Oct 17, 2024
The Golden Gopher soccer team returns home this week for two conference matches against Maryland on Thursday and Indiana on Sunday. The two are the last of three regular season games for Minnesota, all at home.
Minnesota (9-3-3, 3-3-2 B1G) vs Maryland (4-8-4, 1-6-1 B1G)
Date: Oct. 17
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Stream: B1G+
Location: Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium
Minnesota (9-3-3, 3-3-2 B1G) vs Indiana (6-6-2, 1-6-1 B1G)
Date: Oct. 20
Time: 12 p.m. CT
TV: Big Ten Network
Location: Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium
Scouting the Terrapins
Last week, the Maryland Terrapins picked up their first conference win over Nebraska in their home season finale. Katie Coyle and Delaney DeMartino both finished to seal the win. Goalkeeper Liz Beardsley picked up her fifth shutout of the season, grabbing two saves.
DeMartino and Kennedy Bell lead Maryland’s offense with three goals each. Three other Terps have scored at least two goals this season. In addition, six players rostered on Maryland’s squad have totaled over 1,000 minutes of play.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Indiana will host Illinois at home on Thursday before making the trek to Minneapolis. Last week, the Hoosiers tied the Boilermakers and fell to the Badgers.
Layla Sirdah ranks fifth amongst the Big Ten’s point leaders with 20. This season, the freshman has scored seven goals and assisted six others. Sirdah sits at No. 46 in Top Drawer Soccer’s Midseason Top 100 Freshman rankings.
Top Wins
On Thursday, Minnesota made history by defeating No. 8 Ohio State, 3-2 in Columbus. The victory marks the first over a top ten opponent since 2015 and top 25 opponent since 2019. Despite losing to No. 20 Penn State 3-2 on Sunday, Minnesota’s RPI ranking remained at No. 37.
Harper by the Numbers
5: Game winning goals ranked No. 2 nationally and in the Big Ten.
1.07: Averaging 1.07 goals per game seated at No. 1 nationally and in the Big Ten.
2.33: Averaging 2.33 points per game coming in at No. 1 nationally and in the Big Ten.
16: Harper leads the country and conference with 16 goals.
35: She is Minnesota’s, the Big Ten’s, and NCAA’s points leader with 35.
1,219: Harper has seen the field for 1,219 minutes, missing only 131 minutes of action. The forward has also played in four full 90 minute matches.
Making Her Mark
Sophomore forward Paige Kalal has made an impact on the field for Minnesota. This season, she’s dished out nine assists, ranking her third nationally and first overall in the Big Ten. In total she’s recorded 11 points. Two weeks ago against Northwestern, she finished her first goal of the season, unassisted off a set piece play.
Top Drawer Soccer Top 100
Just last week, Top Drawer Soccer came out with its Midseason Top 100 Player and Freshman rankings. Two Gophers made an appearance on each list. Harper was ranked No. 12 in the top 100 players column, while Caroline Birdsell was ranked No. 76 amongst the freshmen.
Both forwards have earned a Big Ten Weekly Award. Birdsell earned Freshman of the Week back in August for scoring a brace and dishing out an assist against Creighton. The following week, Harper earned Offensive Player of the Week nods for finishing back-to-back hat tricks.
Record Book Watch
With three games left in the regular season, Harper and Kalal have put themselves on the map in Minnesota’s record books. In season records, Harper ranks in points (No. 6), goals (No. 4), game-winning goals (No. 2), and shots (No. 10). Harper needs to score two more game-winners to be Minnesota’s stand alone leader in the category.
Kalal’s nine assists also places her amongst the Gopher Greats. The sophomore sits at No. 7 in season assists.
(info and stock photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
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