University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota to Open Big Ten Play
9/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
| Minnesota (5-1-2) at Ohio State / at Penn State | |
| Thurs., Sept. 17 | Minnesota at Ohio State (6:30 p.m.) |
| Location | Columbus, Ohio |
| Sun., Sept. 20 | Minnesota at Penn State (Noon) |
| Location | University Park, Pa. |
| Live Video | BTN Plus: Thursday | Sunday |
| Live Stats | | |
| Follow Live | Thursday | Sunday |
| Social Media | @GopherSoccer | Facebook |
Sept. 16, 2015
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The University of Minnesota's women's soccer team opened their Big Ten conference play on Thursday, as they defeated Ohio State 2-1 in. The Maroon and Gold will return to action on Sunday as they take on the Nittany Lions at 1:00 p.m. (ET).
Going into Sunday, the Maroon and Gold are 6-1-2 and 1-0 in the Big Ten conference.
LAST TIME OUT
Last Friday, Minnesota faced the New Mexico Lobos at their first home game in two weekends at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.
A goal from sophomore Maddie Gaffney in the 11th minute of play, solidified the Gopher victory, 1-0.
On Sunday, Minnesota hosted the Omaha Mavericks and exploded in the first half with seven goals just minutes apart. The Maroon and Gold added two more in the 2nd half for a grand total 9-1 victory.
Junior Josee Stiever, redshirt senior Taylor Stainbrook, junior co-captain Simone Kolander, sophomore Megan Koenig, sophomore Julianna Gernes, freshman Emily Heslin, sophomore Rachel McCloskey and junior Ashley Pafko all contributed goals to the impressive defeat over the Mavericks.
Freshman April Bockin set-up the first two goals to bring her to two assists on the season and the first of her collegiate career.
Koenig also tallied an assist to go along with her two goals of the night as she sent a cross to Heslin who headed the ball into the net.
Of the 15 shots the Gophers took throughout the game, 80% were on target.
In Thursday's match-up against Ohio State, the Gophers came from behind after the first half to defeat the Buckeyes, 2-1.
Ohio State would get on the board early, as junior Lindsay Agnew scored from 15-yards out off an assist from fellow junior Nichelle Prince.
In the 66th minute of play, sophomore Sydney Squires scored the equalizer off an assist from senior co-captain Haley Helverson who found service from sophomore Tori Burnett.
With 11 minutes left to play with both teams knotted at 1-1, Kolander scored the game-winning goal from 6-yards out off her own rebound, brining the final score to 2-1.
THE OPPONENTS
The Ohio State Buckeyes entered Thursday's matchup with a record of 5-1-1.
In the first two home games of their four-game homestand, the Buckeyes split the weekend with a 2-0 loss to West Virginia and defeating Bucknell 2-0.
The last time the Gophers faced Ohio State was in a 1-1 draw at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie last season (10/5/14).
The Buckeyes would go onto finish 11th in the Big Ten and end a 3-7-2 in Big Ten play.
The No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions finished on top of the Big Ten last season with a final overall record of 20-4-0 and 12-1-0 in conference play.
Over the weekend, Penn State collected two wins to move their record to 5-1-1 with a 2-0 win over the No.2-ranked Stanford Cardinal and defeated the Santa Clara Broncos 1-0.
The last time Minnesota met Penn State was last season at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium when an own goal decided the game for the Gophers in a 1-0 loss.
On Thursday night, the Nittany Lions hosted the Wisconsin Badgers and blanked them in a 4-0 victory.
Penn State's first goal was scored by senior Mallory Weber with an assist from freshman Ellie Jean in the 27th minute of play, followed by sophomore Megan Schafer at 58:29, who found service from freshman Charlotte Williams. Freshman Marissa Sheva scored off an assist from senior Raquel Rodriguez with 16 minutes left and to finish off the blank sheet for Wisconsin, Williams tallied her second assist on the night as she found sophomore Frannie Crouse, who netted goal number four of the night.
The Nittany Lion defense hasn't allowed a goal in their last 352:52 minutes of play.
LOOKING AHEAD
Moving forward with Big Ten play, Minnesota will host Purdue on Friday. Sept. 25 for a 7:00 p.m. match and Indiana Hoosiers for a 1:00 p.m. game on the Sunday, Sept. 20.
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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Freshman April Bockin set-up the first two goals to bring her to two assists on the season and the first of her collegiate career.
Koenig also tallied an assist to go along with her two goals of the night as she sent a cross to Heslin who headed the ball into the net.
Of the 15 shots the Gophers took throughout the game, 80% were on target.
In Thursday's match-up against Ohio State, the Gophers came from behind after the first half to defeat the Buckeyes, 2-1.
Ohio State would get on the board early, as junior Lindsay Agnew scored from 15-yards out off an assist from fellow junior Nichelle Prince.
In the 66th minute of play, sophomore Sydney Squires scored the equalizer off an assist from senior co-captain Haley Helverson who found service from sophomore Tori Burnett.
With 11 minutes left to play with both teams knotted at 1-1, Kolander scored the game-winning goal from 6-yards out off her own rebound, brining the final score to 2-1.
THE OPPONENTS
The Ohio State Buckeyes entered Thursday's matchup with a record of 5-1-1.
In the first two home games of their four-game homestand, the Buckeyes split the weekend with a 2-0 loss to West Virginia and defeating Bucknell 2-0.
The last time the Gophers faced Ohio State was in a 1-1 draw at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie last season (10/5/14).
The Buckeyes would go onto finish 11th in the Big Ten and end a 3-7-2 in Big Ten play.
The No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions finished on top of the Big Ten last season with a final overall record of 20-4-0 and 12-1-0 in conference play.
Over the weekend, Penn State collected two wins to move their record to 5-1-1 with a 2-0 win over the No.2-ranked Stanford Cardinal and defeated the Santa Clara Broncos 1-0.
The last time Minnesota met Penn State was last season at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium when an own goal decided the game for the Gophers in a 1-0 loss.
On Thursday night, the Nittany Lions hosted the Wisconsin Badgers and blanked them in a 4-0 victory.
Penn State's first goal was scored by senior Mallory Weber with an assist from freshman Ellie Jean in the 27th minute of play, followed by sophomore Megan Schafer at 58:29, who found service from freshman Charlotte Williams. Freshman Marissa Sheva scored off an assist from senior Raquel Rodriguez with 16 minutes left and to finish off the blank sheet for Wisconsin, Williams tallied her second assist on the night as she found sophomore Frannie Crouse, who netted goal number four of the night.
The Nittany Lion defense hasn't allowed a goal in their last 352:52 minutes of play.
LOOKING AHEAD
Moving forward with Big Ten play, Minnesota will host Purdue on Friday. Sept. 25 for a 7:00 p.m. match and Indiana Hoosiers for a 1:00 p.m. game on the Sunday, Sept. 20.
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
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Defender/Forward
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Forward
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Defender/Midfielder
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Midfielder
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