Huskers Fall to Minnesota in Big Ten Semifinals

Westfield, Ind. – The Nebraska soccer team (9-7-5, 5-3-3 Big Ten) saw its Big Ten Tournament come to an end in the semifinals, as the Huskers fell to Minnesota, 2-0, at Grand Park on Friday afternoon.

The Huskers, seeded sixth in the tournament, advanced through the quarterfinals by winning a penalty-kick shootout against No. 3 seed Ohio State last weekend following a scoreless draw between the two teams. No. 7 seed Minnesota improves to 11-8-1 on the season and advances to Sunday’s Big Ten Final.

On Friday, Minnesota’s April Bockin, the Big Ten Forward of the Year, scored both of the Golden Gophers’ goals against the Huskers. She leads the conference in goals (13) and points (31) this season. In the third minute, Bockin fired from long range and found the top right corner of the net to give Minnesota an early 1-0 advantage.

The Gophers took the 1-0 lead into halftime despite the Huskers managing four shots. In the second half, NU took three shots on goal, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Minnesota nearly allowed an own goal that would’ve tied the game in the final minutes. In the 88th minute, Bockin netted her second goal off an assist from Celina Nummerdor.

Junior goalkeeper Aubrei Corder, making her 62nd career start, earned four saves in 90 minutes of action. She increases her career total to 187 saves, which ranks fourth in program history.

Sunday’s Big Ten Final between Minnesota and top-seeded Penn State is scheduled for 11 a.m. (CT) at Grand Park. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

The NCAA Selection Show, set for Monday at 3:30 p.m. (CT), will be streamed on NCAA.com.