University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gophers Host Minnesota Gold Classic
9/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Minnesota Gold ClassicThis weekend the Golden Gophers host the Minnesota Gold Classic at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. Montana, Nevada and North Dakota will all pay a visit to St. Paul with Minnesota hosting Nevada at 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 18 and Montana at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 20. Also as part of the weekend, Montana and North Dakota square off in the first match of the Classic at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, and North Dakota and Nevada get Sunday started with a 10:00 a.m. tilt.
The Records
Montana comes into the weekend sporting a 1-6-0 record on the season and Nevada is 2-5-0 in 2009. North Dakota is 1-4-0 on the season and the host Golden Gophers are 4-2-1.
The Series
Minnesota and Nevada will meet for just the second time with the Golden Gophers holding the 1-0 all-time edge. The first meeting came last season. Meanwhile this will mark the ninth meeting with Montana, with Minnesota leading the all-time series 6-2-0, including a 3-0-0 mark at home. 2009 will be the third straight year that Montana and Minnesota have met.
Last Match-Up
Minnesota and Nevada's last match-up was also their first. Last season, the Golden Gophers earned a 2-1 victory on the road. Minnesota and Montana also met last season, also on the road for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers won 2-1 to make it two straight, and three out of the last four in the series.
Watch Live
Golden Gopher Soccer fans, if you can't make it to the games at The Robbie to watch in person, you can still watch them live. The Gold Zone will be streaming each of Minnesota's matches live, and to access the video feed, just visit www.GopherSports.com
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the Golden Gophers split, winning on Friday, and losing on Sunday. On Sept. 11 Katie Bethke scored twice in a 3-2 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and on Sept. 13, a lone second half goal was enough for Marquette as they held on to beat Minnesota 1-0.
Next Up
After hosting the Minnesota Gold Classic, the Golden Gophers jump in to Big Ten play the following weekend. The conference season begins at home on Sept. 24 against Iowa.
Career High For Bethke
With her two-goal performance against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Katie Bethke raised her season goal mark to five. The five spot already bests the four she scored last season, and ties her career high from the 2007 season. Also her 10 points this season match last season's total.
Shooter
Bethke is currently second in the Big Ten in shots with 26 on the season, just four behind the league leader. She is the only Golden Gopher this season to tally at least one shot in every match.
Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Cat Parkhill was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 7 following her two-shutout performance on 9/4 and 9/6. Parkhill stopped all four shots she saw, playing 200:00 minutes of scoreless soccer. It was the first Big Ten honor of Parkhill's career, and the first of the season for the Golden Gophers.
8th in the Region
The Golden Gophers check in at #8 in the Great Lakes Regional Poll this week, after placing seventh last week. Minnesota has been ranked among the top-10 in the region every week this season. Seven other Big Ten teams join the Golden Gophers in the regional.
Shut 'em Out, Shut 'em Out
Entering the week, Cat Parkhill is alone in second place on the Big Ten list for shutouts. Her four on the season are just one behind Lauren Robertson of Ohio State.
Unbeaten Streak
The win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee capped a season-long four-game unbeaten streak four Minnesota. It was their longest such streak since the Golden Gophers won six straight from 10/19 to 11/7 last season.
National Polls
The Golden Gophers have fallen out of the Top-25 for the first time this season. Minnesota was #23 last week, but after splitting their last two matches find themselves on the outside looking in. They are not completely out however, as they still received 25 votes. This week also snaps the Golden Gophers run of 10 straight weeks in the NSCAA Top-25 poll.
Ranked Opponents
The Golden Gophers have faced one ranked opponent this season, falling to then #16 Georgia on Aug. 28. The loss dropped their record to 2-12-0 against ranked teams under Mikki Denney Wright. Of teams currently ranked, three remain on Minnesota's schedule in #11 Purdue, #22 Indiana, and #25 Ohio State.
­
In the Tournament
For the first time this season, Minnesota plays a weekend set and will not see a team that played in the NCAA Tournament last season. Against five teams this season who were tournament qualifiers in 2008, the Golden Gophers are 2-2-1.
­
And Here's the Approach
Katie Bethke is approaching a pair of top-10 career lists with her fast start to the season. With 40 career points she is six away from 10th all-time and with 14 career goals she is four away from 10th all-time.
Perfect 10
Cat Parkhill's 10 saves against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on 9/11 stand as the best single game in the Big Ten this season. The 10 stops also mark a career high for Parkhill.
Big Ten First
With two goals on 9/6 along with her two assists on 8/21, Molly Rouse became the first player in the Big Ten this season to have a multi-goal and multi-assist match. She has since been joined by Alyssa Cosnek of Iowa.
Tough To Beat At the Robbie
The Golden Gophers will take their 15-match home unbeaten streak into the Robbie this weekend. Minnesota has went 14-0-1 in their last 15 home matches. They last lost at the Robbie on 11/8/07, falling 3-4 on penalty kicks, after tying Illinois 2-2 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
That is Not Allowed
The Golden Gophers have allowed just five goals through seven matches, putting them among the Big Ten's best. They are currently tied in third place with Wisconsin, behind first place Michigan State (1) and second place Ohio State (4).
Takin' Attendance
The Golden Gophers had their first crowd over 1,000 of the season, when 1,023 packed the Robbie Stadium stands to watch Minnesota play North Dakota State on 9/6. After three home matches, the Golden Gophers average attendance is at 955, second only to Penn State at 1,782.
MYSA Weekend at The Robbie
When the Golden Gophers return home on Sept. 18 and 20, it will be MYSA Weekend at Golden Gopher Soccer. All youth wearing soccer jerseys get in free, while their parents tickets are just one dollar. Also, bring a food donation in support of Second Harvest and receive free admission and a raffle ticket for a chance to win halftime prizes including a $100 gift certificate.
Get Score Updates on Your Phone
Fans can get scoring updates from all of Golden Gopher athletics through the Twitter page @GopherScores. Just find and follow @GopherScores, then set up your phone or mobile device to receive the text updates. If you are not already on Twitter, you will need to create an account.
Facebook/Twitter
Follow the Golden Gophers on Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook search "Golden Gopher Soccer" and on Twitter search @gophersoccer.
Open publication - Free publishing - More soccer
