Fueled by a first-half scoring frenzy of four goals, Gophers soccer (7-4-3) dominated Illinois at home Thursday night in a commanding 5-0 shutout win.

“Tonight was a great response from our last match on Sunday,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “I thought we were assertive in the attack. I think in the beginning of the first half, that final pass wasn’t there, but then we started to have better selections as the half wore on. We really pinned them in and, outside of a couple of counters that they had, I thought we were really on top of the game.”

Led by their veterans, the Gophers got off to a great start early. It was clear they came into this match with a shot-first mentality as they fired all their shots in or near the box right from the opening kickoff.

At the 19-minute mark, senior McKenna Buisman sprinted down the pitch to challenge Illinois’ goalkeeper at the top of the box to block her clearing attempt and give the Gophers a 1-0 lead after the ball rolled its way into the open net.

“We always talk about those big five moments and really setting the tone and putting our stamp on the game as early as possible,” Buisman said. “Being able to get on the board first was really important for us tonight.”

However, the keen challenges from Buisman did not stop there as she continued to put the Fighting Illini’s backline under a lot of pressure.

Just 11 minutes after scoring the match’s opening goal, Buisman challenged a Fighting Illini defender on the right side of the pitch, winning possession of the ball. She quickly dribbled her way down the field, cut inside toward the middle of the box, and fired a low shot into the right corner of the net to extend the Gophers’ lead to 2-0.

Can anyone stop @kennabuisman15?

Doesn’t look like it. pic.twitter.com/0MnjkDQJ8Y

— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) October 15, 2021

“I think she [Buisman] really did help us set the tone,” Chastain said. “I think it was incredibly important for her to step up as a leader and as a veteran player.”

Buisman’s two early goals for the Gophers mark the first brace of her career. She has scored all four of her goals this season in her last four matches, all of which are the only matches she has started as a forward.

Soon after Buisman earned her brace, her veteran teammates quickly joined the scoresheet as well.

Senior Megan Gray possessed the ball in the top right side of the box, passed the ball outside the box to graduate student Makenzie Langdok, who ripped a one-timer with her right foot off the crossbar and into the net to put the Gophers ahead 3-0 just 38 minutes into the match. Langdok’s goal marks her second this season and also Gray’s second assist.

HOLY SMOKES @kenzie_langdok sends one from downtown STP and puts the #Gophers up 3-0! pic.twitter.com/iJykljpHE3

— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) October 15, 2021

Yet, the Gophers still were not done there. With three minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore Sophia Boman fired a shot on goal after some commotion in the box. Then, her sophomore counterpart Rylan Baker cleaned up the rebound in front to give the Gophers a 4-0 lead before halftime. Baker’s goal marks his second this season and Boman’s third assist.

At halftime, the Gophers led the Fighting Illini in shots (16-7), shots on goal (8-1), and corners (3-1). They have scored 19 of their 26 goals in the first half this season, the most in the Big Ten.

Holding a comfortable lead heading to the second half, the Gophers utilized the depth of their lineup as freshmen Aynsley Conner and Jaden Peck made their Big Ten collegiate debuts. Junior Eva Bruer also made her Big Ten debut this season.

With just minutes remaining, Conner pulled off a give-and-go with Boman as she fired a high shot from the end line just outside the right side of the box to beat the Fighting Illini’s goalkeeper to give the Gophers a 5-0 lead. Conner’s goal marks the first collegiate goal of her career and Boman’s fourth assist this season.

WHAT A FIRST CAREER GOAL R U SERIOUS. pic.twitter.com/vhDB4XyDBm

— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) October 15, 2021

“[It felt] so good, so exciting,” Conner said on her goal. “These were some of my first few minutes on the field this year playing in Big Ten conference. I just love my teammates. They’re so supportive. They made me feel right at home. All those nerves went away once I was on the field. Just to be able to get that chance to take that touch and try to get something on it into the box and have it go in was amazing.”

The Gophers finished the 90 minutes of action with 26 shots, the most for the team during Big Ten play. It’s also the first time the Gophers have scored five goals in a match since 2017 when they scored seven against Michigan State.

