The No. 12/15 Minnesota women's soccer is set to host Big Ten rival Wisconsin this Thursday at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. CST.

Last Time Out
Minnesota kicked off the Big Ten season with two of the top conference's top team heading into conference play. A week ago, the Gophers struggled through wind and rain to tie Iowa 1-1 in double overtime. Three days later, Minnesota edged past No. 15/20 Illinois 1-0. Junior midfielder Shari Eckstrom tallied a goal against the Hawkeyes while Bethke picked up the game winner on Sunday. Freshman MacKenzie Misel assisted on both goals to earn her first two points as a Gopher.

The Series
Thursday's contest marks the 21st time Wisconsin and Minnesota have met on the soccer field with the Gophers owning a 10-10-0 record against the Badgers. Minnesota has a three-game winning streak riding against its conference rival including a 2-1 overtime win at Madison last year (10/1). Senior midfielders Katie Bethke and Angie Olson both tallied goals for the Gophers in the win.

Follow the Action
Fans of Minnesota soccer can follow Thursday's game with live streaming video online in the Gold Zone. Live stats and a running blog are also available at Gophersports.com

Next Up
The Big Ten season continues next week for the Gophers, who host Purdue next Sunday (10/10). The Boilermakers game is slated for a 2 p.m. CST start time and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.

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Fantastic Freshmen
A week after redshirt freshman Steph Brandt earned Minnesota's first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, freshman MacKenzie Misel followed suit with a conference honor of her own. Misel's assists on both of the Gophers goals last weekend - her first points as a Gopher -- earned the freshman her first career honor as Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

Scouting the Badgers
- After starting the season 0-3-0, Wisconsin has since gone unbeaten with a seven-game streak without a loss. During that span, the Badgers are 4-0-3.
- The team has not allowed a goal in their last six games and goalkeeper Michele Dalton has recorded five-straight shutouts. The keeper has held a clean sheet for 471 minutes.
- Wisconsin currently sits tied for first with Minnesota and Purdue in the Big Ten with a 1-0-1 conference record.
- Coached by Paula Wilkins (3rd year).
- Leading scorers
 Laurie Nosbusch 6 pts (3G/0A)
 Lauren Cochlin 4 pts (1G/1A)
 - Leading Goalkeeper
 Michele Dalton 8 GP, 3GA, 37svs

Sitting on Top
As a unit, the Golden Gophers sit atop the Big Ten in nearly every offensive category. Minnesota ranks first in the conference in points (83), goals (25), assists (33) and shots (213). Defensively, the Gophers rank third in the conference in goals allowed with six. The team has only allowed three goals in its last nine games.

Bethke Leads Nation in Assists
With nine assists this season, senior midfielder Katie Bethke sits tied with Arkansas-Pine Bluffs' Silvia Fuentes and Barbara Maros de Carvalho of St. Francis (Pa.) for most in the nation. Bethke tallied three assists two weeks ago in the Gophers' 3-0 win over Illinois State.

Milestone Watch
Two significant milestones appear on the horizon for the Minnesota women's soccer team. The Gophers currently sit with 197 total wins -- just three wins away from 200. Meanwhile, coach Mikki Denney Wright is just one win short of her 75th win as head coach of the Gophers. Now midway through her seventh season at the helm, Denney Wright has averaged over 10 wins a season since taking over the program in 2004.

Captains Announced
Four seniors will serve as captains on the 2010 Gophers squad. Jennie Clark, Katie Bethke, Kyle Kallman and Molly Rouse were selected by their teammates to lead the team on the field.

Super Seniors
The 2010 roster features a group of seven seniors that have been one of the program's most successful senior classes. The group helped Minnesota win its third Big Ten title in 2008 as sophomores as well as earn its first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance later that year.

Wisconsin Connection
Only four Minnesota women's soccer players hail from states other than Minnesota, and just one of them -- senior midfielder Katie Bethke -- calls Wisconsin home (Eau Claire).