University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Close Regular Season
10/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
| University of Minnesota vs. Northwestern University | |
| Date/Time | GAME CHANGE: Nov. 1, 2014 // 11:30 a.m. |
| Location | Lakeside Field (Evanston, Ill.) |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Updates | @GopherSoccer |
| Live Video | BTN Plus (Live from Northwestern) |
| Official Websites | Northwestern |
| Social Media | @GopherSoccer | Facebook |
GAME CHANGE: Due to severe weather, the match between Northwestern and the Gophers has been postponed until 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1. For more updates, please follow @GopherSoccer on Twitter.
Oct. 30, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - On the heels of two Big Ten Conference shutouts, the University of Minnesota women's soccer team will travel to Northwestern University to conclude the 2014 regular season. Minnesota, who holds a 10-7-1 overall record and a 7-4-1 conference mark, will battle the Wildcats on Friday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. from Lakeside Field on Northwestern's campus. The Gophers currently hold a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference with Iowa and Rutgers.
LAST TIME OUT
Minnesota earned their sixth and seventh shutouts of the year when they hosted Big Ten newcomers, Maryland and Rutgers, at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium this past weekend.
Senior Katie Thyken scored her first goal of the season in the 84th minute of play on Friday evening against Maryland to propel the Maroon and Gold over Maryland. She was assisted by senior Olivia Schultz who tallied her first assist of the season and in her career with the Gophers.
On Sunday afternoon, sophomore Josee Stiever stole the show and scored two goals in the Gophers 2-0 shutout of No. 16 Rutgers. On both goals, sophomore Ashley Pafko was credited with the assist. The two sophomores lead the Maroon and Gold to their first top 25 win of the season.
The two conference shutouts allowed the Gophers to imrpove to 10-7-1 overall.
THE OPPONENTS
Minnesota will travel to Evanston, Ill. to take on the Northwestern Wildcats on Friday evening in the last game of conference play. Northwestern is 2-0-2 in its last four outings including an overtime victory over then-No. 14 Rutgers. The Wildcats other victory came last Sunday after they tied Michigan after 110 minutes of competition.
The Wilcats are 7-7-4 overall and have a 3-6-3 conference mark. Addie Steiner leads Northwestern with 10 goals and 1 assist for a total of 21 points on the season. While the Gophers have punched their ticket to the 2014 Big Ten Conference Tournament, Northwestern is still fighting for a spot as one of the four teams still vying for a spot in the conference tournament.
The Gophers lead the all-time series 16-7-1 but Northwestern captured the victory in the last meeting between the pair as they defeated the Gophers, 2-0, last season.
SCORING STIEVER
Last weekend, Josee Stiever led the Maroon and Gold to victory after scoring two goals against No. 16 Rutgers. With the two goals in Sunday's match, Stiever now leads the team in goals with six. She has tallied points in four of the Gophers past five matches and has acheived a career high six goals and four assists for a total of 16 points on the season.
After her successful weekend, Stiever was named to the CS360 Primetime Performers Honor Roll. The full release can be found here.
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 two offensive categories with eight assists and 18 points on the season and has the second-most goals on the team with five. 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 96 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 76 saves on the season. Hobbs has started 20 of the Gophers 21 games while Mara Dougherty stepped in and played one match for Minnesota this season tallying 4 saves against Auburn.
TUNING IN
Live stats for Friday's match 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 Lakeside Field. Fans who cannot watch online or attend the match 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 96 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 | 11-1-0 | .917 | 33 | 16-2-0 | .889 |
| Wisconsin | 9-2-1 | .792 | 28 | 15-2-1 | .861 |
| Michigan | 8-2-2 | .750 | 26 | 12-4-2 | .722 |
| Rutgers | 7-4-1 | .625 | 22 | 11-4-1 | .719 |
| Iowa | 7-4-1 | .625 | 22 | 12-5-1 | .694 |
| Minnesota | 7-4-1 | .625 | 22 | 10-7-1 | .583 |
| Illinois | 5-6-1 | .458 | 16 | 10-7-1 | .583 |
| Maryland | 3-4-5 | .458 | 14 | 5-6-6 | .471 |
| Northwestern | 3-6-3 | .375 | 12 | 7-7-4 | .500 |
| Ohio State | 3-6-3 | .375 | 12 | 6-9-3 | .417 |
| Nebraska | 3-7-2 | .333 | 11 | 7-9-2 | .444 |
| Michigan State | 3-8-1 | .292 | 10 | 9-8-1 | .528 |
| Indiana | 2-9-1 | .208 | 7 | 6-11-1 | .361 |
| Purdue | 2-10-0 | .167 | 6 | 6-11-1 | .361 |
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 32-22-5 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.
