University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
New Mexico
Gophers Down Lobos, 1-0
9/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
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MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's soccer team defeated the New Mexico Lobos with a lone goal in their first home game back at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium after two weekends on the road.
With the win, the Gophers move to 4-1-2.
"Tonight, the ball was in the air more than it was on the ground which, does not play into our strengths and made for an ugly game," said head coach Stefanie Golan. "Credit to New Mexico, for taking us out of the way that we like to play [in the center of the midfield]. This was definitely a result of stretching our team the last couple of weeks."
Even though the ball spent a lot of time elsewhere than at the Gophers' feet in play, in the 11th minute of play, sophomore Maddie Gaffney shot from 25-yards out to score. Gaffney's game-winning goal was her first of the 2015 season and of her collegiate career.
"Right when I hit it, I knew that it was going to go in," said Gaffney. "Tonight, we got a ton of chances. We worked on taking passes from the end line and crossing them off and that's what we did."
"In the first half, you saw in spurts the moments when we had the ball and we started to combine on the flank to create some really nice opportunities," said Golan. "The only key now is to finish those opportunities."
Coming out from the locker room, Minnesota maintained the lead and kept the momentum moving on the field although, they had to fight through adversity as their usual play strategy was challenged by the Lobos. The Maroon and Gold called upon their midfielders to play past their usual positions and aid in keeping the control.
"A standout tonight, besides Maddie with that goal, was Molly Fiedler," said Golan. "Molly did not play like a freshmen tonight. She found a way to impact the game on both sides of the ball. She covered a ton of ground defensively and when she got the ball at her feet, good things were happening. She was a bright spot in the game, despite how the game looked."
In the 73rd minute of the game, the Lobos earned a free kick opportunity right outside of the box, but junior goalkeeper Tarah Hobbs made a jumping tag to deny a Lobos answer to Gaffney's goal.
"Making that save is just all a part of my job," said Hobbs. "No matter what happens in a game, I just need to come up big for my team when they need me and I'm happy that I was able to do that for them tonight."
"That was a stupid foul for us and it almost counted as a way for us to hand them a way to get back into the game," said Golan. "Tarah is a great goalkeeper and teams that we face know that. The ball was served right above her and she did what she needed to do in her position. That's what great keepers do. They do what the team needs of them to keep a clean sheet."
With tonight's victory, Hobbs recorded her sixth shutout with recording two key saves. The Lobos' goalkeeper, redshirt senior Cassie Ulrich, tallied two saves on the night along with the one goal allowed.
Though the game was very physical and tested the Gophers on both sides, the Maroon and Gold outshot the Lobos nine to four, as well as collected seven corner kick opportunities to New Mexico's six.
Adding to Gaffney's shot that resulted in the Minnesota goal, junior co-captain Simone Kolander, Fiedler and sophomores Sydney Squires and Megan Koenig all contributed to the Gophers shots.
"Every game, with the exception of the LSU game, we've created some really good looks where realistically, all someone has to do is blow the ball into the net and we just haven't done that as much recently," said Golan. "Those things are going to catch up to us as move forward if we don't start putting those away. Sunday will be our last preparation for Big Ten play next week, so it will be a very important game for us."
LOOKING AHEAD
The Maroon and Gold will return to action this Sunday, as they face the Omaha Mavericks. Game time set for 1:00 p.m. Following this weekend's homestand, the Gophers will open their conference play as they travel to Ohio State on Thursday, Sept. 17 for a 7:30 p.m. game against the Buckeyes. On Sunday, Sept. 20, Minnesota will play Penn State on the road, with first whistle set for 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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