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The Gophers women’s soccer team earned a much-needed win when they upset No. 8 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Thursday night.
The Gophers split their last four conference games with two losses and two ties. The Big Ten has six teams ranked among the top 25, but the Gophers believe they can compete with anyone in the conference despite their recent losses.
To jump in the rankings, the Gophers need to earn points by either winning or tying a match. Teams get three points for a win, one point for a tie and zero for a loss.
As the season winds down, the schedule does not get easier. The Gophers play two more top-25 teams that could push them out of the Big Ten tournament if they can not get any points.
The Gophers tied with the University of Southern California (USC) on Sept. 26 and lost to UCLA four days later. The two West Coast teams may see the Gophers again if all three teams make the Big Ten tournament.
Freshman forward Caroline Birdsell understands the team needs to make the most of their opportunities moving forward.
“At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how many shots you get, it’s about putting it in the back of the net,” Birdsell said.
Fifth-year midfielder Jelena Zbiljic added that USC and UCLA are not much different despite competing in the PAC-12 last season.
“Just treating them like any other Big Ten team,” Zbiljic said. “At the end of the day, they’re soccer players just like us.”
Zbiljic added though USC and UCLA won two NCAA titles each in the 21st century, the Gophers are capable of earning a conference and NCAA tournament berth.
Zbiljic said the Gophers are taking it one game at a time as they try to get points in the standings with only a few games remaining.
“Focusing on what we can control and going from there,” Zbiljic said.
Birdsell said the team is feeling good despite gaining only two points in their last four games before their win at Ohio State.
Before Thursday night’s games, the Gophers had eight points, while Washington and Penn State had nine and 10 points, respectively. The Gophers earned 11 points after defeating Ohio State and sit closely behind Washington and Penn State who also played Thursday.
Penn State defeated Illinois and reached 13 points, while Washington beat Michigan, moving them to 12 points.
Minnesota does not have much room for error over the next four games. Wisconsin sits at nine points in the 10th spot and Illinois is in 11th place with seven points.
If the Gophers can get a few points during their end-of-season stretch, Penn State’s final three games against ranked teams may propel the Gophers ahead.
Penn State plays the Gophers next before taking on UCLA and USC in Los Angeles, and finally Ohio State. Penn State is 0-2-0 against top-ranked teams this season.
Despite being four games away, Zbiljic and the Gophers are excited to end their season with the reigning Big Ten champions, the Iowa Hawkeyes.
“It’s in the back of our minds,” Zbiljic said. “I think it’s exciting that we get to play them at home… They are big rivals but having that be our last regular season game is very exciting.”
Iowa is ranked fourth in the Big Ten and has lost only one game (10-1-3).
Not only is the Big Ten tournament in the Gophers’ sights, but they are ranked 49th in the nation and may have an opportunity to make the NCAA tournament if they can string together a few points.
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