Nebraska Faces Minnesota in B1G Regional Opener

B1G Regional Weekend Opener

Nebraska vs. Minnesota 
Thursday, April 8 • 4 p.m. (CT)
Demirjian Park
Champaign, Ill.
 
» TV: BTN+
» Live Stats: FightingIllini.com
» Twitter Updates: @NebraskaSoccer

The Nebraska women’s soccer team kicks off its campaign to the Big Ten Tournament this week, meeting Minnesota on Thursday, April 8 at 4 p.m. (CT) in Champaign, Ill. in the first round of the 2020-21 Big Ten Regional Weekend. 

Thursday will be the second time this season that the Huskers (2-5-3) and Gophers (5-3-3) face off. In the 2020-21 season-opener, the teams played to a 0-0 tie. The game also marks the second time in three weeks that Nebraska will play at Demirjian Park. The Huskers met the Illini in Champaign in their penultimate road game of the regular season on March 19, falling 3-1. 

Last Time Out

Thanks to a first-half goal by Gwen Lane, the Huskers won their regular season finale game against Iowa, 1-0, on Saturday, April 3 at Barbara Hibner Stadium. Lane earned her first collegiate goal while the team picked up its fourth clean sheet of the year. 

Next Up

The winner of Thursday’s match will face the winner of the first round game between No. 7 seed Iowa and No. 2 seed Illinois on Sunday, April 11. The victors of Sunday’s games will advance to the four-team Big Ten Tournament that will be contested April 15 and 18 at the location of the highest remaining seed. 

Kicking Off

• Nebraska finished the regular season conference-only schedule 2-5-3. The team ended the regular season 11th in the conference standings. 
• The Huskers and Gophers are tied in the all-time series at 7-7-2. The last two meetings between the teams have resulted in draws. Nebraska and Minnesota have met twice on neutral fields, both times in the Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers are 1-1 in those neutral site meetings. 
• After blanking the Hawkeyes in the regular season finale, Nebraska has earned four shutouts on the year. NU has recorded at least four shutouts in all but three of the program’s 27 seasons. The team has tied last year’s total of four blank sheets. 
• Nebraska ranks 206 in the latest RPI released by the NCAA this week. The team faced two ranked opponents this season in Rutgers and Penn State. 
• Five of Nebraska’s six goals this year were scored by players who had previously not scored in a Nebraska uniform. Freshmen Eleanor Dale, who scored twice against Purdue, and Reagan Raabe netted Nebraska’s first three goals of the season. Gwen Lane added the fourth newcomer goal this year with the lone goal in the win over Iowa. Sophomore Marissa Popoola added her first career goal against Michigan. 
• Makinzie Short and Gwen Lane were named Big Ten players of the week on Tuesday, with Short earning Goalkeeper of the Week and Lane earning Freshman of the Week. Short picked up four saves against Iowa last weekend and has led the Huskers to four clean sheets on the year. Lane scored her first points as a Husker againt the Hawkeyes.
• Grace Brown and Makinzie Short are two of 20 players who have seen action for the Huskers this season that have played all 975 minutes of game time this year.
• Head Coach John Walker holds the Big Ten women’s soccer coaching record for most overall wins with 333 at the end of the 2020-21 regular season. The next closest is Wisconsin’s Paula Wilkins with 276 total wins. 

Scouting the Minnesota Golden Gophers

• Minnesota enters the post season matchup with a 5-3-3 regular season record. 
• The Gophers closed the regular season with a 1-1 tie against Wisconsin. Abi Frandsen scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute for her first career goal. 
• Sophia Boman and Sadie Harper lead the Gophers with two goals a piece. Boman ranks fifth in the conference with 30 shots taken this season. 
• In goal, Megan Plaschko leads the Big Ten with a .558 goals against average. Through 11 games, she has allowed just six goals. 
• Defensively, the Gophers’ backline has proven to be a strong asset, as the team is tied for second in the conference with a .73 goals against average. Minnesota has recorded a shutout in six of its 11 games this season. 
• Minnesota has seen plenty of opportunities this season, as it ranks second in the Big Ten with 157 shots taken and is top of the league with 74 corner kicks on the year. 
• According to the B1G Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Minnesota was tabbed to finish 13th in the conference. The Gophers closed the regular season tied for seventh in the standings with 18 points and 1.64 points per game. 
• Head coach Stephanie Golan is 92-63-24 at the helm of the Gophers  and is in her ninth year at Minnesota. She is assisted by Becky Maines, Maya Hayes, Tarah Hobbs and Laura Roberts. 
• 2020-21 Big Ten Players to Watch: 

  • #9 Sophia Boman (Freshman M): Has scored two goals for the Gophers, both game-winners for the team against Iowa and Purdue. The freshman starter leads the team with 30 shots on the year, 10 of which have fallen on goal. 
  • #10 Katie Duong (Sophomore M): Leads the Gophers with three assists this season. Has played every minute of the 2020-21 season and took 14 shots in the regular season. 
  • #2 Makenzie Langdok, (Senior F): Third on the team in shots taken this season with 21. Played in every regular season game this year for Minnesota.