Minnesota shows growth in home opener - 9/22/2024

The Minnesota Golden Gophers held their home opener match Saturday against the Iowa Hawkeyes, in a game with many ups and downs for the home team. 

Minnesota started the Maroon side game with a strong performance, showcasing a dominant and cohesive defensive line, as well as holding the time of possession well. On the defensive side, the Gophers consistently held the Hawkeyes within their own half for the majority of the period, preventing much of Iowa’s offense from moving the ball with any consistency. Offensively, Minnesota kept the Hawkeyes on their heels and held on to the ball with consistent and reliable play from both forwards and backs. However, the Gophers struggled to reach the try zone, with Owen Voice scoring the lone try for Minnesota in the first half. The Hawkeyes saw two tries with one successful conversion in the first half, to see them go up 12-5 at the whistle. Minnesota saw fewer injuries this match, but in the first half, backs Josh Nacker and Marcus Lorenzen both came off the pitch with ankle injuries.

The second half was more challenging for the Gophers, as they struggled to keep up with the Hawkeye’s offensive attack. Iowa’s offense managed four more tries with three successful conversions due to strong performances out of their fullback and wingers. Minnesota struggled offensively, as their defense kept their foot on the pedal until the end of the match. The Hawkeyes held Minnesota to the lone try in the first half, ending the match 38-5. Coach Paul O’Brien says it’s a loss, but he’s focused on seeing players grow and develop as the season is still young.

“We saw tremendous growth as a young team this week,” O’Brien said. “We will travel to Iowa in about a month and we believe we can take this game back for our second matchup.”

The Gophers’ Gold team was a prime example of a growing young team, as they managed a decisive victory against Iowa’s second team. In the first half, the Hawkeyes held a lead through the half as their offensive attack managed a try with a successful conversion and a penalty kick, as opposed to Carter Roth scoring the Gopher’s only try. Although Minnesota had a strong attack and solid defensive line, mistakes prevented them from finishing drives. At the halftime whistle, Iowa led 10-5.

Iowa’s lead did not last long, however, as the Gold team put together an assertive comeback. The Gophers’ defense made a statement, shutting out Iowa in the second half. With that, the offense was able to put their mistakes behind them as they cruised to three tries with two successful conversions. Only one injury interrupted Minnesota’s win, with forward Tyler Church coming off the pitch late in the match with a foot injury. Other than that, the Gold side ended the day happy, with a 24-10 win.

Gopher 23 Man Squad:

Forwards:

Andrew Byrnes, Jacob Kanta, Nate Schramm, Connor Slette, Jack Hardt, Jack Nielsen, Ryan Horejsi, Sam Angell

Substitutes: Jacob Wandersee, Doug Lee, Kaiser Qiu, Haden Witbrod

Backs:

Nick Carver, Sam Dodd,  Dominic Kreiling, Marcus Lorenzen, Josh Nacker, Owen Voice, Tristan Malletroit

Substitutes: Lucas Paschal, Jack Poston, Alex Morton, Thomas Krueger

Permanent Coach & BigTen Championship Tournament

*Breaking news*

Interim coaching tag has been removed and Sean ‘Snacks’ Lindersmith has signed a 3 year contract to be the University of Minnesota. The University Alumni boosters have made a commitment of coaching being a high priority budget consideration and hiring Coach Lindersmith gives the club long term stability.

Urgent
An anonymous parent donor has given $4000 toward the cost of a coach bus for the upcoming BigTen tournament. The total cost for the long journey is roughly $6100. The Alumni boosters are asking donors, parents and fans to contribute as much as they can afford in order to make this a free charge to the players. Not only saving the student athletes money, but allowing them the comfort of a coach to rest and study for the upcoming match vs Purdue.

Any and all contributions help.

Please click On the link below and help cover the balance due outside of the super generous $4000 in seed money.

Please consider supporting the team as they pursue this historic milestone. As always, all donations are fully tax deductible and greatly appreciated! 

https://app.moonclerk.com/pay/2tus8o370cc1

Ski U Mah,

The Alumni

Gopher Rugby Welcomes Interim Coach Sean "Snacks" Lindersmith

The University of Minnesota Gopher Rugby Boosters have accepted the resignation of Head Coach Jimmy Hanson, effective immediately.

Coach Hanson has served his alma mater with the passion and energy anyone would expect from a Gopher.  Coach Hanson stepped in during a tough transitional period and has served the team and University proudly. 

Boosters President Chris Babiash has named Sean ‘Snacks’ Lindersmith the acting interim head coach through the 2018/2019 school year. Sean has served as the forwards coach alongside Jimmy for the last two years.

Sean is a USA Rugby level 300 certified coach and was recently selected for the USA Rugby Project SOAR coaching pool.  He is one of the few full-time rugby professionals in the United States. He has served as the team manager for the USA Eagles and San Diego PRO team. Most recently, he was the Director of Youth High School Rugby for the Minnesota Rugby Football Union.

We look forward to Sean and his new role as interim head coach of Gopher Rugby, and continually moving forward with the progress and development of the Men’s Rugby Team!

Sean began his coaching career in San Diego, California in 2009. He has grown as a coach since, coaching on nearly every level of domestic rugby. He was one of the first 14 coaches selected for the Premiership Rugby Scholarship in 2017. 

Sean's coaching experience has been gained serving on the staff of the following teams: 

University of Minnesota Men's Rugby

U.S. Coast Guard Sevens Rugby

San Diego Tuna Sevens

San Diego Regional All Star Team

Young Aztecs Rugby

UC San Diego Women's

Saint Augustine High School Boy's Rugby

He is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard. He has two children and lives with his partner, Katie. In his spare time, he hosts a podcast dedicated to sharing sports development stories from across the country.