Gophers Head East for Big Ten Battles with Indiana, Purdue

Upcoming Events

Schedule

Sep 24

6:30 PM

Soccer

at Indiana

Sep 27

12:00 PM

Soccer

at Purdue

Oct 2

7:00 PM

Soccer

vs Maryland

MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's soccer team hits the road this weekend for two Big Ten matchups. The Golden Gophers will first face the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington on Thursday and will then travel to West Lafayette to take on the Boilermakers Sunday.

Minnesota (5-2-2, 1-1-1 Big Ten) vs. Indiana (4-4-1, 1-2-0 Big Ten)
Date: Thursday, Sept. 24
Stream: B1G+
Kick Off: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Bloomington, Ind.

Minnesota (5-2-2, 1-1-1 Big Ten) vs. Purdue (8-1-1, 2-1-0 Big Ten)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Stream: B1G+
Kick Off: 12 p.m. CT
Location: West Lafayette, Ind.

Last Time Out
Last weekend, the Gophers earned a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Northwestern, driven by a three-point performance from forward Ava Westlund. Minnesota opened the scoring when Ellen Neuharth converted an assist from Westlund, but Northwestern responded with back-to-back goals from Megan Norkett and Olivia Elliott to take a 2-1 lead. Despite trailing, the Gophers dominated the offensive tempo, outshooting the Wildcats 20-9, and their relentless pressure paid off when Westlund calmly converted a game-tying penalty kick.

Facing Indiana
The Hoosiers are 4-4-1 on the year and 1-2-0 in conference play. Last week, Indiana fell to No. 14 Wisconsin 2-0. They are led offensively by Maggie Ledwith, who has eight points on the year with three goals and two assists. Bella Haggerty has seven points, scoring three goals with one assist.

Facing Purdue
Purdue is coming off two consecutive wins over USC and Rutgers, improving its record to 8-1-1 and 2-1-0 in Big Ten play. With the win over the Scarlet Knights, it is the most wins the Boilermakers have earned since 2021. Purdue has four players who have scored five or more goals this season, led by Jaiden Anderson with eight on the year.

Notes to Know

Undefeated at home: The Golden Gophers have earned a 4-0-2 record at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium, remaining undefeated at home across six games.
50 Wins: Head coach Erin Chastain is two wins away from 50 career wins at Minnesota. Now in her sixth season leading the Maroon and Gold and 20th as a head coach, Chastain has a career record of 167-148-52 and is 48-35-18 at Minnesota.
Strong offense: The Gophers are outshooting their opponents, with 150 overall shots this season compared to 89 shots allowed.
Spreading the wealth: Production is spread out across the roster, with eight different players scoring at least one goal (Ava Westlund, Davy Mokelke, Katie Krohn, Kate Childers, Ellen Neuharth, Caroline Birdsell, Tenley Senden, and Keegan Schmeiser).
Playmakers: Minnesota features 10 players on its roster who have recorded at least one assist this season. Against Colorado College on Sept. 6, the Gophers tallied seven assists in a match for the first time since defeating Utah State 5-0 in 2017.
Tactful transfers: Hailee Christensen has emerged as one of the team's top facilitators, leading Minnesota with three assists while playing in eight games. Ava Westlund has made an immediate impact on the pitch, scoring three goals and dishing out two assists. Westlund recorded a career-high eight shots against Northwestern on Sunday.
Goalkeeping Anchor: Across 48 consecutive career starts, Sarah Martin has recorded 25 wins, 14 shutouts, 184 saves, and a total save percentage of 77%.

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