In the final week of non-conference play before the Big Ten season starts, the Gophers only had a single match. But they scored enough they easily could have won two matches with just the goals scored on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota hosted the Tigers of Colorado College and dominated their Mountain West opponent to close out non-conference play with a massive win.
Last Week
Gophers 5–0 Colorado College
Sunday afternoon at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium a crowd of 579 saw the Gophers dominate the visiting Tigers. Head Coach Erin Chastain said post match that it took her side longer than wanted to get going, but once they did it showed. In a span of less than three minutes the Gophers Davy Mokelke and Tenley Senden racked a pair of goals within five minutes of the half.
Second half saw the Gophers start similar to the first, but that all changed as the clock ticked past the hour mark. 69 minutes into the contest Davy Mokelke secured herself a brace before Ellen Neuharth struck the back of the net two minutes later. After a 74th minute foul inside the box, Keegan Schmeiser scored from the penalty spot for the Gophers fifth and final goal of the match.
This Week
Gophers vs #25 Iowa - Thursday, 10 September at 7pm
Thursday night starts Big Ten play and it could not start out with a bigger matchup. Minnesota hosts the Iowa Hawkeyes in a Border Battle and massive Big Ten rivalry on Thursday night at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. Iowa will come into the match ranked #25 with a record of 5-1-1. Their only loss in non-conference play was in North Carolina to #11 Wake Forest.
The Hawkeyes have had a great start to the 2026 season, scoring an average of 3.28 goals per match. However that drops heavily to just averaging one goal per match against power conference opp. Defensively the Hawkeyes have been solid with 4 clean sheets and have allowed just one goal per match against power conference opposition.
Gophers at Penn State - Sunday, 13 September at Noon
After two days of rest the Gophers then head out to University Park, PA for their first conference away match of the season against Penn State. The Nittany Lions are 2-2-1 (W-D-L) on the season so far with their only wins coming over Bucknell and Brown. But before Penn State faces the Gophers, they'll take on Ohio State in Columbus, OH on Thursday night.
