University of Minnesota Athletics
Border Rivals to Meet in Semifinals
11/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
| University of Minnesota vs. No. 11 University of Wisconsin | |
| Date/Time | November 7, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Purdue Soccer Complex (West Lafayette, Ind.) |
| Tournament Central | 2014 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament |
| Live Stats | |
| Live Updates | @GopherSoccer |
| Live Video | BTN2GO (Live from West Lafayette, Ind.) |
| Official Websites | Wisconsin |
| Social Media | @GopherSoccer | Facebook |
Nov. 6, 2014
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Two familiar faces will meet in the semifinal round of the 2014 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament when the University of Minnesota women's soccer team plays border rival and No. 11-ranked Wisconsin on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET. The Gophers advanced to the second round of tournament play after upsetting No. 25-ranked Michigan, 1-0, in double overtime on Wednesday evening. Minnesota, who boasts an 11-8-1 overall record earned the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament being held at Purdue Soccer Complex in West Lafayette, Ind.
Minnesota has not made it to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament since 2008 when Penn State defeated the Gophers who were the regular season champions.
LAST TIME OUT
Minnesota defeated the No. 25-ranked Michigan Wolverines during the last game of the quarterfinal round on Wednesday evening. Through the 109 minutes of play, the Gophers outshot Michigan 13-10 while sophomore goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs collected two saves on the evening. Wodnick tallied the Gophers first shot on goal in the 7th minute but sophomore Simone Kolander fired a loose ball at Michigan's goalkeeper in the 82nd minute to record Minnesota's best scoring opportunity in regulation.
With the season on the line, sophomore Josee Stiever sent a ball in to the far post from the left side of the field and found Wodnick who headed the ball into the net to score the golden goal with just a minute remaining in the second overtime period.
The match marked the eighth overtime appearance of the season for the Golden Gophers who hold a 4-3-1 record when appearing in extra minutes. The 1-0 victory also marked the Gophers eighth shutout victory of the season. This was the first overtime of the tournament. With the victory, Minnesota improved to 11-8-1 on the season.
THE OPPONENTS
The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers earned the second seed in the 2014 Big Ten Tournament after earning a 16-2-2 overall record. The Badgers have recorded 15 shutouts this season and have only allowed a total of seven goals. Wisconsin traveled to Minnesota earlier this season and handed the Gophers a 4-1 loss on Oct. 18. It was the first time since 2010 that the Badgers had defeated the Maroon and Gold.
The Badgers have a series of impressive victories including then No. 22 Portland, Washington and Rutgers while falling to Penn State on Oct. 5.
Minnesota and Wisconsin have met in the postseason four times with three of those games coming in the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota holds a 2-1 record in those match ups.
UNDERDOGS
In three of the four quarterfinal games on Wednesday, the lower seed advanced proving the notion that on any given day in the Big Ten Conference any team can step up and win.
No. 5 Iowa defeated No. 4 Rutgers, 1-0
No. 8 Northwestern defated No. 1 Penn State, 1-0
No. 6 Minnesota defeated No. 3 Michigan, 1-0 (2OT)
WIN IT WODNICK
Senior Taylor Wodnick emerged as the hero in Wednesday night's 1-0 shutout victory over No. 25 Michigan to punch the Gophers ticket to the semifinal round of play. Being a double overtime playmaker is nothing new for the senior who has tallied two gamewinners this season in the final stanza. Wodnick led the Maroon and Gold to victory on Oct. 12 as she scored in the 100th minute of play to lift the Gophers over Illinois.
SCORING STIEVER
Sophomore Josee Stiever has a team-best six goals this season as she has tallied points in five of the Gophers last seven matches. Stiever was credited with the assist on Wodnick's goal that propelled the Gophers to the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament. Paired with her five assists, Stiever has the second most team points with 17 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.
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.
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 honoree. Larrick has appeared in 15 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 99 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 87 saves on the season. Hobbs has started 19 of the Gophers 20 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 tournament central page will also have live up-to-date information during the tournament. The game will be available for viewing via BTN2Go live from Purdue Soccer Complex. 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 33-22-5 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.
