The Gophers opened Big Ten Conference play hosting two top 25 teams. A draw with Penn State and a win over Ohio State in front of two huge crowds was a strong opening for the no. 10 Minnesota team.
Friday
The face-off against the reigning NCAA champion Penn State was much anticipated and drew a record crowd at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. In the first home game since the start of term, students turned out in huge numbers to support the Gophers. The crowd of 1,758 fans was close to double the stadium’s capacity of 1,000.
Minnesota started quickly out of the gates, getting in three shots in the first 10 minutes. Penn State did not answer until the 14th minute, when their first shot attempt of the evening was saved by Tarah Hobbs.
The first half continued with the Gophers making more chances than the Nittany Lions, but neither team was able to find the back of the net and the first half ended 0-0.
In the 58th minute, the Nittany Lions were able to slip past the Gophers on a counter attack and Megan Schafer, assisted by Marissa Sheva, scored her second goal of the year and put Penn State on the scoreboard first.
Minnesota answered swiftly: an April Bockin corner kick found co-captain Simone Kolander who headed in the equalizer in the 59th minute.
WATCH: Simone Kolander with a header to tie us up again!https://t.co/1Uxo3cQHeS
— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) September 17, 2016
The second half saw more even play than the first and at the end of regulation play, the score remained 1-1. The teams then played two 10-minute overtime periods, during which each team got in a few shots, but nothing to bother the keepers, resulting in a hard-fought draw.
Of note, five Gophers — Nikki Albrecht, Hobbs, Rashida Beal, Tori Burnett, and Molly Fiedler — played all 110 minutes of the game.
Sunday
After a slow start on Friday, Minnesota was hoping to get on the scoreboard early. In the 4th minute of the game Kellie McGahn brought the ball down the left side of the field and attempted to cross to Kolander. The ball was intercepted by an Ohio defender, whose attempt to clear deflected to co-captan Josee Stiever who was streaking into the 18 yard box. She sent the ball to the right corner of the net and put the Gophers up 1-0.
WATCH: Josee Stiever with the first goal of the game. ????https://t.co/QWWIf2PvSj
— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) September 18, 2016
While the Gophers kept the Buckeyes’ keeper on her toes for the remainder of the first half, Hobbs was untested. The Gophers headed to the locker rooms at the half with their 1-0 lead.
Ohio State returned to the pitch for the second half energized and on the attack. Hobbs tallied 3 saves in the first 15 minutes of the half leaving the Buckeyes scoreless.
In the 71st minute, Julianna Gernes connected with Kolander, who scored the second goal of the day and her 9th of the season. She is the current top scorer in the Big Ten.
WATCH: Kolander scores the second goal of the game.????https://t.co/iEZq0lkOOf
— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) September 18, 2016
The Gophers were not done. Fifteen minutes later, Sydney Squires would score Minnesota’s third, assisted by freshman Nikki Albrecht.
WATCH: Squires putting in the 3⃣rd goal of the game. ????https://t.co/COWRBMJFL1
— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) September 18, 2016
The 3-0 score would stand as the final, with Tarah Hobbs credited with the clean sheet, her third of the season.
The Gophers overall record now stands at 7-2-1 on the season and 1-0-1 in Big Ten Conference play.
Up Next
The Gophers will travel to Indiana next weekend where they will face off against Indiana at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 23 and Purdue at noon on Sunday, September 25. Both matches will be aired on the BTN Plus network.
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