University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Split with ACC Powers
3/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Duke, who returns 8 starters from their 2009 NCAA tournament team, got on the scoreboard in the 11th minute when junior midfielder Marybeth Kreger got on the end of a bouncing ball outside the Minnesota penalty box and volleyed it past a diving Cat Parkhill for the 1-0 lead. Less than 15 minutes later, the Blue Devils struck again when Kreger tapped in a cross from two yards out to make it 2-0 going into the intermission. The 1st half was even statistically, as each team recorded 4 shots with two being on goal.
Minnesota fought back in the 2nd half, but it was Duke who tallied next with a goal off a corner kick in the 75th minute. Junior Lynnea Pappas sent the ball into the Gopher penalty area where freshman Nicole Lipp buried the uncontested header from 7 yards out for the 3-0 Blue Devil lead.
The Gophers kept pushing and broke into the scoring column when freshman Marissa Price beat a Duke defender on the right flank and whipped a cross in that was finished by redshirt freshman Stephanie Brandt. Brandt slashed in front of the defender trying to mark her and volleyed the service off the post and into the net to make the score 3-1 in the 81st minute. It was the Rochester, MN native's first goal in a Gopher uniform after redshirting last fall. Minnesota kept pressing for more, but the Blue Devil defense was able to secure the 3-1 victory. For the game, Minnesota held a slight 5-4 edge in corner kicks. The Gophers also led in shots 11-8 and shots on goal 5-3.
On Sunday, Minnesota was faced with the challenge of taking on a Wake Forest team that made a deep run in the 2009 NCAA tournament, falling in the quarterfinals to eventual national champion North Carolina. Minnesota returns all 11 starters from a team that struggled to show bounce back ability in 2009 after a loss or tie. This edition of the Gophers bounced back well from the Duke loss in battling a talented Wake Forest team and earning a 1-0 shutout victory on Sunday.
The game winner came in the 77th minute when junior Jennie Clark sent a corner kick into the Demon Deacon penalty area. Both junior Kylie Kallman and sophomore Shari Eckstrom battled several Wake defenders for the ball when Kallman eventually got ahold of the knock down, turned, and fired a rocket into the back of the net for what stood up as the only goal of the game.
The Gopher defense led by All-Big 10 defender Clark held the Demon Deacon attack to 2 corner kicks and 4 shots, none of which went on frame. Redshirt sophomore Katie Roberts went the distance in goal to earn the shutout.
Minnesota will spend the next three weeks training before battling the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln on Saturday, April 17th. The Gophers will then wrap the spring season when they host the Kansas Jayhawks and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 10/Big XII Spring Challenge at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Saturday, April 24th. Admission is free to the Big 10/Big XII Spring Challenge.