“Throughout the Big Ten season, we’re getting more aware of how capable we are in putting together a full 90 and really playing our game and getting that confidence of how good we truly are,” Buisman said. “Being able to put our stamp on the game, being able to control the flow of play, and do what we want with the ball instead of sitting back and seeing what the other team does, I think was really important and definitely led to our success tonight.”

Junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko got back into the shutout column as she earned her first clean sheet in Big Ten play. She now has seven shutouts in 14 matches this season.

The Gophers will travel to Evanston, Ill., to take on Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m., as they fight for a top-eight spot in the Big Ten conference with three matches remaining.

Gophers soccer (6-4-3) dropped their fourth match this season against No. 25 Purdue Sunday evening as they conceded three goals for the first time, all coming in the second half of play.

“We are disappointed with the result today,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “Anytime you go into halftime with a 2-0 lead, it can be a dangerous scoreline because you can sometimes feel a little too comfortable. Even though we prepared our group for that, Purdue came out and set the tone in the second half.”

The backline played outstanding throughout the first half for the Gophers, preventing Boilermakers star Sarah Griffith and company from gaining high-quality looks at junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko.

Just like the backline’s strong play, the Gophers’ offense pressed on the attack and created many opportunities in the first half as they found the back of the net just 16 minutes into the match.

Senior Megan Gray found her way into the bottom right side of the box and dribbled the ball between two Boilermakers defenders, forcing them to trip her up before she had a chance to continue her creative play. The referees then awarded the Gophers a penalty kick.

Chastain selected sophomore Sophia Boman to take the penalty kick. She made no mistake on her opportunity as she fired a low shot into the left side of the net to give the Gophers an early 1-0 lead. Boman’s go-ahead marker signifies her fourth goal this season.

Continuing to play stingy defense for much of the first half and eliminating any high-quality chances from Boilermakers attackers, the Gophers finally registered their first shot since Boman’s opening goal, which also found the back of the net.

Sophomore Maddie Baker received a service in the box from graduate student Makenzie Langdok and redirected the ball toward the penalty kick dot. Her sophomore counterpart Christa VanLoon possessed and fired a low shot into the lower-left corner of the net to put the Gophers ahead 2-0. VanLoon’s goal is her first this season as Baker also tallied her third assist.
The Gophers had a near-perfect first half. They held Purdue to just one shot on goal and one corner kick. However, the second half was nowhere near the same.

The Boilermakers started to break through the Gophers’ backline as Emily Mathews scored Purdue’s first goal at the 63-minute mark.

Just seven minutes later, the Boilermakers equalized the match after senior Delaney Stekr misdirected a header in the box into the back of the Gophers’ net.

The Gophers didn’t register their first shot until the 78th minute. Then, they continued to control possession of the ball in Purdue’s half, tallying two more shots on goal.

However, the Boilermakers went back on the counter-attack. Griffith created space at the top of the box and fired a shot into the left corner of the net to give Purdue its first lead with less than six minutes remaining in the match, which eventually was the match-winner.

“We never really had anyone step up and set the tone on our side in the second half,” Chastain said. “They are a top-25 team for a reason and have gotten a lot of results this season. I really felt like we just didn’t perform in the second half today.”

The loss marks the first time the Gophers have lost a match this season after leading at halftime. Before this match, they were an undefeated 5-0-0 when leading at halftime.

The Gophers will host Illinois at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. as they look to get back in the win column.

Gophers soccer gets back on track after dominating Penn State 4-1 Sunday afternoon to end their only losing streak this season at two matches and improve their record to 6-3-3.

“I thought we were the aggressor and that really helped us in this game,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “I thought our group was really disciplined and checked in…some great performances from our group and some great goals.

Seniors McKenna Buisman and Megan Gray had early opportunities in the match as they fired shots, but Penn State’s goalkeeper Katherine Asman wrapped up Buisman’s attempt and Gray’s went just wide left of the net.

At the 13-minute mark, graduate student Makenzie Langdok received a pass just outside the top right of the box from freshman Lauren Donovan and sent a lofted service toward the six-yard box. Senior Patricia Ward found herself in the right place at the right time, cleaning up the loose ball in front of the net to give the Gophers an early 1-0 lead over Penn State.

“We talked about being optimistic in the box,” Ward said. “When the ball goes in, you expect it to come to you. I made a run and the ball fell to my feet. I was able to put it in and that was the start to our domination of a game.”

