University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Face Off in Border Battle
10/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
| University of Minnesota vs. No. 15 Wisconsin | |
| Date/Time | Saturday, October 18, 2014 |
| Location | Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Updates | @GopherSoccer |
| Live Video | Big Ten Network |
| Official Websites | Wisconsin |
| Social Media | @GopherSoccer | Facebook |
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn . - On the heels of two Big Ten Conference wins against Nebraska and Illinois last weekend, the University of Minnesota women's soccer team will host border rival and No. 15 Wisconsin at Saturday evening at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The annual border battle game is set to begin at 7 p.m. and will be live streamed on BTN Plus. The game will serve as a celebration of the three Minnesota teams who have won Big Ten titles. The Maroon and Gold boast an 8-6-1 overall record and hold a 5-3-1 conference mark.
LAST TIME OUT
Minnesota earned two conference wins last weekend with wins over Nebraska and Illinois.
The Gophers hosted Nebraska and earned their third win over the Cornhuskers in program history on Thursday evening at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. Junior Taylor Stainbrook scored her first two goals of the season in the 3-1 victory while Josee Stiever tallied her third goal of the season to tie the game at 1 in the first half.
Minnesota then traveled to Champaign, Ill. to take on the Illini on the Big Ten Network on Sunday afternoon. Stiever recorded her fourth goal of the season and second of the weekend in the 51st minute of play to take a lead early in the second half. The Gophers would lead until a hand ball was called in the box leading to a penalty kick from Big Ten leading scorer and reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Janelle Flaws, who tied the game in the 88th minute. Minnesota made their fifth overtime appearance of the season where senior Taylor Wodnick scored the golden goal in the first 20 seconds of the second overtime period to win the game for the Maroon and Gold.
THE OPPONENTS
No. 15 Wisconsin travels to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium with a 12-2-1 overall record and a 6-2-1 conference mark. The Badgers sit just ahead of the Maroon and Gold in the conference standings with 19 points after defeating Northwestern on Oct. 12. Wisconsin, just like the Gophers, played four games in ten days while their Sunday opponents played two.
Minnesota leads the all-time series with a 13-11-1 mark and have acheived a 6-1-1 record since 2007. Last season, junior Haley Helverson scored the golden goal in the 109th minute of play to lift the Gophers over their border rivals.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
On Saturday evening, the Maroon and Gold will honor the three conference championship teams in Gopher program history as well as welcome back alumnae from the 22 years in program existence. The game will kick off with the representation of the 1995, 1997 and 2008 teams as honorary captains for the match.
At halftime, all alumnae in attendance will be recognized for their contributions to the program. Gopher greats Lindsey Dare, Jennifer McElmury and Jennifer Walek will be at Elizabth Lyle Robbie Stadium for the border battle match up.
TWO FOR ONE
Fans who attend the Gopher Football Homecoming Game against Purdue on Saturday morning can gain free admission to the border battle by bringing their football ticket stub to the gates at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.
STUDENT STEALS
The Gopher Soccer student shuttle will run from Bierman Field Athletic Building to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium beginning at 6 p.m. The shuttle will run throughout the game and end an hour after the game wraps up. Students in attendance will receive a Gopher Soccer scarf.
SCORING STIEVER
Sophomore Josee Stiever was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the conference office on Monday. Stiever combined for two goals on the weekend as the Gophers defeated Nebraska, 3-1, and Illinois, 2-1. She fired four shots, three on targer, for the Maroon and Gold. She is the second Gopher this season to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Stiever has a career high four goals on the season and three assists for a total of 11 points.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
The sophomore class has stepped up in more ways than one for this young Gopher team. With the scoring ability of Simone 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 84 points on the season.
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 54 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 last weekend at home. 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 both games will be available via the University of Minnesota Game Day Central page. The game will be available for viewing via BTN + digital platform live from Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. Fans who cannot watch online or attend the matches are encouraged to follow the Gophers on Twitter for live game updates (@GopherSoccer).
FRESH FACES
Thee nine freshman that were added to the 2014 roster have proved to be a tremendous addition. Squires and Rachel McCloskey have started each of the 4 matches for the Maroon and Gold, combining for five of the Gophers 14 goals. Seven of the nine freshman have seen playing time in a regular season game and four have contributed to the Gophers 42 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 30-21-5 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.
