University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Gear Up for Final Homestand
10/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
| University of Minnesota vs. Maryland and No. 16 Rutgers | |
| Date/Time | Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. // Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. |
| Location | Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium |
| Live Stats | // |
| Live Updates | @GopherSoccer |
| Live Video | BTN Plus (Live from ELR) |
| Official Websites | Minnesota // Maryland // No. 16 Rutgers |
| Social Media | @GopherSoccer | Facebook |
Oct. 23, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn . - After a disappointing 4-1 loss to Wisconsin last Saturday, the University of Minnesota women's soccer team looks to rebound as they wecolme Big Ten Conference newcomes, Maryland and No. 16 Rutgers, to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium this weekend. In the last homestand of the regular season for the Maroon and Gold, the Gophers hope to improve on their 8-7-1 overall record and their 5-4-1 conference mark.
The Gophers currently sit in sixth place in the Big Ten Conference standings with 16 points.
LAST TIME OUT
Minnesota's three game winning streak was broken when Big Ten foe and border rival, Wisconsin, defeated the Gophers, 4-1. The Maroon and Gold fell behind early as Kodee Williams scored the first goal of the game in the 5th minute of play. Senior Taylor Wodnick scored the equalizer in the 24th minute to tie the game at 1.
The Badgers went on to score three unanswered goals in ten minutes during the second half to solidify their 4-1 win over the Maroon and Gold.
THE OPPONENTS
Minnesota will welcome Maryland to the Robbie on Friday evening. The Terps are 2-1-5 over the past seven matches and have an overall record of 5-4-6 on the season. Noteable wins include 2-0 over Rutgers on Sept. 12, 1-0 over Iowa on Sept. 25 and 2-1 over Purdue on Oct. 2.
Senior Shade Pratt and Shannon Collins have six points each to lead the team while 10 different Maryland players have found the back of the net in 2014.
Maryland owns the sole victory in the all-time series after a win in 2011 over the Maroon and Gold. The 1-0 victory for the Terps featured three current Gophers inlcuding Katie Thyken, Becca Roberts and Taylor Wodnick.
No. 16 Rutgers will make their first appearance at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Staidum for a Sunday afternoon game. The Scarlet Knights are in a three-way tie for second place in the conference with Wisconsin and a win in Madision on Friday evening will give them sole pocession of that spot. Rutgers has an overall record of 11-2-1 and a 7-2-1 in conference play and have lost just two games in its last 19 matches dating back to last season. Rutgers can credit much of its success this season to a solid defense who ranks fourth in the nation in GAA (0.42) and fifth in save percentage (.887).
Rutgers defeated Minnesota, 1-0, on Sept. 29, 1995 to lead the all-time series between the two teams. That same year, the Gophers went on to win their first Big Ten Championship and make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
STUDENT STEALS
Friday - 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 snapback and scarf. This is the last student tailgate of the season and will feature the annual Maroon Madness game.
Sunday - The Gopher Soccer student shuttle will run from Bierman Field Athletic Building to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium beginning at noon. The shuttle will run throughout the game and end an hour after the game wraps up.
THANK YOU FANS
Last weekend, the Robbie was filled with 1,159 fans supporting the Maroon and Gold. To show our appreciate, fans will receive long sleeve maroon shirts and foam fingers at Friday's game vs. Maryland. Pre-signed autographed posters will be handed out to children in attendance.
SCORING STIEVER
Sophomore Josee Stiever racked up another point on her way to a career best 12 points this season. On Saturday, she assisted senior Taylor Wodnick to record her fourth assist of the season. This is the third consecutive match where Stiever has scored at least one point. Stiever has a career high four goals and four assists for 12 points and has started 15 of the Gophers 16 games.
KICK IT LIKE KOLANDER
Sophomore Simone Kolander has stepped up as the offensive leader for the Maroon and Gold during the 2014 season. She currently leads the Gophers in all three offensive categories with five points, eight assists and 18 points on the season. Kolander broke a school record for assists in a single match with four during the Gophers 10-0 rout of Stetson in the opening weekend of play. She also scored two goals in that game for a total of eight points.
MINNESOTA MADE
Minnesota's roster of 26 boasts 18 native Minnesotans who are playing for their hometown team. Many are from the Twin Cities area and have played together on club teams growing up. The other six roster spots are made up of representatives from Iowa, Wisconsin, Washington and Colorado.
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 87 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 69 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.
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
The 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.
BIG CONFERENCE STANDINGS
| Conference | Overall | ||||
| W-L-T | % | Pts. | W-L-T | % | |
| Penn State | 9-1-0 | .900 | 27 | 14-2-0 | .875 |
| Wisconsin | 7-2-1 | .750 | 22 | 13-2-1 | .844 |
| Rutgers | 7-2-1 | .750 | 22 | 11-2-1 | .821 |
| Michigan | 7-2-1 | .750 | 22 | 11-4-1 | .719 |
| Iowa | 6-3-1 | .650 | 19 | 11-4-1 | .719 |
| Minnesota | 5-4-1 | .550 | 16 | 8-7-1 | .531 |
| Maryland | 3-2-5 | .550 | 14 | 5-4-6 | .533 |
| Illinois | 4-5-1 | .450 | 13 | 9-6-1 | .594 |
| Nebraska | 3-5-2 | .400 | 11 | 7-7-2 | .500 |
| Michigan State | 3-6-1 | .350 | 10 | 9-6-1 | .594 |
| Ohio State | 2-5-3 | .350 | 9 | 5-8-3 | .406 |
| Northwestern | 2-6-2 | .300 | 8 | 6-7-3 | .469 |
| Purdue | 2-9-0 | .182 | 6 | 6-10-1 | .382 |
| Indiana | 1-9-1 | .136 | 4 | 5-11-1 | .324 |
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 30-22-5 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.
