition, both the Gophers and the Irish boast their respective conferences' defensive player of the year -- Kelsey Hood in the Big Ten for Minnesota and Carrie Drew in the Big East for Notre Dame. Also, both Hood and Drew notched their first goals of the season in their teams' NCAA first-round victories.
- Here's another sign that these two programs both rank among the nation's elite: Each recently lost a player to the U.S. U-20 National Team. Freshman goalie Cat Parkhill of the Gophers and midfielder/defender Lauren Fowlkes of the Irish are currently down in Chile to represent their country in international play.
7:04 p.m. EST
The Gophers have arrived at Alumni Field here on the Notre Dame campus, and as promised, conditions are definitely less than ideal. Huge piles of snow surround the freshly-plowed field, and the playing surface itself is quite hard -- the ground and grass is essentially frozen solid. So much for a sloppy match -- the ball should skip pretty well across the pitch tonight. A small but determined crowd (including several wearing maroon and gold) is starting to hunker down in the snow-covered grandstand.
5:26 p.m. EST
As the Gophers prepare for their pre-game meeting, we have our first question of the day, and it comes from the venerable Chris C. in Minneapolis. Chris, who had some kind words for our coverage here on Gophersports.com (much appreciated, by the way) asks "Do you feel like the weather will give either team an advantage, and if so, to whom?"
Excellent query, Chris. In my humble opinion, I would say tonight's conditions do confer at least a slight advantage on the Gophers. Look at the make-up of the teams' two rosters -- not a single Gopher hails from a city south of the Iowa-Missouri border, while the Irish have nine players (including several starters) from states like Texas, Arizona and California. Minnesota's roster has grown up in conditions like this (and play in them at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium quite often); many Notre Dame players have not.
The other advantageous factor is a little more immediate. Adverse conditions like the ones Minnesota will face tonight usually lend themselves to a more conservative, possesion-type game, which is exactly the type of soccer the Gophers play, while the high-scoring Fighting Irish usually like to open things up a bit. One of the greatest equalizers in all sports is the weather -- be it in soccer, football, baseball or just about anything else played outdoors. Underdogs (like the Gophers are tonight) need all the help they can get, and bad weather usually tends to even the playing field.
3:05 p.m. EST
After a light but healthful lunch at the hotel, the co-Big Ten champion Gopher women have retreated back to their rooms for an afternoon of homework and relaxation before tonight's big tilt. The lake effect snow has seemingly ceased for now (although not before a couple more "bouts" hit us this afternoon), but senior Carlie Edwards tells me that the temperature could get as low as nine (!) degrees Fahrenheit tonight. Snow or no snow, that's a pretty chilly evening for outdoor soccer!
Check back as game time approaches for more updates... Could an upset be in the offing? We'll see!
1:44 p.m. EST
Tonight will mark the first-ever "official" match between these two programs. The Fighting Irish actually defeated the Gophers 1-0 back here in South Bend way back on Sept. 13, 1989, but that was before Minnesota officially sponsored women's soccer (the Gopher program began in 1993), so the loss does not count in the Minnesota record books.
1:30 p.m. EST
Well, this is unexpected. The Gophers arrived here in South Bend last night after a somewhat arduous afternoon of travel, and the scene that awaited them seemed more "Minnesota-esque" than the one they just left. Four to five inches of snow greeted us at our hotel, and another several inches fell overnight and during the day today -- reports say that over a foot of the white stuff lies on Notre Dame's Alumni Field. But Gopher coaches and players are nearly unanimous in their agreement -- the adverse conditions definitely favor the visitors today, as the team that plays the best possesion soccer (one of Minnesota's strengths) has the advantage in the snow.
