Weekly Release #6
9/28/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Friday, Oct. 1 -- vs. Indiana (U-M Soccer Field), 4 p.m. -- Pepsi Soccer Slam!
Sunday, Oct. 3 -- vs. Purdue (U-M Soccer Field), 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 5 -- at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 4 p.m. CT
Friday, Oct. 8 -- vs. Michigan State (U-M Soccer Field), 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 10 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 1 p.m. CT
This Week
The Michigan women's soccer team concludes a season-long four-match homestand this weekend. On Friday (Oct. 1), the Wolverines host Indiana at 4 p.m., while on Sunday (Oct. 3) they host Purdue. Friday's game against the Hoosiers is Michigan's Pepsi Soccer Slam! promotion with free drinks and prizes at the Michigan Soccer Field. The Wolverines will also play a rare mid-week contest when they travel to South Bend, Ind., to face No. 6 Notre Dame on Tuesday (Oct. 5) at 4 p.m.
Looking Ahead
Indiana -- The Wolverines lead the all-time series 4-1-0, winning 2-0 in Ann Arbor last season ... Michigan has won the last four series meetings ... the Hoosiers are 2-4-3 on the season, 1-1-2 in the Big Ten ... Kacy Beitel (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow HS) and Amber Berendowsky (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) netted the two Wolverine goals in last season's contest ... current Wolverines vs. Indiana ... Kacy Beitel 1-0-2, Amber Berendowsky 1-0-2, Emily Schmitt 1-0-2, Mari Hoff 0-1-1 ... Indiana Website: www.athletics.indiana.edu.
Purdue --- This is the first meeting between the Wolverines and Boilermakers ... Purdue is in its first Big Ten season and second year of varsity soccer ... the Boilers are 6-4-0 on the season, 1-3-0 in the Big Ten ... Purdue Website: www.purduesports.com.
Notre Dame -- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 3-0-0, defeating Michigan twice last season ... the Irish won the regular-season meeting in Ann Arbor 1-0 in double overtime ... Notre Dame ended Michigan's 1998 season 3-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament ... The Irish advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals last season ... Notre Dame is 6-2-0 this season and ranked No. 6 in the NSCAA poll ... Notre Dame Website: www.und.com.
Wolverines Edge Illini 2-1 in OT Thriller
Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate Abby Crumpton (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) netted the game-winning goal 7:59 into overtime to cap Michigan's thrilling 2-1, come-from-behind victory over No. 15 Illinois (7-2-0, 2-1-0 Big Ten) on Friday (Sept. 24). Illinois recorded the game's first goal at 40:22. The Wolverines outshot the Illini 16-4 after the halftime intermission and tallied the tying goal at 83:24 when Kacy Beitel's shot squirted under the Illinois goalie. Beitel appeared to have the game-winner with under 3:00 left in the game, but she was deemed offsides, sending the game into the extra session, where Crumpton took over. Crumpton rang a blast off the crossbar early in the OT before netting the game-winning goal on a 20-yard blast at 97:59.
Stewart Blanks Iowa, 2-0
Michigan junior goaltender Carissa Stewart (Topsham, Maine/Mt. Ararat HS) made four saves, three in the second half, to record her third shutout of the season as the Wolverines blanked the Iowa Hawkeyes 2-0 in front of 420 fans at the Michigan Soccer Field on Sunday (Sept. 26). Michigan controlled the play for much of the game, outshooting Iowa 27-8, and got on the board early when Mari Hoff (Canton, Mich./Salem HS) hooked a 30-yard shot from the right wing into the upper far corner at 5:18. Michigan applied steady pressure for the next 25 minutes, holding the Hawkeyes without a shot until the 30th minute and without a shot on goal until the 40th minute. Still, the Wolverines were unable to put the game away until the 87th minute, when Kacy Beitel made the score 2-0 with an 18-yard blast which deflected off a defender and changed direction to find the near corner.
Big Ten Recap
Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State all recorded perfect 2-0 weekends to move into the top three slots in the Big Ten Conference standings. Penn State and Michigan are the only teams remaining without a loss in conference action, while five teams have suffered just one defeat and no teams remain without a blemish (loss or tie).
