-

-

-

-

-

Traveling down to Ames, Gold got their season started with 3 points in a comfortable 3-0 away victory over UMWCSL foe Iowa State. Gold started the match testing Iowa State early, the runs of grad. winger Brzakala and sophomore winger Elias causing trouble for the Cyclone fullbacks. The game settled midway through the period until Gold burst to life in the final 15 minutes of the half. The scoring began with a powerful run to the touchline by Brzakala, whose precise cutback was finished neatly by Elias for a debut goal on Gold. Elias would be the main creator for the scond goal just two minutes later, as a shifty run and ball across found senior forward Goldstein perfectly placed to tap home for 2-0 and his first of the season. Elias wasn't done there as another driving run saw him get fouled by the onrushing keeper, and senior forward Yarmulnik dispatched the ensuing penalty to settle Gold's lead at 3-0. There wasn't much left to do for the Gophers in the second half, as they maintained their lead and stifled any Iowa State comeback chances. The referee completely misplacing a certain penalty as a freekick means Gold will have felt they could have added to their tally even more, but in the end Minnesota cruises to a comfortable league-opening victory to set the tone for the season.

Following their opening day victory over Iowa State, Gold faced a new opponent in the Creighton Bluejays. Gold started quickly and maintained control over the game throughout, winning 5-0 to complete a successful road trip. The Gophers didn't take long to make their mark on the game, as grad. winger Brzakala capitalized on some nice interplay between junior mid Ziegert and senior forward Yarmulnik. A cutting ball from Ziegert and one-touch finish took the Gophers up 1-0 early. Not to be outdone, Elias would add another goal just minutes later to cap his fantastic weekend. Elias picked up a loose ball around the back and dribbled past a defender before lashing his effort past the keeper. Gold would settle in to the half at this stage and add two more goals towards the latter part of the half, as sophomore winger Ortwein opened his account for the season after a lovely turn and dish from sophomore forward Remington; and Brzakala would take his tally to 3 goals in 2 games as he capitalized on a missed Creighton clearance and slotted in to the corner. Much like the game before, Gold held on to their lead comfortably in the second half, adding one more tally through a gorgeous Yarmulnik freekick. After seeing out a 5-0 scoreline to end the match, Gold takes away 6 points from a successful opening weekend in UMWCSL league play.

Gold continued their hot start to the season, defeating Winona State by a resounding 10-0 scoreline on their home opener. Gold didn't take long to start the scoring, Yarmulnik finding the net withing the opening 5 minutes. The Gophers would put a comfortable lead between them and the Warriors, with Elias adding a tally to make it 3 in 3 games, Ortwein grabbing two goals of his own, and Elsayad tacking on his own tally to go up 5-0 into the half. The second half saw a repeat performance as 5 more goals were added. Goldstein finished his second of the season, Elsayad completed a hat-trick with two more goals, and Ortwein bagged 2 more to make it 4 for him on the day. A strong 10-goal showing for the Gophers ensures they maintain their undefeated start to the season as league play continues on.

Gold suffered their first setback of the season but maintained their undefeated status, playing out a 3-3 draw against Minn. State - Mankato MSU started well, finding the first goal of the game before 20 minutes. The Gophers would respond before the half ended, as Yarmulnik won a goalmouth scramble from a corner kick to pull the Gophers level. The teams would enter the halftime break deadlocked at 1-1. The second half saw MSU take the lead again early. Gold responded again, as a nice move on the wing from Hoyt opened up space in the box for an oncoming Goldstein to level the contest once again. A mistake at the back let MSU reclaim the lead shortly afterward, as the Gophers had to battle back once again. Yarmulnik made it two for himself on the day as he buried a freekick to make it 3-3. The Gophers pushed for the winner in the final phase of the game with Makato hanging on to their draw, but the scoreline ended 3-3 to give both teams a singular point. A big week upcoming for Gold as three games over the week will determine the outcome of the league table. Gold begins the week with an all-Gopher affair vs. the Maroon squad, and then a Friday-night showdown vs. St. Thomas before ending the regular season with an away contest in Duluth vs. the Minnesota - Duluth Bulldogs.

Gold got back to winning ways against the Maroon squad of UMN, earning a 2-0 victory under the lights of Huntington Bank Stadium. Gold started the match with fantastic intensity, pinning Maroon deep in their own end for a large part of the first half. Though numerous chances were created, none were finished off as the Maroon defense held on to keep the contest level. The teams would go into halftime scoreless. Into the second half, Gold made their pressure pay off as a move down the wing from Goldstein saw him pick out a fantastic cutback into Yarmulnik, whose backheel finish found the bottom corner. Not content with the one, Gold struck again as Goldstein won a battle in the box and volleyed home to double the lead. The game would end with an important cleansheet and 2-0 victory to set Gold back on track to claim the title.

