The Gophers women’s soccer team reached their sixth game without a loss on Sunday to start the season, breaking the 2018 Gophers record that started the season with five consecutive wins.
The Gophers were carried by their offense early in the season, but Brown’s defense allowed only three goals heading into Sunday’s match in St. Paul.
Minnesota spent nearly the first 10 minutes of the game on defense before finally gaining extended possession of the ball. Brown’s junior goalkeeper Bella Schopp halted a freekick from Gopher senior Khyah Harper.
Fifth-year Evelyn Calhoon, who spent the last four years on Brown’s roster before transferring to Minnesota, credited the backline for allowing the offense to gain possession after those long bouts of defense.
“We have a rock-solid backline,” Calhoon said. “I think the trust we have in them and their ability to find our feet in the midfield and for us to face, we’re going to try and find that more and more.”
Brown made it a point to come into the game aggressively — nearly every ball that flew across the field made contact. Gopher Sophia Romine put up Minnesota’s first shot on goal 23 minutes into the game, but the ball did not make it past Schopp.
One minute later, the Gophers set up an attack, but fifth-year captain Sophia Boman kicked the ball to Schopp, who made the stop for Brown.
Shortly after, freshman Caroline Birdsell took a chance against Schopp on an open opportunity but shot the ball wide of the net.
Brown freshman Isabelle Chukwu picked up a yellow card in minute 29, which led to a foul on Harper trying to head the ball in.
Brown junior Naya Cardoza had a one-on-one with Gophers sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Martin as the clock winded down in the first half, but missed outside by a few feet.
The first half ended with neither team getting on the scoreboard and only three shots on goal. Brown had set the pace early in the half and did the same to start the second.
Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said the lack of possession to start the two halves was their own fault.
“I thought it was a lack of execution on our part,” Chastain said. “We didn’t do a good job of finding space and facing up when we could. I didn’t think we did a good job at setting the tone.”
Minnesota and Brown played a lot of back-and-forth throughout the second half. Both teams remained scoreless until Browns’ backline headed the ball into their own net off Boman’s corner kick, giving the Gophers the late lead.
The Gophers’ upper hand was brief as Naya Cardoza quickly responded for Brown when she scored to tie the game at one.
With the game tied and the clock winding down, Harper made one last attempt with her fifth shot on goal of the day, but it did not click.
Gophers senior captain Elizabeth Overberg understands that this tie is better to have before conference play starts.
“We can adapt to it, we know what to do next time when it comes into conference play next week,” Overberg said.
The Gophers start Big Ten play on the road Thursday against Illinois.