Gophers Undo Cornhuskers 6-3 in Final Home Game of Season; Freshman Uhl with Hat-Trick
By Aaron Frederickson
The University of Minnesota Women’s Golden Gophers (8-9-2 overall; 5-4-2 conference) defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers Friday night 6-3 at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in front of nearly 700 fans who braved the cold and slight wind to support the maroon and gold in their final home match of the season.
The match started quickly with Cornhusker sophomore Stacy Bartels catching the Gopher backline by surprise when she dribbled the ball down the right flank and played it into the danger zone to Morgan Marlborough, who one-touched the ball past Gopher net-minder Cat Parkhill in the first minute.
Notwithstanding the early setback, the Gophers attacked the Cornhusker net relentlessly, resulting in several early corner kicks and a goal by Taylor Uhl in the 12th minute. Uhl ended the night with three goals, and one assist. This was Uhl’s second hat-trick in her career, and 12th in Gopher history.
In addition to Uhl’s first-half goal, the Gophers added goals in the 25th minute, when Shari Eckstrom slotted a left-footed shot into the Cornhusker net, and in the 39th minute when Olivia Bagnall drilled a ball from 20 yards out into the net for her first goal of the season. This let the Gophers go into the locker room at half-time with a comfortable 3-1 lead.
In the second half, the Gophers picked up where they left off and added three goals to their tally, with Sheridan Reiners finding the back of the net in the 50th minute, and two by Taylor Uhl, scoring in the 55th and 89th minutes to complete her hat-trick. These goals mainly resulted from strong midfield play by Shari Eckstrom, who won many 50/50 balls, distributed the ball well to her teammates and initiated many of the Gopher counter-attacks.
Friday night was also Senior Night at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. At half-time, the Gophers celebrated the careers of seniors Josie Solie, Alex Pafko, Katie Roberts-Carlson, Shari Eckstrom and Tamara Strahota. Family and friends accompanied the departing seniors onto the pitch where they received framed jerseys and the praise of all fans in attendance.
The Gophers will return to action soon in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, which will be played in Evanston, Ill. Final seeding for this tournament will be determined following the Wisconsin and Michigan State match on Saturday.
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