Heading into the final two weeks and three matches of the season the postseason for Gopher soccer is now on the bubble. Three consecutive defeats have put the Gophers at 10 points and four points back from the final Big Ten playoff spot. Out of the 16 team conference, only the top eight will make the tournament. Should the Gophers miss the Big Ten tournament a berth in the NCAA tournament won't be impossible with the maroon and golds current 7-2-6 (W-D-L) record, but it will be extremely hard to get that berth.
Week 10
Gophers 0 – 2 Ohio State (#6)
After losing to #2 Michigan State the previous week, Minnesota returned home to St. Paul and Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium to host the #6 Buckeyes. Early on Ohio State was awarded a penalty and in the 12th minute Amanda Schlueter put home the goal to put the Buckeyes up. Minnesota went on the defensive for the remainder of the first half, allowing 10 shots by Ohio State but kept them from scoring again. The second half was more of the same with OSU outshooting Minnesota, but still struggled to score. That was until the 84th minute when Elle Britt scored her fifth goal of the season to put a bow on the match for Ohio State.
Week 11
Wisconsin 1 – 0 Gophers
With a rough loss to Ohio State behind them the following week the Gophers headed to Madison, WI to meet the Wisconsin Badgers. Minnesota had defeated both North Dakota, North Dakota State, and Iowa in the previous Border Battles during the 2026 season. Wisconsin proved to be a different scenario than the other three matches. While the Gophers had more shots on target than the Badgers, only one goal was scored and it was by Wisconsin. Erin Connolly's 74th minute strike put the Badgers ahead and they held out to hand the Gophers their third straight defeat.
This Week
Gophers vs #12 Washington
Starting the final three match stretch for the Gophers is a pair of home matches, with the first on Thursday at 7pm. The #12 Washington Huskies enter the week with an 11-3-1 (6-2-1 in B1G) record and sitting in fourth place in the Big Ten. Washington's only loss this year was back on 27 September at Michigan State. Offensively no single Husky has had a breakout season, but Washington has six players with multiple goals. Defensively though, the Huskies have only allowed eight goals this season with Tanner Ijams making nearly 40 saves this season.
Gophers vs Oregon
Wrapping up the home season on Sunday at 1pm is the Gophers annual Pink Game where they host the Oregon Ducks. Oregon are third bottom in the Big Ten with just five points and one win in conference play. Oregon enters the weekend on a seven match winless skid, with their last win coming on 13 September at Maryland. Carly Cormack and Ellie Felt lead the Ducks offence with a combined nine goals and five assists. Outside of those two no other Duck has managed more than two goals this year. Minnesota on the other hand have scored 23 goals this season with Ava Westlund leading the way with six.