Ward’s goal marks the sixth goal the Gophers have scored within the first 15 minutes of a match this season and her first goal in her senior campaign. Langdok also collected her first assist this season.

After fighting off Penn State’s attempts, the Gophers went back on the attack. Ward intercepted a Nittany Lions outlet pass, dribbling her way into the left side of the box and lofting a service toward the six-yard box.

On the receiving end of Ward’s pass, junior Izzy Brown connected on a blazing header to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead at the 24-minute mark. Her goal is her sixth this season and would be the eventual match-winning goal. Ward also collected her second assist this season.
“That’s my bread and butter,” Ward said. “Working hard on defense, getting wide, and getting service in the box…it’s very rewarding when you keep doing the work and then it executes for a goal.”

The Gophers went into halftime with a 2-0 lead, which is only the second time this season they have had a two-goal edge or more at halftime, but Chastain had a clear message for the team heading into the second half.

“The message was 0-0,” Chastain said. “We have to continue to set the tone, be the aggressor, not let them run at us, and I thought we did that right away.”

Like their quick start in the first half, the Gophers got back to it in the second half. At the 57-minute mark, sophomore Sophia Boman sent a lofted, through pass from the right side of the pitch toward the middle.

Buisman sprinted to catch up with the through pass that landed far outside of the box. She gained possession and flicked the ball past Penn State’s Asman as she came out of her net to challenge her, scoring on the empty net to extend the Gophers’ lead to 3-0.

…..and the crowd goes wild for @kennabuisman15! pic.twitter.com/MnlzrqPPhp

— Minnesota Soccer (@GopherSoccer) October 3, 2021

Buisman’s nifty play marks her second goal this season, which have come in back-to-back matches in her two starts as a forward. Boman also collected her second assist this season.

In the match’s 73rd-minute, the Gophers would go on to add one more goal after a Penn State defender deflected Ward’s cross into her net for an own goal.

The Gophers backline showed up in the second half and continued to shut down a strong Penn State team that has won three games against ranked opponents this season.

The Nittany Lions attempted 12 of their 15 shots in the second half. Their last shot on goal in the second half by Riley Gleason ended up finding the back of the net with less than one minute left in the match to spoil the Gophers’ shutout.

“I’m disappointed we took a goal when there were 30 seconds left,” Chastain said. “You just can’t shut off. It’s not good to get into that habit. I know we had the game well in hand, but I have higher expectations for our team closing out a game.”

The Gophers are 6-2 this season when scoring in the first half of a match and are also the only Big Ten team to reach four goals in a conference match, which they have accomplished twice.
Next week, the Gophers will travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue (9-2-2) at noon on Sunday, Oct. 10.

“We have a little bit longer until our next game, which is nice because it’ll give some of our players playing so many minutes a little bit more rest and some time to train,” Chastain said.

Gophers football rallied in the second half of their first Big Ten matchup against Purdue Saturday afternoon to earn a 20-13 comeback win, improving to 3-2 this season.

“[It was] Just a gutsy win for us,” Gophers head coach PJ Fleck said. “It was a very hard week. The leader of our defense goes down…but we got to get some guys back, get them healthy, but it was just a gutsy performance. Got to give Purdue a lot of credit. That’s a really good offense. Our defense did a great job of limiting explosive plays…especially with the weather conditions.”

Led by their defense without Mariano Sori-Marin, Minnesota’s win certainly wasn’t pretty, but they got the job done in a wet afternoon in West Lafayette. The win marks Fleck’s first second-half comeback in his 50 career games with the program.

The Gophers got off to a quick start as redshirt senior defensive lineman Boye Mafe forced a fumble on the Boilermakers’ opening drive to give the offense possession at Purdue’s 44-yard line.

Just five minutes into the game, the Gophers’ offense scored on their opening drive. Quarterback Tanner Morgan threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell, who made a keen adjustment to the ball and came down with it just inside the right pylon to give Minnesota an early 7-0 lead. The opening drive down the field was 44 yards over just four plays.

In the early minutes of the second quarter, Purdue went on a 91-yard drive, scoring a touchdown to take their first lead of the afternoon (10-7) after a 7-yard catch by Milton Wright.