Big Ten Conference Standings (through 9/26/99)
Big Ten Overall 1. Michigan 3-0-1 6-2-1 2. Penn State 2-0-1 5-2-1 3. Minnesota 3-1-0 5-3-0 4. Illinois 2-1-0 8-2-0 5. Michigan State 2-1-1 3-4-3 6. Indiana 1-1-2 2-4-3 Ohio State 1-1-1 5-2-2 8. Iowa 1-2-0 5-4-0 9. Purdue 1-3-0 6-4-0 Wisconsin 1-3-0 5-3-2 11. Northwestern 0-4-0 2-7-0
Beitel Named co-Big Ten Player of the Week
Junior forward Kacy Beitel, an All-Big Ten candidate this season, earned co-Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her performance over the Sept. 24-26 weekend. In two games, Beitel recorded two goals including the game-tying tally in Friday's (Sept. 24) 2-1 overtime victory against then-No. 15 Illinois. This is Beitel's first Player of the Week honor as she became just the fifth Wolverine to garner the award and the first since Jessica Limauro was honored the week of Sept. 28, 1998.
National Honors
Junior goalkeeper Carissa Stewart, an All-Big Ten candidate this season, received national attention by Soccer America. For her performances the week of Sept. 13-19, which included a win at Ohio State and a scoreless double-overtime tie at Penn State, Stewart was named to Soccer America's "Team of the Week."
Streaky Wolverines
Michigan's 1999 season has been one of streaks. The Wolverines, 6-2-1 on the season, opened the year with two wins before suffering two defeats, only to respond with a five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1). Michigan's longest unbeaten steak is seven games, done twice in 1997 and once in 1996. Further, Michigan's 2-0-1 start in Big Ten play has extended the Wolverines' conference unbeaten streak to seven games (6-0-1), including a 3-0-0 conclusion to the 1998 Big Ten season, tying the program record set from 1996-97.
Fire Away
Through nine games this season the Wolverines have fired off 197 shots, just 83 shy of team's total in 22 games last season (280 shots). Michigan's average of 21.9 shots per game is the highest in the school's history and on pace to break the Big Ten record of 20.3 set by the 1996 Wolverine squad.
Season Games Shots Shots/G 1999 9 197 21.9 1996 20 406 20.3 1997 23 445 19.3 1994 19 364 19.2 1995 20 308 15.4 1998 22 280 12.7
Above .500
With a 3-0-1 start to the Big Ten season, the Wolverines are 20-18-5 all-time in Big Ten action, the first time the program has ever been above .500 against the conference. The Wolverines had trouble adjusting to the Big Ten level early in their history, going a combined 2-11-1 in the first two seasons as a varsity program, but have bounced back with a 15-4-3 mark in the conference since 1997. Michigan, which sports a 6-4 record in Big Ten Tournament play (not counted in Big Ten standings) owns a 26-22-5 overall mark against conference foes.
Second Half Success
Michigan has had a great deal of success after the halftime break this season. The Wolverines have outscored opponents 10-5 after the intermission with a 103-46 advantage in shots. By comparison, Michigan holds an 8-7 edge in first half scoring with a 94-58 lead in shots. The totals have been even more skewed in the four Big Ten games, where Michigan has outscored foes 4-0 with a 42-21 shot differential after halftime, compared to 2-2 in goals and a 37-26 edge in shots during the first half.
And the Key Is ...
Michigan is a perfect 5-0-0 when senior midfielder Emily Schmitt records a point and 1-2-1 when she is held scoreless. Schmitt, 2-5-9 on the season, added an assist on Michigan's second goal against Iowa (Sept. 26), triggering the play by sending an crossing pass to the top of the box.
Sensational Stewart
All-Big Ten candidate Carissa Stewart, leading a defense which features a sophomore and three freshmen, posted a 2-0 record last weekend, recording a 2-1 overtime win over No. 15 Illinois (Sept. 24) and a 2-0 shutout of Iowa (Sept. 26), her third shutout of the season and second in Big Ten play. The wins pushed Stewart's career total to 23, three victories shy of Jessica Jones' (1995-98) program record of 26 victories. For the weekend, Stewart stopped eight-of-nine shots (.889 save percentage), allowing just one goal in 187:59 for a 0.48 goals against average. She has allowed just two goals on 20 shots in four Big Ten games, two of which went into overtime, for a .900 save percentage and 0.45 goals against average.
Schmitt Assisting Her Way to the Top
Senior All-America candidate Emily Schmitt collected her fifth assist on the season in the Iowa game (Sept. 26), the seventh-highest single season assist total in school history. The assist gave her 11 for her career, tied with teammate Mari Hoff (Canton, Mich./Salem HS) for the fourth-highest Michigan career total. Schmitt and Hoff need six more helpers to catch Jessica Limauro (1995-98) for third, while Schmitt needs just one more assist for the fifth and two more for the second-highest single season total by a Wolverine. Amber Berendowsky holds the school records with 29 career assists and 17 assists in 1997.
