Minnesota Opens the Big Ten Season with Iowa, Illinois

The No. 18/19 Minnesota women's soccer team enters the Big Ten season facing off with two of the top teams in the conference in Iowa and No. 15/20 Illinois. The Gophers kickoff conference play on Thursday at Iowa (7 p.m. CST) before returning home for a Sunday afternoon contest against the nationally ranked Illini at 1 p.m.

No. 18/19 Minnesota vs. Iowa and No. 15/20 Illinois

Last Time Out
Minnesota rounded out its nonconference schedule last weekend with wins over nationally ranked South Carolina and Illinois State to head into Big Ten play with an 8-1-1 mark. The Gophers fell behind the Gamecocks early last Thursday but rallied back with three unanswered goals to come away from "The Graveyard" with a 3-1 win. Minnesota then blanked the Redbirds at home 3-0 while the Minnesota defense did not allow a shot on goal against Illinois State.

The Series
Minnesota and Iowa have meet 13 times heading into this Thursday with the Gophers bolstering a 9-2-1 record against theHawkeyes. The two Big Ten foes have kept it close in recent history with eight of the last nine games being decided by one goal. Meanwhile, Illinois holds a 8-5-2 record against the Gophers but have not beaten Minnesota since 2007 and are 2-4-1 at Minnesota.

Follow the Action
Fans of Minnesota soccer can follow both of this weekend's games with live stats and a running blog online at Gophersports.com. Additionally, Thursday's game will be broadcast online at BigTenNetwork.com. Minnesota's game with Iowa will be the first of four Gophers games broadcast this season by the Big Ten Network -- two of which will air live on the network.

Next Up
The Big Ten season continues next week for the Gophers, who host border rival Wisconsin next Thursday at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. Minnesota then takes a 10-day hiatus before hosting Purdue on Oct. 10. That game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.

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Scouting the Hawkeyes
- Iowas had a seven-game winning streak snapped last Sunday in a 3-1 loss to soon-to-be conference foe Nebraska. Iowa allowed just one goal during the winning streak. 
- The team leads  the Big Ten with 2.44 goals per game and sits second in the Big Ten in points with 22 goals (Minnesota leads with 23).
- Iowa sits third in the Big Ten standings behind Illinois and Minnesota.
- Coached by Ron Rainey (13th year).
- Leading scorers
 Leah Moss 13 pts (5G/3A)
 Jade Grimm 10 pts (3G/4A)
 - Leading Goalkeeper
 Emily Moran 9 GP, 5GA, 31svs

Scouting the Illini
- The Illini come into Sunday's game with a week's rest and own a four-game winning streak (no goals allowed during streak).
- Only blemish came in a 2-1 double overtime loss at Connecticut (9/3).
- Illinois bolsters a Big Ten low three goals allowed this season and sit atop the conference following the preseason.
- Coached by Janet Rayfield (9th year).
- Leading scorers
 Vanessa DiBernardo 11 pts (5G/1A)
 Jordan Hilbrands 6 pts (3G/0A)
- Leading Goalkeeper
 Alexandra Kapicka 8 GP, 2GA, 25svs
  Steph Pannozo 5 GP, 1GA, 7svs

Sitting on Top
As a unit, the Golden Gophers sit atop the Big Ten in nearly every offensive category. Minnesota ranks first in the conference in points (76), goals (23), assists (30) and shots (181). Defensively, the Gophers rank second in the conference in goals allowed with five. The team has only allowed two goals in its last seven games.

Bethke Leads Nation in Assists
Senior midfielder Katie Bethke's three assists against Illinois State moved her into a tie with Arkansas-Pine Bluffs' Silvia Fuentes for an national-best nine assists this season. Bethke's 11 points are most among Minnesota players. 

Milestone Watch
Two significant milestones appear on the horizon for the Minnesota women's soccer team. The Gophers currently sit with 196 total wins -- just four wins away from 200. Meanwhile, coach Mikki Denney Wright is just two wins short of her 75th win as head coach of the Gophers. Now midway through her seventh season at the helm, Denney Wright has averaged over 10 wins a season since taking over the program in 2004.

Captains Announced
Four seniors will serve as captains on the 2010 Gophers squad. Jennie Clark, Katie Bethke, Kyle Kallman and Molly Rouse were selected by their teammates to lead the team on the field.

Super Seniors
The 2010 roster features a group of seven seniors that have been one of the program's most successful senior classes. The group helped Minnesota win its third Big Ten title in 2008 as sophomores as well as earn its first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance later that year.

Iowa connection
Only four Minnesota women's soccer players hail from states other than Minnesota, and two of them come from Iowa. Senior defender Jennie Clark is from Norwalk, Iowa and freshman forward MacKenzie Misel is from Ankeny, Iowa.

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