The Gophers punted on their next two possessions, highlighted by three-and-outs on each of them. However, in their third drive of the second quarter with just four minutes remaining in the first half, they managed to tie the game at 10-10 after Matthew Trickett hit a long 42-yard field goal. Morgan’s 51-yard completion to wide receiver Mike Brown-Stephens highlighted the tying scoring drive.

Every time the Gophers put points on the board, the Boilermakers quickly had responses of their own. They marched down the field inside the red zone on their next possession, but Minnesota’s defense held them out of the end zone, forcing them to kick a field goal as they took a 13-10 lead 11 seconds before halftime.

Like their quick start in the first half, the Gophers capitalized on their opening drive in the second half.

On 1st and ten on their 25-yard line, Morgan completed a 54-yard pass to Brown-Stephens to put the Gophers on the Boilermakers 21-yard line, and running back Trey Potts did the rest.

Potts had back-to-back runs of 17 and four yards, punching his second run into the endzone to give the Gophers a 17-13 lead just 1:10 seconds into the second half.

Stretching into the fourth quarter, the next two possessions for the Boilermakers and Gophers ended in punts.

It was not until Purdue’s first drive of the fourth quarter that a possession did not end in a punt as the Boilermakers marched from their 22-yard line to the Gophers’ 20, converting two third downs along the way, but Mitchell Fineran missed a 37-yard field goal attempt, and the game stayed at 17-13.

On their next possession with six minutes remaining in the game, the Boilermakers elected to go for it on fourth down at Minnesota’s 43-yard line, but the Gophers’ defense shut down a completion two yards short of the first-down marker.

Then, the Gophers capitalized off the Boilermaker’s turnover on downs. Quarterback Cole Kramer and Potts got Minnesota’s offense into field goal territory.

Trickett converted his second field goal of the day from 38 yards to give the Gophers a 7-0 lead with 1:45 to go. Kramer had five rushes for 22 yards, and Potts had three carries for 16 yards on the drive.
In their last drive, Purdue had two quick rushes for ten yards. Then quarterback Aidan O’Connell completed two passes to David Bell for 28 yards to spring the Boilermakers to the Gophers 27-yard line.

But the Gophers defense found its footing and showed up at another big time. They forced O’Connell to throw two incompletions on his next two attempts. Then, on his third, defensive back Tyler Nubin predicted his throw, intercepting the football for the first time this season to give the Gophers a 20-13 victory on the road.

Next week, the Gophers have a bye and then will play Nebraska at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 16. The time of the game is still to be determined.

The No. 4 Gophers men’s hockey season-opening weekend series against Alaska will not take place after the teams agreed to reschedule their two-game set due to health and safety concerns in the Nanooks program.

Minnesota’s series w/ Alaska scheduled for Oct. 2-3 has been rescheduled for Jan. 14-15, as mutually agreed upon by both teams due to health and safety concerns in the Alaska program.

Tickets issued for the series will be valid for the rescheduled dates.https://t.co/FgsyIhc3Eh

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) October 1, 2021

The Gophers will now host the Nanooks at 3M Arena at Mariucci on Friday, Jan. 14, and Saturday, Jan. 15. Previously, the weekend served as a bye week for both programs.

Minnesota will now drop the puck for the first time next weekend when they host Mercyhurst for a two-game series, with the first game on Friday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. and the second game on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 5 p.m.

Gophers soccer (5-3-3) dropped their third match of the season 2-1 against No. 9 Rutgers Thursday evening, marking the first time they have suffered back-to-back losses this season.

“I thought we played pretty well,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “I think I was proud of the moments where we kept the ball and created. We handled a lot of their dangerous personnel really well for a lot of the game, but you have to do it for 90 minutes. Overall, I’m proud of our performance and for being ultra-competitive.”

The Gophers got off to a slow start after conceding an early goal against Rutgers in the match’s eighth minute.

Frankie Tagliaferri received a pass inside the box from Amirah Ali and buried a shot off the right goal post that was just out of junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko’s reach. Tagliaferri’s goal marks her 100th career point in her 100th career match.

Although the Gophers had a slow start to the match, they quickly began to control the match’s pace throughout much of the first half. They created opportunities, earning corner kicks and finding shots, but Rutgers’ defenders blocked many attempts.

