“Those three players spent three to five years in our program and ended playing the best soccer of their careers,” Chastain said. “We have some new faces who will certainly contribute to our production and look forward to seeing them step up.”
Among the newcomers is midfielder Mariah Nguyen, who joins the Gophers after three seasons at St. Thomas and one at Bemidji State. Nguyen has played for the Minnesota Aurora since their inaugural season in 2022. Also joining the Gophers are forward Freya Jupp, a transfer from DePaul who is a member of England’s national team; midfielder Keegan Schmeiser, who spent the past two seasons at Penn State; and midfielder Tatiana Cunningham, a starter for San Jose State the past three seasons.
The Gophers finished in a tie for seventh place in the Big Ten last season, when all 10 of the teams that qualified for the conference tournament also advanced to the NCAA tournament. The Gophers were one of seven Big Ten teams to reach the third round, where they lost to eventual NCAA champion North Carolina 3-0.
The Gophers, No. 24, are one of six Big Ten teams in the United Soccer Coaches preseason rankings: Southern California (No. 5), UCLA (No. 8), Michigan State (No. 12), Iowa (No. 13) and Wisconsin (No. 23).