University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, October 8
Lincoln, Neb.
7:05 PM
University of Minnesota
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at
0
Nebraska
Kolander's Brace Leads Gophers Past Nebraska
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
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LINCOLN, Neb. - The No. 14 University of Minnesota women's soccer team defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers on a rainy Thursday night at Barbara Hibner Field three to nil.
With the win, the Gophers' record moves to 10-2-2 overall and 5-1-0 in the Big Ten, solidifying their spot atop the conference.
"Tonight was a really solid performance for us," said head coach Stefanie Golan. "We knew what to expect out of Nebraska in terms of the unique style of soccer they display and they are committed to it 100% and play extremely hard. We knew it was going to be a difficult game in a lot of ways for us, but I think our team was prepared extremely well for and executed the game plan just as we hoped. Scoring three goals is always a good thing, especially when it's combined with a shutout."
Six minutes into the match, junior co-captain Simone Kolander netted her 8th goal of the season as she converted a foul in the box. The penalty kick point was fitting after last week's 1-0 loss to Wisconsin was decided off a PK.
Kolander paced the Gophers as in the 28th-minute, she scored her second goal of the night and ninth of the season off an assist from sophomore Sydney Squires. Kolander's ninth goal makes her the leading scorer in the Big Ten.
Squires assist is her third on the season and fifth of her career.
"I think that we were upset from last week from our game against Wisconsin because it was one of the first games where we hadn't scored in a while and we didn't create a lot of opportunities," said Kolander. "Tonight, we were really excited to get back out on the field and bounce back and that's exactly what we did."
In the first half, the Gophers tallied seven shots, two corner kicks and had five fouls.
In goal, junior goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs made three key saves.
Already leading 2-0 coming out from the half, the Gophers held strong defensively.
"Nebraska likes to play a low press, so they weren't up in our face and our defenders had the ball a lot," said Kolander. "We were able to find our midfielders and forwards and play through them. The field was wet, so both teams were sliding all over, but we were able to stay pretty technical through it all."
"Our back four defenders have done a really great job of making it tough for teams to get in and get quality looks against us," said Golan. "Our midfield and forwards have also been strong in the press to where teams don't have a chance to really build."
With 15 minutes left to play, Squires proved the power of that press as she slowly shaped a soft shot from the left of the box to net her fourth goal of the season to solidify the final 3-0 decision.
"That goal was a result of pure hard work," said Golan. "We forced them back into their end, kept pressing the ball and it ended up at her feet with the keeper out of the goal and she placed it in."
On the night, the Maroon and Gold tallied nine shots, four corner kicks and nine fouls. The Huskers shot 11 times, had three corner kicks, made three saves and had three fouls.
Kolander, freshman Molly Fiedler, junior Josee Stiever, redshirt senior Taylor Stainbrook junior Ashley Pafko and freshman April Bockin all contributed to the Gophers' shots.
In goal, Hobbs made five saves to move her record to 9-2-2.
"We executed tonight, created a lot of good opportunities and I thought that our girls seemed confident in the final third which means that everything carried over," said Golan.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following their back-to-back stint on the road, Minnesota will return to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium to host the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines.
Thursday's nightcap game is set for 7:00 p.m. and Sunday's match has a start time of 1:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
Are you following the Gophers on the road or from home? Make sure to follow @GopherSoccer on Twitter and use the team's new hashtag #Unbreakable. You can also check for updates on Facebook and Instagram by "liking" Golden Gopher Soccer on Facebook or following the Gophers on Instagram.
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With the win, the Gophers' record moves to 10-2-2 overall and 5-1-0 in the Big Ten, solidifying their spot atop the conference.
"Tonight was a really solid performance for us," said head coach Stefanie Golan. "We knew what to expect out of Nebraska in terms of the unique style of soccer they display and they are committed to it 100% and play extremely hard. We knew it was going to be a difficult game in a lot of ways for us, but I think our team was prepared extremely well for and executed the game plan just as we hoped. Scoring three goals is always a good thing, especially when it's combined with a shutout."
Six minutes into the match, junior co-captain Simone Kolander netted her 8th goal of the season as she converted a foul in the box. The penalty kick point was fitting after last week's 1-0 loss to Wisconsin was decided off a PK.
Kolander paced the Gophers as in the 28th-minute, she scored her second goal of the night and ninth of the season off an assist from sophomore Sydney Squires. Kolander's ninth goal makes her the leading scorer in the Big Ten.
Squires assist is her third on the season and fifth of her career.
"I think that we were upset from last week from our game against Wisconsin because it was one of the first games where we hadn't scored in a while and we didn't create a lot of opportunities," said Kolander. "Tonight, we were really excited to get back out on the field and bounce back and that's exactly what we did."
In the first half, the Gophers tallied seven shots, two corner kicks and had five fouls.
In goal, junior goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs made three key saves.
Already leading 2-0 coming out from the half, the Gophers held strong defensively.
"Nebraska likes to play a low press, so they weren't up in our face and our defenders had the ball a lot," said Kolander. "We were able to find our midfielders and forwards and play through them. The field was wet, so both teams were sliding all over, but we were able to stay pretty technical through it all."
"Our back four defenders have done a really great job of making it tough for teams to get in and get quality looks against us," said Golan. "Our midfield and forwards have also been strong in the press to where teams don't have a chance to really build."
With 15 minutes left to play, Squires proved the power of that press as she slowly shaped a soft shot from the left of the box to net her fourth goal of the season to solidify the final 3-0 decision.
"That goal was a result of pure hard work," said Golan. "We forced them back into their end, kept pressing the ball and it ended up at her feet with the keeper out of the goal and she placed it in."
On the night, the Maroon and Gold tallied nine shots, four corner kicks and nine fouls. The Huskers shot 11 times, had three corner kicks, made three saves and had three fouls.
Kolander, freshman Molly Fiedler, junior Josee Stiever, redshirt senior Taylor Stainbrook junior Ashley Pafko and freshman April Bockin all contributed to the Gophers' shots.
In goal, Hobbs made five saves to move her record to 9-2-2.
"We executed tonight, created a lot of good opportunities and I thought that our girls seemed confident in the final third which means that everything carried over," said Golan.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following their back-to-back stint on the road, Minnesota will return to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium to host the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines.
Thursday's nightcap game is set for 7:00 p.m. and Sunday's match has a start time of 1:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
Are you following the Gophers on the road or from home? Make sure to follow @GopherSoccer on Twitter and use the team's new hashtag #Unbreakable. You can also check for updates on Facebook and Instagram by "liking" Golden Gopher Soccer on Facebook or following the Gophers on Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
/ Soccer
Forward/Midfielder
/ Soccer
Defender/Forward
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Defender/Midfielder
/ Soccer
Midfielder
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