Most Career Assists
PLAYER (YEARS) ASSISTS AMBER BERENDOWSKY (1996- ) 29 Debbie Flaherty (1994-97) 20 Jessica Limauro (1995-98) 17 MARI HOFF (1996- ) 11 EMILY SCHMITT (1996-) 11
Most Single Season Assists
PLAYER POINTS (YEAR) Amber Berendowsky 17 (1997) Jessica Limauro 7 (1998) Debbie Flaherty 7 (1997) Debbie Flaherty 7 (1994) Amber Berendowsky 6 (1998) Mari Hoff 6 (1997) EMILY SCHMITT 5 (1999)
Beitel Scores in Bunches
Junior All-Big Ten candidate Kacy Beitel netted two goals on the weekend for her second two-goal weekend on the season. Previously Beitel scored a pair of goals, including the game winner, in Michigan's 3-2 overtime victory against Utah (Sept. 12). Her tally with just 6:36 left in the game against No. 15 Illinois on Friday (Sept. 24) sent the game into overtime, where the Wolverines pulled out a 2-1 victory. Beitel scored again on Sunday (Sept. 26) with 3:39 left against Iowa to seal a 2-0 Michigan win. Just moments after her goal tied the Illinois game, Beitel had a goal waved off due to an offsides call. Beitel, who missed Michigan's first game with a hamstring injury, is second on the team with four goals and third on the team with eight points.
Crumpton in Rare Company
With the game-winning tally in Michigan's overtime victory against Illinois (Sept. 24), Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate Abby Crumpton extended her team lead in goals (five) and points (12). While the season is only nine games old, Crumpton is looking to become only the second freshman to lead the Wolverines in scoring. Amber Berendowsky led Michigan with 19 points as a freshman in 1996 while Mari Hoff paced the Wolverines with eight goals as a freshman, also in 1996. Kacy Beitel holds the school record for both goals and points by a freshman with 14 goals and 33 points in 1997.
Most Goals (Freshman Season)
PLAYER GOALS (YEAR) Kacy Beitel 14 (1997) Mari Hoff 8 (1996) Amber Berendowsky 7 (1996) Ruth Poulin 7 (1994) Marie Spaccarotella 6 (1996) ABBY CRUMPTON 5 (1999)
Most Points (Freshman Season)
PLAYER POINTS (YEAR) Kacy Beitel 33 (1997) Amber Berendowsky 19 (1996) Mari Hoff 17 (1996) Ruth Poulin 15 (1994) Debbie Flaherty 15 (1994) Abby Crumpton 12 (1999)
Happy Birthday!
Senior forward Amber Berendowsky celebrates her 22nd birthday on Tuesday (Sept. 28) ... sophomore defenseman Alissa Shaw (West Carrollton, Ohio/West Carrollton HS) turns 20 on Sunday (Oct. 3).
Moving Up
The Michigan soccer team, which re-entered the NSCAA poll last week at No. 22, moved up to No. 15 in this week's poll. The Wolverines opened the season ranked No. 15 before falling out of the rankings for two weeks. Michigan is ranked second in the Great Lakes Region, behind only No. 6 Notre Dame, Michigan's opponent on Tuesday (Oct. 5). The Wolverines are No. 20 in the Soccer Times Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the Soccer Buzz rankings.
NSCAA/adidas Division I National Ranking (9/27/99)
School Record Pts LW 1. Santa Clara 9-0-0 300 1 2. Florida 9-0-0 288 3 3. North Carolina 7-2-0 274 2 4. Nebraska 8-1-1 253 4 5. Penn State 6-2-1 250 5 6. Notre Dame 6-2-0 239 6 7. Southern Cal 6-2-0 222 T7 8. Texas A&M 9-1-0 218 9 9. UCLA 8-1-0 191 13 10. Virginia 6-2-0 189 17 11. Wake Forest 7-1-0 163 16 12. BYU 8-1-0 162 10 13. Hartford 5-1-1 155 T7 14. Baylor 7-2-0 141 14 15. MICHIGAN 6-2-1 123 22 Clemson 6-3-1 123 NR 17. Stanford 5-3-0 105 23 18. Richmond 6-2-1 93 11 19. Connecticut 5-4-0 84 NR 20. Missouri 7-2-0 71 24 21. Kentucky 6-2-1 61 NR 22. Boston College 6-2-0 40 18 23. William & Mary 7-2-0 35 25 24. San Diego 8-1-0 32 NR 25. SMU 6-3-0 25 NR
Contact: Jay Levin (734) 763-4423