The Gophers made it two wins in two days as they soundly defeated crosstown league rival St. Thomas by a 5-0 scoreline. The Gophers started hot once again, dictating the pace of play and finding numerous early chances to attack the Tommie backline. This time however, it didn't take long for a chance to pay dividends as a shifty run from Elias found a streaking Hoyt on the end of his cross to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead, and open Hoyt's account for the season. Elias wasn't finished there as less than 10 minutes later, a driving run saw him double the Minnesota lead as he cut through two players and tucked home a neat finish. Fully in control, the Gophers would add a third before half. Senior Captain O'Rourke would head home his first of the season from a wonderfully delivered freekick by Blanco, as the Gophers would take a commanding 3-0 lead into the break. As the second half got underway, the Gophers showed no signs of slowing down as they added a 4th tally quickly, Yarmulnik heading home from an Elias cross. Elsayad would wrap up the scoring as he found a neat finish from his left foot on top of the box, leaving Minnesota up 5-0 as the full-time whistle blew. With just one game remaining in the regular season, the Gold squad has a chance to wrap up a regular season title with a win or draw against Minnesota - Duluth.

The Gophers wrapped up an inaugural UMWCSL league title with a 4-0 beating of Minnesota-Duluth. Playing in Duluth, the Gophers started a little slow on the day. A couple chances here and there for the Gophers in the first half failed to convert, and though Duluth posed little threat, Minnesota couldn't take advantage as the halftime break came at 0-0. The second half came and immediately Minnesota rectified the scoreline. less than two minutes into the second half, a ball won in the box by Goldstein turned into an opportunistic finish for Elias as he slammed a finish high into the roof of the net. The Gold squad came back again just minutes later, as Elias poked the ball past on the onrushing Bulldog keeper. A careless red card picked up by the Duluth centerback following the second goal meant the game was easily in hand for the Gophers now, as they added two more tallies to round out the scoring. Ortwein would finish into an empty net off a clever pass around the keeper from Elias, and Elias would complete his hat trick as he rounded the keeper off a well-weighted pass from Barrett. Securing the regular season title, the Gophers now face the NIRSA region 5 tournament, as they look to bring home a national tournament bid.

-

-

Gold ran into a familiar opponent in their first group game of the regional championships, taking on Air Force. Playing them a year ago in the regional championships, the Gophers carried away a 3-0 victory. The game started a little tense from both sides, each team just figuring each other out. The Gophers grew into the game quickly and forced a great number of Air Force fouls, but none of the resulting set pieces would pay dividends. The sides would play out a cagey first half tied at 0-0. On to the second half and Air Force wasn't overly threatening offensively, but Gold was struggling to find the back of the net. despite hitting the frame of the goal multiple times, it would take until the final minutes of the game for the levee to break, as Brzakala found himself well placed in the box to control and finish right in the bottom corner. Air Force was still unable to generate any offensive production as the clock ran out to give the Gophers a hard-earned 3 points to start their regional campaign.

Having secured an initial 3 points in the group, a win would take Minnesota into the National qualifier game. Facing them now was a new opponent to the region 5 championships, newcomer Mexico State. Minnesota started the game in good form, causing turnovers in the Lobos backline and generating numerous chances, including a goal narrowly disallowed for offside. Their pressure would continue into the middle of the half, as a driving run by freshman midfielder Sol Lee saw a clever shift of the ball past an attempted tackle, leaving no doubt as he was brought down in the box for a penalty. Yarmulnik dispatched the ensuing effort and the Gophers were up 1-0 into halftime. The Gophers came out energized in the second half, the backline continuing their dominant play on the weekend as New Mexico could barely get a hold of the ball in the Gopher half. Remington would put the game beyond reach as he volleyed a clever lofted pass from Hoyt past the keeper. Completing a 2-0 victory, Minnesota moves on to the national qualifier game for a chance to earn an automatic bid to the national tournament.

The Gophers would come up against another newcomer in the national qualifier game, 6th-seeded Minot State. The Beavers had reached the qualification game via two close 2-1 victories over Creighton and Denver. The Gophers started with complete dominance as the ball barely left Minot's half for the first 30 minutes of the game and the Beavers were lucky to keep 11 men on the field. The breakthrough finally came after 30 minutes as O'Rourke won an initial header off a corner, and Yarmulnik steered his ensuing header into the goal to take a deserved lead. The Gophers didn't stop there as O'Rourke was central to the action once again, leaving his defender in the dust on a corner, and the scrambling Beaver defender leveled a clumsy challenge to give Minnesota a penalty. The first effort was saved well, but the bounce from the save led to a Beavers own goal as the defender inadvertently put the ball in the empty net to put the Gophers up 2-0 into halftime. The second half carried on much the same as the first for the Gophers, as the Gopher backline continued to stifle Minot's direct play and hem the play in the Beaver's half. The lead would grow as Wakahara would unleash a fierce shot that the keeper could only parry, as Yarmulnik was in the right spot to tuck in an easy finish. Yarmulnik would complete his hattrick as a lovely set-up from Goldstein and curling finish would put the Gophers up 4-0. Minot was able to get a late consolation goal, but the Gophers claimed a 4-1 victory to send the squad back to the National Championship Tournament for the 4th year running.

-