University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota to Face Illinois
10/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
| University of Minnesota vs. University of Illinois | |
| Date/Time | Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Illinois Soccer Stadium |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Updates | @GopherSoccer |
| Live Video | Big Ten Network |
| Official Websites | Nebraska |
| Social Media | @GopherSoccer | Facebook |
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Following defeating Nebraska for the third time in program history on Thursday evening in front of a home crowd, the University of Minnesota women's soccer team will hit the road again to close the weekend at the University of Illinois. The Gophers who are 7-6-1 overall with a 4-3-1 conference mark will battle the Illini live on the Big Ten Network from Illinois Soccer Stadium in Champaign, Ill. The match is set to start at 2 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite falling behind in the 31st minute of play, the Maroon and Gold rallied and scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday evening at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The charge was lead by junior Taylor Stainbrook who scored two of the Gophers three goals. Sophomore Simone Kolander recorded two assists while Josee Stiever netted her third goal of the season and sophomore Rashida Beal earned her first career point.
THE OPPONENTS
The Illini will match up with the Gophers after dropping two straight matches to Penn State and Northwestern respectively. Illinois, who have only lost four games this season, have lost to three Big Ten opponents over the course of the season. They enter the game with a 9-4-0 overall record. Illinois holds an advantage in the all-time series with a 10-7-3 mark. Last season, Minnesota and Illinois met in the final game of the regular season where the Illini came out on top with a 3-1 victory in Minneapolis.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
The sophomore class has stepped up in more ways than one for this young Gopher team. With the scoring ability ofSimone Kolander, Josee Stiever in the midfield, Ashley Pafko and Rashida Beal holding down the back line and Tarah Hobbs in goal, the sophomore class is leading the team to new heights. Stiever proved this as she and Pafko teamed up to win the game for the Maroon and Gold on Sunday. The sophomore class that boasts 5 starters and accounts for nearly half of the Gophers 50 points will be a forced to be reckoned with in the coming months and years.
Kolander is one assist away from breaking onto the top ten list for assists in a season.
To read more about the contributions of the underclassmen, read "The Underclassmen Takeover" here.
GOALKEEPER GLORY
Sophomores Tarah Hobbs and Mara Dougherty have made quite the pair in goal this year for the Maroon and Gold. Hobbs, the reigning Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, has 57 saves on the season. Hobbs has started eight of the Gophers nine games while Mara Dougherty stepped in and played one match for Minnesota this season tallying 4 saves against Auburn.
Hobbs earned nine saves during the Gophers tie with Ohio State. The Buckeyes came out in the first OT period on fire as they barrelled six shots on goal at Hobbs. Hobbs met each challenge, tallying six saves in the ten minute time span, to keep Minnesota alive. Her most noteable saves were back-to-back on Nichelle Prince breakaway.
TUNING IN
Live stats for Sunday's game will be available via the University of Minnesota Game Day Central page. The game will be broadcast live from Illinois Soccer Stadium on the Big Ten Network. You can also watch the match on the BTN2Go application. Fans who cannot watch online or attend the matches are encouraged to follow the Gophers on Twitter for live game updates (@GopherSoccer).
FRESH FACES
The nine freshman that were added to the 2014 roster have proved to be a tremendous addition. Rachel McCloskey has started each match for the Maroon and Gold. Sydney Squires and McCloskey have combined for 16 of the Gophers 78 points this season. Seven of the nine freshman have seen playing time in a regular season game and four have contributed to the Gophers 78 points including Squires, McCloskey, Hannah Holm and Juliana Gernes.
THE NOTORIOUS B1G
The Big Ten Conference announced its 2014 Preseason Coaches' Poll in August with the Gophers picked to finish eleventh in the conference behind new members Maryland and Rutgers who will both make their way to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in October. Penn State was picked to top the conference after finishing last season with a 7-4 conference record. One of their four losses came at the hands of the Gophers. As of this week, three teams in the Big Ten sit in the top 25 of the NSCAA weekly rankings while two other teams have received votes.
With the announcement of the preseason coaches' poll, the 2014 players to watch list was also revealed. It was no surprise that 2013 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, Tarah Hobbs, was named among midfielders Josee Stiever and Katie. Last season, Thyken led the charge in terms of scoring with a career high tying 7 goals.
In 2013, a Big Ten Conference record eight teams earned NCAA Tournament berths including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State and Ohio State while Iowa made their first ever post season run.
2013 RECAP
Minnesota posted an 11-8-2 record last season while collecting four conferences wins in Stefanie Golan's second year as head coach of the Maroon and Gold. Wins and loses do not tell the entire story for the Gophers last season as they defeated then No. 7 Penn State, No. 17 Michigan and Wisconsin to punch their ticket into the first round of the NCAA Tournament. A first round loss to Texas Tech on their home pitch sent the Gophers home after reaching the tournament for the first time since 2010 when Minnesota reached the Sweet Sixteen.
NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCES
Minnesota has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances in its history including a string of five postseason runs from 1995-99. During the programs third year of existence, the Golden Gophers made their first appearance in the 1995 and again in 1996 before reaching the second round three-consecutive times in 1997-99. The Gophers made their first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2008 and then advanced to the Sweet 16 again in 2010. Last season's first round appearance marked Coach Golan's first tournament berth with the Maroon and Gold.
LEADING THE WAY
Minnesota announced at the beginning of the season that seniors Becca Roberts and Olivia Schultz and junior Haley Helverson will join Katie as captains for the 2014 season.
THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM
Stefanie Golan is entering her third season as the Gophers head coach with an overall record of 29-21-5 over the past three seasons. The Maroon and Gold return associate head coach and former Gopher defender Krystle Seidel as well as assistant coach Deana Waintraub-Stafford. New to the staff are MacKenzie Misel who will serve as volunteer assistant coach and Tam Strahota as director of soccer operations. Both new hires are former Gopher standouts.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Are you following the Gophers on the road or from home? Make sure to follow @GopherSoccer on Twitter and use the hashtag #GiveEverything. You can also check for updates on Facebook and Instagram by "Liking" Golden Gopher Soccer on Facebook or following the Gophers on Instagram.
