University of Minnesota Athletics
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Gophers Rock the Robbie to Open Conference Play
9/12/2018 4:08:00 PM | Soccer
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota soccer is set to begin Big Ten play while closing out a seven-match homestand. The Gophers (4-3) welcome the Illinois Fighting Illini (5-2) to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Friday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. before hosting undefeated Northwestern (6-0-1) on Sunday, Sept. 16 at 1 p.m.
WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Put on your Maroon and Gold, grab some pom poms and head out to ELR Friday for the Gophers annual "Rock the Robbie" night. Tickets are on sale for just $1 and can purchase by clicking here. Please note that online ticket sales close three hours prior to kick off. Tickets can be purchased at the ELR box office the day of the match.
Sunday will be Goldy's Kids Club Day as the Gophers host the Wildcats. Members of Goldy's Kids Club will receive free entry. Members are also invited onto the field post-game to take part in "Post Match PKS" with Goldy.
Sunday will also serve as Group Day at ELR. All groups will receive $1 tickets if purchased in advance. For more information call 1-800-U-GOPHER.
PARKING INFO
Lots available for parking include Gibbs Farm lot, Bell Museum lot (no parking on Sunday), Gortner Avenue Ramp, SC101 Flat Lot, SC 175 Flat Lot and a select number of lots at the Les Bolstad Driving Range. Lot SC101 and Gortner Ave Ramp will charge $1/hour after 5 p.m. while the Bell Museum, Les Bolstad Driving Range and Lot SC175 will charge a flat rate of $6. Â
A shuttle is scheduled to run between all stops, excluding Les Bolstad Driving Range, and will drop all fans off right at ELR Stadium from their parking destinations. A second shuttle will be running from the Minneapolis East campus as well for students and fans. Pick up will take place at the Athlete's Village courtyard back by the MINNESOTA signage at 5:30 while pick up at Territorial Hall will take place at 5:40.
NINE IS JUST FINE
Nine different Gophers have found the back of the net this season. April Bockin is the lone Gopher to have two tallies in the goal column. Makenzie Langdok, Megan Gray, McKenna Buisman and Patricia Ward have all scored the game winner while teammates Molly Fiedler, Maddie Castro, Celina Nummerdor and Nikki Albrecht have added goals respectively.
BOCKIN IT DOWN
For the third time in her career April Bockin tallied two goals in a match. Adding an assist in last Friday's match against NDSU, Bock now has 23 career assists and is one shy of moving up to tie Laurie Seidl for seventh all-time in program history.
ALL IT TAKES IS 2 MINUTES AND 29 SECONDS
Minnesota wasted no time scoring a plethora of goals in their final non-conference match of the regular season. It took a mere two minutes and 29 seconds for the Gophers to find the back of the net three times. April Bockin had a share in all three goals netting two of those in the span of 24 seconds. Bockin picked up the assist on the third goal two minutes and five seconds later as her corner kick found the head of Nikki Albrecht in the 56th minute.
SECOND HALF MAGIC
There is no panic from the Gophers when trailing at the half. So far this season the Gophers are outscoring their opponents 8-1 in the second half which stems from last year's mark of outscoring the opposition 26-7 in the final 45 minutes. The Gophers have scored nine of their 10 goals this season outside the first half, this includes the double overtime winner against Ole Miss.
SERIES HISTORY
The Gophers are 9-11-3 all-time against Illinois as the teams have traded off wins in the past four meetings. Minnesota won the most recent meeting in Champaign, Ill. on October 15, 2017 as the Gophers shutout the host Illini 4-0.
Minnesota leads the all-time series 13-10-1 against Northwestern. The Gophers in the series, dating back to 1994, are outscoring the Wildcats 33-25. Northwestern took last year's meeting in Chicago by a score of 2-0. The Maroon and Gold are looking for their first victory and goal over Northwestern since October 14, 2012 where the Gophers won 1-0 at ELR.