University of Minnesota Athletics
B1G Quarterfinals: Minnesota vs. Michigan
11/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
| University of Minnesota vs. Northwestern University | |
| Date/Time | Nov. 5, 2014 // 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Location | Lakeside Field (Evanston, Ill.) |
| Tournament Central | 2014 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Updates | @GopherSoccer |
| Live Video | BTN Plus (Live from West Lafayette, Ind.) |
| Official Websites | Michigan |
| Social Media | @GopherSoccer | Facebook |
Nov. 4, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - To kick off their postseason run, the University of Minnesota women's soccer team will play the No. 25 University of Michigan Wolverines in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament on Wednesday evening. The tournament is being held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. and features the top eight teams in the Big Ten Conference. Minnesota, who boats a 10-8-1 overall record and 7-5-1 conference mark, earned the sixth seed at the conclusion of the 2014 regular season.
LAST TIME OUT
To close out the regular season, the Gophers traveled to Evanston, Ill. to compete against the Northwestern WIldcats. The match, originally scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. kick off on Oct. 31, was rescheduled to the morning of Nov. 1 due to high winds on campus.
The Wildcats outshot the Maroon and Gold, 20-3, and handed the Gophers their fourth shutout loss of the season in the 107th minute of play. It was the seventh overtime appearance for Minnesota in the 2014 season. Minnesota did not have a shot on frame but two shots from Taylor Wodnick and one from Taylor Stainbrook sailed high and wide of the net during the 90 minute game.
Sophomore goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs collected nine saves in the Gophers 1-0 loss to accumulate 85 on the season.
THE OPPONENTS
No. 6 seed Minnesota will face No. 3 seed Michigan in the final game of the quarterfinal round on Wednesday evening. The Gophers and Wolverines matched up in the first game of conference play on Sept. 12. Despite a goal from freshman Rachel McCloskey in the 65th minute of play to tie the game at 1, the Wolverines prevailed in overtime ending the game with a golden goal in the 94th minute of play.
The Wolverines are ranked 25th in the country for the second week in a row. Michigan is 1-3-1 in its last five matches with the lone win recorded at Illinois on Sat. Oct. 26. Michigan defeated then No. 9 Wisconsin in the opening weekend of conference play but fell to then No. 11 Penn State on Oct. 16.
Michigan has tallied a 12-4-3 overall record and won 8 conference games this season.
FRESHMAN FIRE
Freshman midfielder and Runnels, Iowa native Rachel McCloskey earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshmen Team after a successful rookie campaign that was cut short due to injury. McCloskey had three goals in 14 games including the Gophers lone goal in the conference opener and a goal in her first game in the Maroon and Gold.
SCORING STIEVER
Sophomore Josee Stiever has a team-best six goals this season as she has tallied points in four of the Gophers last six matches. Paired with her four assists, Stiever has the second most team points with 16 on the season. Stiever has received numerous honors this season including two appearances on the CS360 Primetime Performers Honor Roll. Stiever scored two goals in the Gophers 2-0 victory over No. 16 Rutgers two weekends ago.
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.
SHOWING SPORTSMANSHIP
When the Big Ten Conference announced its postseason awards earlier this week, junior Jen Larrick was rewarded for her sportsmanship as the Gophers Sportsmanship Award receiptant. Larrick has appeared in 14 games this season and has recorded one goal for the Maroon and Gold.
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. 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 2013 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, has 85 saves on the season. Hobbs has started 18 of the Gophers 19 games while Mara Dougherty stepped in and played one match for Minnesota this season tallying 4 saves against Auburn.
TUNING IN
Live stats for Wednesday's match will be available via the University of Minnesota Game Day Central page. The tournament central page will also have live up-to-date information during the tournament. 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 made 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.
2014 FINAL BIG CONFERENCE STANDINGS
| Conference | Overall | ||||
| W-L-T | % | Pts. | W-L-T | % | |
| Penn State | 12-1-0 | .923 | 36 | 17-2-0 | .895 |
| Wisconsin | 9-2-2 | .769 | 29 | 15-2-2 | .842 |
| Michigan | 8-2-3 | .731 | 27 | 12-4-3 | .711 |
| Rutgers | 8-4-1 | .654 | 25 | 12-4-1 | .735 |
| Iowa | 7-5-1 | .577 | 22 | 12-6-1 | .658 |
| Minnesota | 7-5-1 | .577 | 22 | 10-8-1 | .553 |
| Illinois | 5-6-2 | .462 | 17 | 10-7-2 | .579 |
| Northwestern | 4-6-3 | .423 | 15 | 8-7-4 | .526 |
| Maryland | 3-5-5 | .423 | 14 | 5-7-6 | .444 |
| Nebraska | 4-7-2 | .385 | 14 | 8-9-2 | .474 |
| Ohio State | 3-7-3 | .346 | 12 | 6-10-3 | .395 |
| Michigan State | 3-9-1 | .269 | 10 | 9-9-1 | .500 |
| Indiana | 3-9-1 | .269 | 10 | 7-11-1 | .395 |
| Purdue | 2-10-1 | .192 | 7 | 6-11-2 | .368 |
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.
