U of M onto Sweet 16 of NCAA D-1 Women’s soccer tournament (audio interviews)

2008 November 16

by Brian Quarstad

Tamara Strahota targets for Katie Shelander, while marked by SDSU players, Kerstyn Farrell and Kaitlin Justice. Photo by Jeremy Olson

It feels unbelievable. I couldn’t think of a better way to go out in my senior season. We won the Big Ten regular season championship and we made the NCAA Tournament. Now we are in the Sweet 16 and it feels like icing on the top of the cake.
Lindsey Schwartz

The University of Minnesota women won their second round game this afternoon at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie stadium in St. Paul moving them forward to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA D-1 tournament. Just like Friday evening, when the Golden Gophers defeated Marquette by coming out early and scoring, Minnesota grabbed two goals in the first 15 minutes of play and then took control of the game to pick up their 22nd win of the season. The victory also means that the lady Gophers go undefeated at home this season, and is the furthest a Minnesota team has ever gone in the NCAA tournament. The team also tied the all time Big Ten record for the most amount of shutouts in a season at 17.

Molly Rouse was first to get on the boards within the first minute for the Gophers. She took a well struck cross from Lindsey Schwartz , hit it off her thigh and up and over South Dakota State University keeper, Nicole Lograsso, who was coming out for the block. The goal was the fastest goal this year for the U of M women.

Then just 12 minutes later, Lindsey Schwartz got into the action again as she scored with her head on a cut back cross by Katie Bethke from the left side of the goal. Bethke had penetrated the Jackrabbit defense and crossed the ball to Schwartz who is the Gophers leading scorer this year. Lorasso eventually trapped the bouncing ball near the goal line but the linesmen ruled the ball had crossed the line and the head official awarded the goal.

(Listen to Lindsey Schwartz tell IMS about her goal, assist and the plan to score early)
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Unlike Friday night, the Gophers did a better job of controlling the tempo and control of the game. The second half did see some pressure on the Gophers but senior keeper Lindsey Dare, only was called on twice in the whole game to stop the Jackrabbits.

(Coach Mikki Denney Wright compares Friday evening’s game to Sunday’s game)
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Minnesota (22-3-0) will face the region’s top seed, No. 1-ranked Notre Dame (23-0-0), in the quarterfinals on either Nov. 21, 22 or 23. The NCAA committee is expected to announce the date and location of the match Sunday evening at 8 p.m.

Game Stats