University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, August 8
Manhattan, KS
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Kansas State
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Midfielder
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Forward
/ Soccer
Gophers Travel to Kansas State Before Hosting SDSU in Exhibition Play
8/6/2018 8:37:00 PM | Soccer
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota soccer officially returns to the pitch on Wednesday, Aug. 8 as they take on Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan. for their exhibition opener beginning at 7 p.m. The Gophers return to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 11 hosting South Dakota State in their preseason finale at 6 p.m. Admission is free.
2017 Roundup
The Gophers are coming off an 11-5-3 recording during the 2017 campaign which included a 7-3-1 Big Ten record where the Gophers finished second in the regular season. The offense picked up strong in the middle of the season as the Gophers went on a five-match winning streak between Sept. 24-Oct.8. During the stretch the Maroon and Gold outscored the opposition 17-7. Their final three wins came in shutout fashion before the Gophers fell short in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal match falling to Wisconsin 2-0.
Statistically Speaking in 2017
Scoring is the name of the game and that is exactly what Minnesota did in 2017. The Gophers finished first in the Big Ten and top 20 nationally in assists per game (2.37), points per game (6.68), scoring offense (2.16), and total assists (45). The Gophers were known as a second half team scoring 26 of their 41 goals in the final 45 minutes.
Individually, April Bockin ranked third in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten with 12 assists which came out to 0.63 assists per game. Sydney Squires led the offense in her senior season ranking 12th in the NCAA and first in Big Ten with 14 goals while tallying 31 points to rank 25th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten.
Key Returners
A core class of seniors return to lead the Gophers on the pitch. Emily Heslin, April Bockin, Molly Fiedler, and Emily Peterson all return for their final year in Maroon and Gold after playing in all 19 games as starters. Maddie Castro rounds up the senior class playing an integral roll off the bench where she played in 16 matches last season. 41 of the last years 127 points return with the fab five including 9 goals and 23 of the 45 assists.
The Golan File
Head Coach Stefanie Golan enters her seventh season at the helm of Gopher Soccer. She holds a record of 72-39-15 at Minnesota and a career record of 105-57-25. A notable win in Golan's career is the Gophers 1-0 win over No. 4 Penn State in State College on Sept. 20, 2015. She has also led Minnesota to a Big Ten Title in 2016 and three NCAA tournaments (2013, 2015, and 2016).
O Captain! My Captain!
Seniors Emily Heslin and Emily Peterson will lead the Maroon and Gold on the pitch as the Gophers 2018 captains. Both Minnesota natives started in all 19 games last season with Peterson leading the defense and Heslin assisting a high powered offense. Peterson aided the defense en route to seven shutouts and allow the third fewest shots on goal in the Big Ten for 2017 regular season. Garnering the captain band for the second straight season, Heslin tallied eight points on three goals and two assists during the 2017 campaign.
The Opposition
Kansas State is in their third season of competition after the university announced the Wildcats first season of competition would be in 2016. The Cats hold an all-time record of 10-20-4 after going 6-11-1 last season. Kansas State returns 16 letterwinners and 10 starters. Â Joining the returners are 10 newcomers to Head Coach Mike Dibbini's team. Last season the teams met at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium for an exhibition match in which the Gophers won 2-0.
South Dakota State returns to the pitch as the reigning Summit League Regular Season Champions going a perfect 7-0 in league play. The Jackrabbits went 11-5-3 overall in Head Coach Brock Thompson's first season at the helm of the program. The Jackrabbits return eight starters and 17 letterwinners. The numbers won't matter this time around, but the Gophers last meeting with SDSU on Nov. 13, 2015 was in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Maroon and Gold took a 5-0 win after a four goal second half lifted the Gophers to the second round for the third time eight seasons.
2017 Roundup
The Gophers are coming off an 11-5-3 recording during the 2017 campaign which included a 7-3-1 Big Ten record where the Gophers finished second in the regular season. The offense picked up strong in the middle of the season as the Gophers went on a five-match winning streak between Sept. 24-Oct.8. During the stretch the Maroon and Gold outscored the opposition 17-7. Their final three wins came in shutout fashion before the Gophers fell short in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal match falling to Wisconsin 2-0.
Statistically Speaking in 2017
Scoring is the name of the game and that is exactly what Minnesota did in 2017. The Gophers finished first in the Big Ten and top 20 nationally in assists per game (2.37), points per game (6.68), scoring offense (2.16), and total assists (45). The Gophers were known as a second half team scoring 26 of their 41 goals in the final 45 minutes.
Individually, April Bockin ranked third in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten with 12 assists which came out to 0.63 assists per game. Sydney Squires led the offense in her senior season ranking 12th in the NCAA and first in Big Ten with 14 goals while tallying 31 points to rank 25th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten.
Key Returners
A core class of seniors return to lead the Gophers on the pitch. Emily Heslin, April Bockin, Molly Fiedler, and Emily Peterson all return for their final year in Maroon and Gold after playing in all 19 games as starters. Maddie Castro rounds up the senior class playing an integral roll off the bench where she played in 16 matches last season. 41 of the last years 127 points return with the fab five including 9 goals and 23 of the 45 assists.
The Golan File
Head Coach Stefanie Golan enters her seventh season at the helm of Gopher Soccer. She holds a record of 72-39-15 at Minnesota and a career record of 105-57-25. A notable win in Golan's career is the Gophers 1-0 win over No. 4 Penn State in State College on Sept. 20, 2015. She has also led Minnesota to a Big Ten Title in 2016 and three NCAA tournaments (2013, 2015, and 2016).
O Captain! My Captain!
Seniors Emily Heslin and Emily Peterson will lead the Maroon and Gold on the pitch as the Gophers 2018 captains. Both Minnesota natives started in all 19 games last season with Peterson leading the defense and Heslin assisting a high powered offense. Peterson aided the defense en route to seven shutouts and allow the third fewest shots on goal in the Big Ten for 2017 regular season. Garnering the captain band for the second straight season, Heslin tallied eight points on three goals and two assists during the 2017 campaign.
The Opposition
Kansas State is in their third season of competition after the university announced the Wildcats first season of competition would be in 2016. The Cats hold an all-time record of 10-20-4 after going 6-11-1 last season. Kansas State returns 16 letterwinners and 10 starters. Â Joining the returners are 10 newcomers to Head Coach Mike Dibbini's team. Last season the teams met at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium for an exhibition match in which the Gophers won 2-0.
South Dakota State returns to the pitch as the reigning Summit League Regular Season Champions going a perfect 7-0 in league play. The Jackrabbits went 11-5-3 overall in Head Coach Brock Thompson's first season at the helm of the program. The Jackrabbits return eight starters and 17 letterwinners. The numbers won't matter this time around, but the Gophers last meeting with SDSU on Nov. 13, 2015 was in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Maroon and Gold took a 5-0 win after a four goal second half lifted the Gophers to the second round for the third time eight seasons.
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