University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Host Drake in Exhibition
8/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
| University of Minnesota Hosts Drake in Exhibition | |
| Date/Time | Saturday, August 15, 2015 at 6 p.m. |
| Location | Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium |
| Social Media | @GopherSoccer | Facebook |
FREE Admission
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's soccer team will host Drake University in an exhibition match on Saturday, August 15 at the Elizabeth Lyle Robbie stadium. The match will begin at 6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
"The girls have worked extremely hard to grow throughout preseason and we are pleased with their effort," said head coach Stefanie Golan. "We have a lot of players who we think can contribute but only 11 players can start the match, so we are looking forward to see how things come together over the course of 90 minutes. Drake is going to be a good measuring stick for us as they have already played two exhibition games, so they are more played in at this point. Our expectation is that our girls come together and are organized in our defending, confident in possession and looking to be dynamic in the final third. This is a chance for us to see what areas we need to tighten up as we head into the regular rhythm of our non-conference portion of the season."
KEY RETURNERS
The Gophers closed out the 2014 season with an overall record of 11-9-1 and 7-5-1 in conference play. The team returns eight starters from last year including juniors Simone Kolander as a forward and Josee Stiever in the midfield. Senior Haley Helverson looks to continue anchoring the defense. All three were named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list.
This summer, Kolander played in the W-League for the Seattle Sounders, along with fellow junior Rashida Beal, and was named one of the captains for the 2015 season. She set two school records last season for assists in a single match (4) and most assists in a single season (9).
Stiever spent her summer playing for the W-League Dayton Dutch Lions. Last season, she recorded three consecutive games where she tallied at least one point for the Gophers. This is her second straight season being named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list.
During the 2014 season, Helverson tallied 20 shots, seven of which were on goal. This is her second year in a leadership role as one of the captains for the Maroon and Gold.
In the goal, the team returns junior Tarah Hobbs, who was a member of FC Indiana in the W-League this summer. Hobbs tallied 96 saves on the season and recorded eight shutouts for the Gophers last season.
COACHING STAFF
At the helm of the Gophers is head coach Stefanie Golan who enters her fourth season with the team. At the U, Golan holds a winning record of 33-24-5.
Entering her seventh season as associate head coach, is former Gopher defender, Krystle Seidel. Fellow Gopher standout, Tam Warnke (Strahota), enters her fourth season with the team and serves as the director of soccer operations.
New to the coaching staff this year are Andy Stoots and Natasha Bell. Stoots hails from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. and Bell joins the team from Utah Valley University.
GOPHERS RANKED IN THE BIG TEN
In the Big Ten women's soccer team preseason coaches poll released on Wednesday, the Gophers landed in the sixth spot.
The top three spots are held by Penn State, Michigan and Rutgers and Wisconsin tying for third, respectively.
OPPONENT'S RESULTS
The Drake University Bulldogs return seven starters from last season and are coming off a record of 9-9-2.
Coming into the exhibition on Saturday, the Bulldogs have already played two exhibition games themselves, first against Western Illinois, where they defeated the Leathernecks 1-0 and dropped the contest versus the Kansas Jayhawks 0-5.
FRESH FACES
The Maroon and Gold have added seven freshman to their roster for the 2015 season. Suiting up for the Gophers are five Twin Cities natives, Maddie Castro (Cottage Grove, Park HS), Molly Fiedler (Eagan, St. Paul Academy HS), Emily Heslin (Woodbury, Hill-Murray HS), April Bockin (Eden Prairie, Eden Prairie HS) and Emily Peterson (Savage, Prior Lake HS), all of whom played together in the Elite Clubs National League with the 18-and-under Minnesota Thunder Academy. Also joining the Minnesota natives are Kailee Sharp of Centennial, Colo. and Hugrun Friedriksdottir, who comes to the U.S. from Reykjavik, Iceland.
"We feel this class has the potential to positively impact our program quickly," said Golan. "We are adding depth in every position and we are excited to help this group transition into life in the Big Ten."
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, the Gophers continue their homestand and will open their regular season play against NDSU on Friday, August 21 with the match set for 7:00 p.m. On Sunday, August 23, the team will take on Kansas with an afternoon match set for 2:00 p.m.
The team will begin their travel schedule the following two weekends as they head to Baton Rouge, La. to take on Stephen F. Austin and LSU followed by Milwaukee to face Marquette on September 4 and Lubbock, Texas to play Texas Tech on September 6.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
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.
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