Minnesota Soccer: Gophers Close Non-Conference Schedule on a Four Game Winning Streak

The Minnesota Gophers soccer team got off to a rough start to kick off the season, but seem to have found their ways closing out the non-conference portion of their schedule with four straight wins. Since a 1-0 loss at Mississippi State on August 28th, the Gophers have defeated Drake 4-0, North Dakota 3-1, and last week swept Omaha and Marquette with 2-0 and 3-0 scores respectively. The Gophers now sit at 4-3-1 on the season and will head to Lincoln to open up Big Ten play at Nebraska Friday night.

Last Thursday Omaha came to town and the Gophers dominated the Mavericks from the opening kick to the final whistle. Minnesota outshot Omaha 23-1, and of those 10 were shots on goal with two going in. Grad transfer Gabbie Cesarone scored the opening goal for the Gophers as she headed in a corner kick by Khyah Harper in the 7th minute.

Sophia Bowman would take a pass from Megan Gray and weave around a pair of Maverick defenders before getting just enough on it to get past the Omaha keeper and into the net in the 31st minute to make it 2-0 and close out the game’s scoring.

Megan Plaschko make the only save she needed to and earned her second shutout of the year.

Shutout #3 would come Sunday afternoon when Marquette made the trip to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. In fact, the same two goal scorers would once again find the back of the net again as well. Bowman scored a pair of back to back goals in the 30th and 33rd minute to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead at the break. Bomans’s first goal was on a penalty kick that was awarded after Abi Frandson was fouled in the box. Her second would be more impressive as she took a long pass up the left side of the pitch, made a spin move and unleashed a rocket into the far side of the goal for her second of the game and third goal of the week.

It would be Cesarone getting her second of the week as well in the 86th minute to make it 3-0 Minnesota. Once again it was a header off the corner kick and past the keeper.

Plaschko made a pair of saves to earn the clean sheet.

Friday night the Gophers game at Nebraska will kick off at 7PM and will stream live on BTN+. The Cornhuskers are 2-3-3 on the season and are coming off of a pair of home draws with NC State and USC this past week.

Good luck to the Gophers as they leap into the Big Ten schedule