Gopher Sports: Non-Revenue Roundup

It was another good week for the Minnesota Golden Gophers non-revenue teams. The Gopher volleyball team keeps trucking through the Big Ten, and the Gopher women’s hockey team is off to a great start. Read up on those teams plus more below:

Gopher Volleyball:

The Gophers continued to be perfect in the Big Ten so far this season with two road victories last week. On Wednesday Minnesota went to Northwestern and swept the Wildcats 3-0. Saturday night would be a clash of two top-5 teams as the #5 Gophers traveled to Lincoln to play the #3 Nebraska Cornhuskers. In front of a sold out crowd of nearly 8,000 people the Gophers would give Nebraska their first Big Ten loss of the season 3-1.

Minnesota moved up to #3 in the new AVCA poll this week. The Gophers also took home several Big Ten weekly awards once more. Samantha Seliger-Swenson was named the Big Ten Setter of the Week for the third consecutive week. She averaged 10.71 assists per set and added four aces, 20 digs and two blocks in the two matches. Freshman Adanna Rollins was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. She tied a team-best 24 kills, had a team-best 75 attempts last week and averaged 3.43 kills per set. Her 17 kills against Nebraska led the team and was a new career high.

The Gophers will host two more conference matches this weekend at the Pav. Friday night Minnesota hosts #7 Illinois who are 15-2 with their only losses coming to Nebraska and Wisconsin. Saturday the Gophers will rematch Northwestern.

Gopher Women’s Hockey:

The #3 Gophers got their first WCHA test when they had to travel up I-35 for a series at #4 UMD. The Bulldogs were coming off of a sweep of then #4 Boston College the week prior, while Minnesota swept #10 Mercyhurst at home.

Friday night the Gophers fell behind early, but immediately struck back, and in great number. UMD scored just over a minute into the game to take a 1-0 lead. Grace Zumwinkle tied the game less than three minutes later for Minnesota with a clapper from the slot for her third goal on the season. Then a minute later it was freshman Catie Skaja scoring her first career goal to put the Gophers ahead for good. Sophomore Taylor Wente would score the next two goals for Minnesota, one on the power-play at 7:19 and the other even strength at 14:13 to give Minnesota a commanding 4-1 lead. UMD would cut it to 4-2 by the end of the first, but the game was in Minnesota’s control. Alex Woken would add a goal in the third and Minnesota cruised to a 5-2 win. Alex Gulstene picked up the win to move to 2-0 on the season in net.

Saturday was a much tougher game for Minnesota. Neither team could score in the first period, but then the Bulldogs lit the lamp twice in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. The second goal came on the power play after sophomore blue liner Olivia Knowles was ejected for checking from behind. Unlike Friday where Minnesota got goals from some of their younger players, Saturday was all about the senior leaders. Minnesota got back within one when 5th year senior Nicole Schammel took a pass from freshman Crystalyn Hengler and put it past UMD goalie Maddie Rooney. Just over two minutes later the Gophers would tie the game on the power play when senior captain Kelly Pannek would put a shot past Rooney.

The game would remain tied at 2 through the overtime period and UMD would win the shootout to get the extra conference point. I guess Maddie Rooney is good at that whole shootout thing or something.

The Gophers remained #3 in this weeks poll and will continue WCHA play this weekend with a home and home series against St. Cloud State. The teams will play Friday in St. Cloud before returning to play at Ridder Arena on Saturday afternoon at 4PM.

Gopher Cross-Country:

Both Gopher Cross-Country teams were off this week, but the men got some individual attention. Five individuals on the Gopher men’s team took the top five spots in the Twin Cities 5k associated with the Twin Cities Marathon last week. Khalid Hussein won the race in 15:12 on Saturday. he just edged his Minnesota teammates Jordan MacIntosh who took second at 15:13 and Declan Dahlberg in third at 15:14. Dawson LaRance finished fourth at 15:23 while Hunter Staack came in fifth at 15:29.

Both teams are back in action this weekend. The men head to Madison for the Pre-Nationals meet on the NCAA Championship course while the women will split their athletes between three separate meets this weekend—The Bradley Classic in Peoria, Illinois, the Pre-Nationals Meet in Madison and the Tori Neubauer Invitational in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Gopher Soccer:

It was another split weekend for the Gopher soccer team as they defeated Purdueon the road 2- 1 on Friday night before falling 3-2 to Indiana on Sunday.

April Bocken started the scoring for Minnesota Friday with her fifth goal on the season from approximately 15 yards out.

After Purdue tied the game five minutes into the second half, the Gophers would take the lead for good on their first shot of the second half. Molly Fielder sent a nice cross through the box and sophomore Celina Nummerdor scored her second goal of the season off the pass to put Minnesota ahead 2-1.

On Sunday the Gophers had a late lead they could not keep in giving up two goals in the last ten minutes to fall to the Hoosiers 3-2. After Indiana took an early 1-0 lead it was Bockin once again striking for Minnesota to tie the score. She just ran through the entire Indiana defense and put the ball in the net.

The Gophers would take a 2-1 lead in the second half on a nice header by Patricia Ward off of a corner kick.

Unfortunately the Gophers could not hang on and game up a goal in the 83rd minute to let the Hoosiers tie the game at 2, and then just a minute and a half later Indiana would score the game winner. Minnesota now falls to 4-3-1 in the Big Ten and is in sixth place. The Gophers have just one game this weekend, but it is a huge one when they host #22 Wisconsin at ELR. Kickoff is 4PM on Saturday.

Gopher Men’s Golf:

The Gophers got their best individual performance of the season last week when sophomore Angus Flanagan took home sixth place in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. He shot -1 for the tournament. As a team the Gophers finished in seventh place at +22 for the tournament. The Gophers have just one fall tournament left this season when they will compete at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate in Dallas October 22-23.

Gopher Women’s Golf:

The Gopher women had their best tournament result of the year last weekend. Minnesota finished at +37 which was good enough for 10th place out of 16 teams at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate tournament in Colorado last weekend. Grace Kellar was the teams best finisher with a +5 score which was good enough for 17th place. Minnesota will finish their fall season in a week at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown October 22 and 23.

Gopher Rowing:

The Minnesota rowing team dominated the collegiate divisions at the Head of the Mississippi Regatta last Saturday. it was their only “home” meet of the year as it was hosted by the Minneapolis Rowing Club. Minnesota dominated in 3-of-4 races on the day, sweeping the podium in the Collegiate 4+ and taking the top two positions in the Novice 8+ and the Collegiate 8+.

The Gophers will next be in action October 21st at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston.

Gopher Swimming and Diving:

The Gophers will begin the 2018-19 season this weekend. The Men who finished in 15th place at the NCAA Championships last spring will begin their season Friday night in Madison in a duel meet against the Badgers. The women who finished in 10th place at the NCAA meet a year ago will begin their season Friday afternoon in Madison against the Badgers.