Gophers win: The Gophers were able to hold the Golden Eagles at 2-1 for their first first-round NCAA tournament win in nearly a decade. Marquette made a strong push toward the goal in the last minute of play, but senior goalkeeper Lindsey Dare was able to come out of the goal and snatch Michelle Compty’s shot out of the air to stave off overtime. Minnesota now advances to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The team will take on The South Dakota State Jackrabbits at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in St. Paul. Golden Eagles score74:45: Minnesota goalkeeper Lindsey Dare dove down to stop a shot in the midst of a throng in front of the Gophers’ net, but Allison McBride was able to grab the loose ball and hammer it home for the Golden Eagles. McBride tallied her first goal of the season and Marquette’s first of the game. Yellow card54:43 A bold move by senior goalkeeper Lindsey Dare sends a Marquette player sprawling in front of the Minnesota net. Dare receives a yellow card. There have already been four yellow cards drawn this game. Marquette will begin the second half replacing goalkeeper Chelsey Turner with redshirt freshman Natalie Kulla. Turner allowed two goals in the first half. Scores around the NCAA: Notre Dame 3 Toledo 1 midway through the first; Rutgers 0 Penn State 0 beginning of the first; Denver 0 Kansas 1 midway through the first; West Virginia 1 Princeton 0 midway through the first; UCF 2 Miami 1 midway through the second; Memphis 0 Illinois 1 Final 2O; Milwaukee 1 Michigan State 2 Final Halftime The Gophers lead Marquette 2-0 at the half. The Golden Eagles hold the edge over Minnesota in shots 6-5, but strong performances from the midfield have the Gophers winning most of the battles for the ball on the field. Both goals this evening were scored by a Minnesota midfielder, with midfielder Clare Grimwood holding the game’s only assist. However, if Minnesota wants to come out strong in the second half, the team will need to focus on winning the physical battles. Several Marquette tackles have left Gopher players faceplanting onto the field at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. A strong physical presence in the second half will allow Minnesota greater control over the ball. Gophers score14:51 Julie Rezac puts the Gophers up 2-0 over the Golden Eagles. She tallied her second goal of the season off a pass from midfielder Clare Grimwood. Gophers score7:54: Kelsey Hood nets her first goal of the season to put the Gophers ahead 1-0 early in the first half. After several minutes of up-and-down-the-field play Hood was able to break through a scuffle in front of the net and score. Finishing is something the team needs to focus on this weekend, and Hood has put the Gophers off to a good start.

The Minnesota women’s soccer team is set to begin the first round of the NCAA tournament against the Marquette Golden Eagles in about 10 minutes at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in St. Paul. The sky has cleared off a bit, and the weather looks great for the matchup. Earlier today the South Dakota State Jackrabbits toppled Colorado in a 1-0 game here in St. Paul. In other NCAA scores involving Big Ten schools, Michigan State leads the University of Milwaukee late it the second half. I’ll keep you updated on what’s going on here at the ELR and around the nation throughout the next couple of hours.