Gophers Rise to Fourth in Big Ten Standings With Draw vs. Illinois

Upcoming Events

Schedule

Sep 18

7:00 PM

Soccer

vs Rutgers

Sep 21

1:00 PM

Soccer

at #11 Iowa

Sep 25

7:00 PM

Soccer

vs RV Michigan State

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Soccer team came away with a draw against Illinois after playing double overtime on Saturday night despite out-shooting the Illini, 23-2. With the result, the Gophers are now 2-1-2 on the season and sit in fourth place in the Big Ten Conference.

Once again, the Maroon & Gold dominated the game wire-to-wire in terms of offensive opportunities. On top of holding an overwhelming advantage in shots, Minnesota put nine shots on target as opposed to just one from Illinois. The Gophers saw 10 corners throughout the game, while the Illini totaled four corners.

Throughout the second half and into overtime, Minnesota produced quality shots on goal, but Illinois goalkeeper Sami Sample kept the game knotted with nine saves on the night. Minnesota registered 16 total shots and five shots on goal in the second half and overtime alone.

McKenna Buisman, Sophia Boman, Katie Duong, Katie Koker, Sadie Harper and Celina Nummerdor all recorded multiple shots for the U. Boman and Nummerdor led the way in terms of shots on target with two and four, respectively.

Minnesota goalkeeper Megan Plaschko delivered a shutout across 110 minutes for the Gophers, making one save as the Minnesota defense held Illinois in check for most of the night. Her performance marked her second shutout of the season.

Boman, Duong, Athena Kuehn, Plaschko, Delaney Stekr and Patricia Ward each started and played all 110 minutes for Minnesota.

Quotable
"I was super proud of our team because we started the game off," head coach Stefanie Golan said. "We weren't as disciplined as we needed to be in our defending and we found ourselves chasing the game a little bit early. Once we settled in and got back to our disciplined selves, I felt like momentum swung our way and we had enough looks to win the game. Their keeper made a couple of incredible saves and so you just have to tip your hat. We played a really solid game. We created enough opportunities to win. Their keeper stood on her head a bit and we're walking out of here with a tie. I'm just proud of our team and we're getting better each game."

Up Next
The Gophers will have a one week break before their next contest, which comes on Sunday, March 14 at Iowa.

Upcoming Events