University of Minnesota Athletics

Sunday, October 30
East Lansing, MI
3:00 PM

University of Minnesota

at

Michigan State

Players Mentioned

Midfielder
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Defender
/ Soccer
Goalkeeper
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Midfielder/Forward
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team, goal,celebration
Photo by: Bjorn Franke

Gophers Open Big Ten Tournament at No. 6 Michigan State

10/28/2022 1:15:00 PM | Soccer

Minnesota earns the No. 8 seed in Big Ten Tournament; will face No. 1 seed Michigan State

No. 8 Seed Minnesota (8-7-3, 4-4-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 1 Seed, No. 6 Michigan State (14-1-3, 9-0-1 Big Ten)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 30
Time: 3 p.m. CT/ 4 p.m. CT
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Site: DeMartin Stadium
Twitter: @GopherSoccer, @MSU_Soccer
 
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
Michigan State will be the No. 1 seed after securing its first ever regular season championship. Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Nebraska round out the top four teams and host at their respective campus sites.

The semifinals and final will take place in Columbus, Ohio at Lower.com Field on Nov. 3 and 6.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Minnesota opens the post season with a trip to No. 6 and one-seeded Michigan State. The Golden Gophers have faced the Spartans every year in program history, except for the 2022 regular season.
Sunday's match marks the 32nd meeting between the Gophers and Spartans, as Minnesota leads with a slim 14-13-4 margin. Throughout the series, it has been defined by close matchups, with 21 meetings being decided by on goal or less, including the last four.
 
SCOUTING SPARTY
The No. 6 ranked Michigan State Spartans are finishing off a historic regular season as Big Ten Champions with a 14-1-3 record and an unblemished 9-0-1 conference record. Their single loss came against Arkansas when the Razorbacks held a No. 11 ranking.

Michigan State picked up 11 Big Ten postseason awards, including a program record of four individual accolades. Senior Lauren DeBeau was named Forward of the Year, graduate Ruby Diodati chosen as Defender of the Year, senior Lauren Kozal announced as Goalkeeper of the Year and head coach Jeff Hosler voted as the conference's Coach of the Year.
 
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Minnesota is 15-12-4 all-time in Big Ten Tournament history which includes three titles that came in 2018, 2016, and 1995. The 2022 tournament marks the first appearance since the 2018 season, when the Maroon & Gold were the No. 7 seed and defeated Rutgers, Nebraska, and Penn State in penalty kicks to win the Big Ten Tournament title.

Against Michigan State in the postseason, Minnesota is 2-0 with a 1-0 win coming in 1994 and 2-0 win coming in 1997.
 
MEGAN PLASCHKO BY THE NUMBERS
4,073 career minutes – Megan Plaschko needs to compete in 110 more minutes of play to enter Minnesota's top six in keeper minutes played.
44 career starts – Third most starts on the team
19 career shutouts – The senior keeper needs just one more shutout to surpass Teresa O'Hearn (1993-1996) to enter Minnesota's top five in shutouts.
No. 5 – Nationally in keeper minutes played this season at 1,620.
Two Awards – The senior keeper picked up Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 11 and was named to the Big Ten's Preseason Player to Watch list.
 
SOPHIA BOMAN BY THE NUMBERS
18 shots on goal – Boman has seen the frame the most for Minnesota and tied for ninth in the conference.
15 points - This season, a leader on the offense Boman sits at the top of stats for the Golden Gophers.
Five goals – Including a game-winning brace against Marquette and game-tying goal against No. 8 Rutgers.
Third – Straight year receiving and end-of-the-year All-Big Ten award. Boman was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team last season and to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2020-21.
Three Awards – Was recognized as Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 13, United Soccer Coaches Midfielder to Watch, and Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch list.
 
GABBIE CESARONE BY THE NUMBERS
1,580 minutes this season – Cesarone has played the most minutes this season, behind Plaschko who has appeared in 1,620 this season
18 starts – The graduate transfer has become a seasoned vet in the centerback spot and is one of four Gophers who has started all 18 matches.
14 points – With six goals and two assists under her belt, Cesarone ranks second offensively amongst her teammates.
Six goals – All six of Cesarone's goals have been off set pieces, while five have been scored using her head.
Four game winners – The centerback scored game-winning goals against Omaha, Indiana, Iowa and Mayland: good enough for fifth in the Big Ten and 16th in the country.
Two weekly awards – Cesarone earned Big Ten Defender of the Week on Oct. 11, and was named to TopDrawerSoccer's Team of the Week on Oct. 18.
 
ROMINE TO THE RESCUE
Junior transfer Sophia Romine secured the Golden Gophers Big Ten Soccer Tournament berth after finishing her second brace of the season against Purdue. The midfielder scored both, and almost identical, chances off corner kicks. Romine's first brace of the season came against North Dakota back in September.
 
ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
Three members of the University of Minnesota soccer team have garnered 2022 Big Ten women's soccer awards, as announced by the conference office on Thursday.

Graduate transfer, Gabbie Cesarone and junior, Sophia Boman were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team while graduate captain, Alana Dressely was given the Sportsmanship Award. For Boman, this is her third-consecutive All-Big Ten honor, while the other two Golden Gophers each receive their first plaudit.
 
GETTING HOT
Finishing out the regular season boasting a 3-0-2 record in its last five matches, Minnesota looks to continue its hot streak on Sunday. Following the draw at Illinois, the Gophers saw its longest unbeaten streak this season.

The Maroon & Gold have outshot (29-21) and outscored (9-5) opponents in its last five matches.
 
RANKING REPORT
This week, Minnesota moved up to No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches North Regional Poll after only receiving votes last week.
 
2025 Season Highlights
Thursday, October 30
Play in Focus: Sarah Martin
Tuesday, October 21
Highlights: Gophers 0, Oregon 0
Sunday, October 19
Highlights: Gophers 2, Washington 3
Friday, October 17