“I think it [the early goal] settled us down a little bit and maybe took some of the pressure off to be perfect,” Chastain said. “I think we relaxed. We were able to connect, do some simple things, get behind them, get some service in the box and get some dangerous set-pieces.”

At the 29-minute mark, senior McKenna Buisman dribbled her way toward the middle of the pitch, created space, and fired a left-foot shot just outside of the box that found the back of the net after hitting the upper side of the left goal post. Buisman’s equalizer went unassisted and marked her first goal this season.

“We knew coming into the game that there were going to be opportunities to catch them in transition,” Buisman said. “It’s been a long time coming for me…It felt really good to get one tonight. I think I proved to myself that I can score against any team.”
Near the end of the first half, the Gophers shut down two Rutgers corner kicks and went into halftime with the score tied at 1-1. They led the Scarlet Knights in corner kicks (4-2) and shots (7-4).

Just like in the first half, Rutgers got off to another quick start in the second half as Sam Kroeger lofted a pass inside the middle of the box to find Allison Lynch, who headed in the ball into the lower-left corner of the net to put the Scarlet Knights up 2-1 at the 49-minute mark.

Lynch’s go-ahead goal at the 49-minute mark would prove to be the match-winning goal for Rutgers.

Plaschko made five saves in the loss and kept the Gophers in the match as she has done all season.

This season, all three of the Gophers’ losses have been by one goal, and they have not given up more than two goals in a match.

The Gophers will take on Penn State in their next match on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m. at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.

After a slow start in a second-consecutive match without graduate student captain right back Makenzie Langdok, Gophers soccer dominated Ohio State Thursday night, defeating the Buckeyes 4-2 after scoring four unanswered goals.

“Not the best start, but I’m proud of how we responded,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “Sometimes, as competitors, you get into a road game, and it is Ohio State. They have had a great year so far, and maybe some of tonight was nerves being on the road with a younger group. All we can do is learn from those moments. I think that will help us moving forward.”

Early on in the match, Ohio State created space and controlled the pace. They tested Gophers junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko, but she responded to their tests. She made two enormous diving saves, one on a Kailyn Dudukovich cross that deflected off freshman Elizabeth Overberg and the other on a Kayla Fischer shot from inside the middle of the box.

Ohio State continued to press the Gophers early on and control the match’s pace. In the 16th minute, they pulled off a couple of quick passes as Dudukovich finished off the play with a close shot into the lower right corner of the net to put the Buckeyes ahead 1-0.

The Buckeyes did not end their quick start there as Dudukovich capitalized off a corner kick. She found the loose change in front of the Gophers’ net and made no mistake, burying her second goal of the night to earn a brace and extend Ohio State’s lead to 2-0 just 21 minutes into the match.

In a match that seemed all Ohio State, the Gophers quickly responded with a goal just three minutes later as junior Izzy Brown scored her fourth goal of the season.

Freshman Lauren Donovan earned the secondary assist as she started the scoring play, finding senior Megan Gray open outside the top right side of the box. Then Gray earned the primary assist as she sent a through pass to Brown, who was all alone and buried a shot into the bottom right corner of the net at the 24-minute mark.

The Gophers remained persistent in their attack after Brown got them on the board. At the 32-minute mark, sophomore Maddie Baker took a shot from inside the middle of the box, but it struck the left post and Ohio State cleared it out of harm’s way.

Momentum for the Gophers continued to rise as the first half went on. They controlled the pace and found ways to take shots.

With just two minutes left in the first half, Baker rallied a pass from Gray into the middle of the box. Then junior Sadie Harper found the loose ball between two Buckeyes defenders, firing a shot into the lower right corner of the net to even up the match at 2-2. Harper’s equalizer from Baker marks her first goal of the season.

The Gophers picked up right where they left off in the first half as they dominated Ohio State in the second half.

At the 63-minute mark, senior Delaney Stekr lined up to take a free-kick from midfield. Usually, free-kicks from midfield are not dangerous. However, Stekr fired a lofted ball just in front of Ohio State’s goal that found the foot of sophomore Sophia Boman who was wide open in the box. Boman one-touched the ball into the back of the net to score her third goal of the season and second match-winning goal to give the Gophers a 3-2 lead after a beautiful assist from Stekr.

