University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gophers Travel to Wisconsin for Border Battle
9/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Sept. 28, 2011
The University of Minnesota caps off its three-match Big Ten road trip as it travels to face rival Wisconsin in the annual "Border Battle". The highly anticipated match kicks off at the Dan McClimon Memorial Track/Soccer Complex on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Golden Gophers (4-6-1, 1-1-1 Big Ten) had arguably their worst outing in recent years as they were shutout by Michigan State on the road, 3-0. The three-goal differential loss is the largest for the Maroon and Gold since they dropped 4-1 to Ohio State in 2006.
Scouting Wisconsin
The Badgers (7-3-1, 2-0-1 Big Ten) enter Thursday's match atop the Big Ten standings alongside Ohio State at 2-0-1. UW is also coming off the Michigan-Michigan State road trip as they defeated MSU 2-1 on Friday and had a scoreless draw at Michigan.
Wisconsin is led on the offensive end by freshman Cara Walls and senior Laurie Nosbusch. Walls ranks first on the team with 13 points and six goals while Nosbusch leads the team with four assists to accompany her four goals on the year.
In goal for the Badgers is redshirt senior Michele Dalton who sits third in the Big Ten with four shutouts. Dalton has 48 saves on the season with a save percentage of .828.
Listen to Wisconsin head coach Paula Wilkins' press conference from this week here.
The Series
Minnesota trails Wisconsin in the all-time series 10-11-0. Since Mikki Denney Wright has been the head coach, the Maroon and Gold are 5-2 versus the Badgers. The Golden Gophers have won five straight matches at UW with the last loss coming in 2000.
Looking Back at 2010
The Golden Gophers put together a solid defensive performance as they only allowed one shot on goal. Unfortunately, the lone shot on goal was a header for a goal in the 55th minute giving Wisconsin the 1-0 lead. Minnesota continued to out possess the Badgers for the remainder of the match, but they couldn't muster up a goal to force overtime.
Freshman Phenom
Freshman Taylor Uhl is only the seventh freshman in Minnesota's 19-year history to tally at least seven goals in their first season wearing the Maroon and Gold. She also is third all-time in the freshman records for notching four game-winning goals, which trails only Jennifer Walek (6 in 1993) and Tamara Strahota (5 in 2008).
Road Warriors
The Golden Gophers have played 7-of-11 matches on the road this season, which is the most in the conference to be only matched by Wisconsin and Northwestern.
Super Seniors
Currently, this year's senior class of Shari Eckstrom, Katie Roberts-Carlson and Josie Solie has the highest winning percentage over their four-year career than any other Minnesota class in the program's 19-year history at .6937 (52-21-7).
Topping the Big Ten
Since 2008, the Gophers are the winningest program in the Big Ten with an overall record of 52-21-7 (.694). The Maroon and Gold are followed by Penn State 49-19-11 (.689), Ohio State 46-22-7 (.660) and Michigan State 43-20-11 (.655).
Next Time Out
Minnesota closes out the week by welcoming Big Ten powerhouse Penn State to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Sunday. Before traveling to St. Paul, Minn., the Nittany Lions face off with Ohio State at PSU on Thursday night.
Follow the Action
All home games and most road matches can be watched live by signing up for Gopher All-Access. Thursday's game can also be followed by going to GopherSports.com and checking out the GameTracker link on the schedule page for live stats/updates.
Facebook/Twitter
For the latest and most updated information on Minnesota soccer, check out the team on Facebook (Golden Gopher Soccer) and Twitter (@GopherSoccer).
Get Score Updates on Your Phone
Fans can get scoring updates from all Golden Gopher athletics through the Twitter account @GopherScores. Just find and follow @GopherScores, then set up your phone or mobile device to receive text updates.