The Gophers did not look back after taking the lead for the first time in the match. In the 69th minute, sophomore Christa VanLoon (secondary assist) took a corner kick that found Baker (primary assist), who headed the ball toward the inside of the box to find Stekr. Stekr fired the ball off a one-touch into the left corner of the net to score her second goal this season.

Plaschko finished the match the same way she started it, making two saves in the last 10 minutes on Ohio State’s Emma Sears and Dudukovich. She completed the night with six saves.

The win marks Chastain’s first Big Ten victory of her coaching career. It also marks the first time the Gophers won a match after falling behind 2-0 since 2012 when they defeated Wisconsin 3-2.

The Gophers (5-1-3) will travel to East Lansing, Mich., to take on Michigan State (6-1-2) on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 11 a.m.

Gophers soccer dominated the University of North Dakota in a 2-0 win Sunday evening, remaining undefeated through seven matches with a 4-0-3 record this season.
“I thought we stepped up today and created a lot of good opportunities,” Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said. “Certainly, we are happy with the shutout and happy that they didn’t really have any chances to score.”

The Gophers’ offense got off to a quick start, pressing the ball and controlling the pace, led by sophomore Sophia Boman and graduate student Makenzie Langdok.

In the match’s third minute, Langdok dribbled down the right side of the field and lofted a long ball into the box to find junior Izzy Brown, who struck a header toward the middle of the net. However, North Dakota’s goalkeeper Madi Livingston was there to make the save.

The Gophers continued to possess, attack, and get their chances for the first 39 minutes of the first half but could not find the back of the net. It seemed as if the match would be tied going into halftime.

However, just before the end of the first half at the 40-minute mark, the Gophers finally found the back of the net as sophomore Maddie Baker scored her first career collegiate goal.

“It has been great to integrate Maddie Baker in the front line,” Chastain said. “She made a good run on the goal. Happy for her to get on the score sheet. Hopefully, that helps her confidence as we move forward.”

Baker’s first career goal came after a beautiful play that began with sophomore Christa VanLoon, who worked her away toward the left side of the box, created space, and lofted the ball just behind the right goal post to Boman.

Boman received the cross, pulling off a beautiful one-touch pass to keep the ball in play and to find Baker in the middle of the box. Baker made no mistake on Boman’s pass, using her upper body to put the ball into the back of the net to open up the scoring to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead.

https://twitter.com/GopherSoccer/status/1437127074934714369?s=20

“The cross from Christa [VanLoon] was really good,” Baker said. “Soph [Boman] somehow got on the end of that one [the cross] and kept it in [the ball]. Then it was right in front of the goal, and I was like ‘just get it in.’”

At halftime, the Gophers led the Fighting Hawks in shots (17-3), shots on goal (4-1), corner kicks (7-2), and they possessed the ball 76% of the time.

In the second half, the Gophers did not lay back as they came out firing and continued to control the match’s pace. Senior McKenna Buisman had a chance to score but shot the ball over the top of the net at the 55-minute mark, while freshman Khyah Harper fired a shot into the crossbar just after at the 57-minute mark.

As the Gophers continued to take shots and control possession, it was not until the 83-minute mark that they scored their second goal of the match, courtesy of Langdok, her first goal of the season and sixth of her career.

Freshman Lauren Donovan was dribbling in the midfield and crossed it over to Langdok on the right side of the field, and she did the rest.

The Gophers veteran took a quick left cut and dribbled the ball between a Fighting Hawks defenders’ legs. She then found open space toward the middle of the field where she took a sizzling left foot shot from outside the box that bent its way into the top left corner of the net to extend the Gophers lead to 2-0.

https://twitter.com/GopherSoccer/status/1437142222147784706?s=20

The Gophers’ second half was just as dominant as their first half as they finished the match with a season-high 32 shots, seven of them being on goal. They only allowed North Dakota to have four shots, with only one on goal.

Junior goalkeeper Megan Plaschko still has yet to concede a goal this season. She now has an impressive six individual clean sheets and is tied for the most in the nation this season with Creighton University’s Keelan Terrell.
“Our backs and goalkeeper were very disciplined today,” Chastain said. “We are happy to end the non-conference with no losses and goals against. We fully recognize that we are going to have to kick it up a notch with the Big Ten.”

The Gophers take on the University of Wisconsin-Madison for their first Big Ten conference matchup of the season at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 6 p.m.