Weekly Release #12
11/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Big Ten Tournament Schedule
(Hosted by Ohio State University; All Times EST)
Thursday, Nov. 4 Quarterfinals
Game 1 -- #1 seed Penn State vs. #8 seed Indiana -- 10:30 a.m.
Game 2 -- #4 seed Illinois vs. #5 seed Northwestern -- 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 -- #2 seed Ohio State vs. #7 seed Purdue -- 4:30 p.m.
Game 4 -- #3 seed Michigan vs. #6 seed Wisconsin -- 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 5 Semifinals
Game 5 -- Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner -- 4:30 p.m.
Game 6 -- Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner -- 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 7 Championship
Game 7 -- Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner -- 2:30 p.m.
Championship Final to be Broadcast on CSTV
The Big Ten Conference and College Sports Television announced that the championship game of the 2004 Big Ten Tournament will be broadcast live on CSTV, the first 24-hour college sports network. The women's final is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 7.
Coverage of the 2004 Big Ten Tournament
Results and final stats for each game will be provided at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com and www.bigten.org. Ohio State will also provide live stats for each match on its website.
This Week
The University of Michigan women's soccer team (10-7-2) will travel to Columbus, Ohio, this week to compete in the 2004 Big Ten Tournament at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Michigan, the No. 3 seed, will take on No. 6 seed Wisconsin in the fourth game of the quarterfinal round on Thursday (Nov. 4) at 7:30 p.m. EST. Should the Wolverines win that game, they would face the winner of the No. 2 Ohio State/No. 7 Purdue contest in the semifinals on Friday (Nov. 5) at 7 p.m. EST. The championship game will be held on Sunday (Nov. 6) at 2:30 p.m. EST. The winner of the Big Ten Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
Scouting the Opponent
Wisconsin -- The No. 25-ranked Badgers, who enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed, hold an impressive 15-4-1 overall record this season and are riding a seven-game winning streak heading into the postseason. Wisconsin finished in a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten standings with a conference record of 5-4-1. Amy Vermeulen spearheads the Wisconsin offensive attack with a team-leading 33 points on 11 goals and 11 assists. Lynn Murray has made 18 starts in net for the Badgers, allowing 19 goals in over 1,575 minutes for a 1.09 GAA. Dean Duerst is in his 11th season as head coach of Wisconsin and has collected a career record of 130-85-26. The Badgers, who return nine starters and 17 letterwinners, finished last season at 10-9-2 overall. Wisconsin on the Internet: www.uwbadgers.com.
A Familiar Badger
Former U-M assistant coach Carrie Barker will be on the sidelines coaching for Wisconsin on Thursday (Nov. 4) against her former team. Barker is in her first season as an assistant coach for the Badgers after serving as Michigan head coach Debbie Rademacher's top assistant for the previous seven years.
Series vs. Wisconsin
The Badgers lead the all-time series 8-6-1. Wisconsin earned a 3-1 victory in the two teams' last meeting in Madison on Oct. 17. UW scored a pair of goals in the first 19 minutes of the game and added another in the 65th minute to seal the victory. Wisconsin used a penalty kick from Amy Vermeulen at 12:52 to gain the early advantage, and Marisa Brown took a ball from Vermeulen just six minutes later to put the Badgers ahead 2-0 at 18:41. The Badgers added an insurance score off a free kick by Kara Kabellis at 64:24. Michigan's lone bright spot of the game came at 67:34, when sophomore Katelin Spencer (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) knocked home a goal off a Laura Tanchon (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) corner kick to cut the Wisconsin lead to two goals.
Tournament Spoilers
At last season's Big Ten Tournament, No. 4 seed Michigan ended No. 8 seed Wisconsin's season and advanced to the championship with a narrow 1-0 victory over the Badgers in the semifinals (Nov. 7). Senior Theresa Dwyer (Metairie, La./Mount Carmel Academy) scored the lone goal of the game in the final minutes of the first half, and the U-M defense stifled any Badger attempt at a tying goal in the second frame. Sophomore goalkeeper Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholis HS) did not face a single shot on goal for the entire 90 minutes.
Michigan at the Big Ten Tournament
The Wolverines hold an all-time record of 14-8 at the Big Ten Tournament, having won title games over Northwestern in 1997 and Penn State in 1999. Last season, fourth-seeded Michigan quest for a championship was halted by No. 2 seed Illinois, as the Wolverines dropped a 2-0 decision to the Illin in the tournament final. Michigan defeated Ohio State (2-1) in the quarterfinals and Wisconsin (1-0) in the semifinals to advance to play Illinois. U-M is 12-5 in its last seven Big Ten Tournaments.
Final Big Ten Standings
Big Ten Pct. Pts. 1. Penn State 10-0-0 1.000 30 2. Ohio State 6-1-3 .750 21 3. Michigan 6-3-1 .650 19 4. Illinois 5-3-2 .600 17 5. Wisconsin 5-4-1 .550 16 Northwestern 5-4-1 .550 16 7. Purdue 4-6-0 .400 12 8. Indiana 3-5-2 .400 11 9. Michigan State 3-6-1 .350 10 10. Minnesota 2-8-0 .200 6 11. Iowa 0-9-1 .050 1
Last Week
The Wolverines dropped their fourth straight game on Oct. 28, losing 4-0 to No. 2-ranked Notre Dame in their home finale at the U-M Soccer Field. The Wolverines were unable to extend their two-game winning streak against the Fighting Irish, as Katie Thorlakson's six-point effort spearheaded a UND offensive attack that scored a pair of goals in each half and outshot U-M 20-2. Michigan rebounded to win its regular season finale at Western Michigan on Oct. 30, as junior Katie Kramer (Andover, Mass./Andover HS) and senior Kate Morgan (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) came off the bench to score goals to help U-M defeat the Broncos 2-1 and earn its first victory since Oct. 10.
The Leader of the Wolverines
Head coach Debbie Rademacher is in her 11th season at the helm of the U-M women's soccer program and holds a career record of 139-81-21 at the school. Over that stretch, the Wolverines' program has exhibited steady growth; from an impressive Big Ten Conference Tournament semifinal finish in the inaugural 1994 season, to a pair of conference tournament titles in 1997 and 1999, the Maize and Blue has begun to expect success on the national level, with seven consecutive NCAA Tournament trips, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2002 and the Sweet 16 in 2003. Rademacher has coached four National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Americans, 19 NSCAA all-region honorees, 32 All-Big Ten first- or second-team picks and 73 Academic All-Big Ten recipients.
Michigan vs. Ranked Opponents
Michigan dropped to 2-4-1 against nationally ranked opponents this season with the loss to No. 2 Notre Dame on Oct. 28. U-M's two wins came against No. 22 Boston (3-0) and No. 11 Illinois (1-0).
Steady Between the Posts
Megan Tuura continues to leave her mark on the U-M soccer program, allowing just 24 goals in over 1,780 minutes for a 1.21 GAA. She has held her opponent scoreless in six games this season and has collected 80 saves in 19 games. Tuura ranks second in Big Ten shutouts (four) and third in conference GAA (0.86). A three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Tuura is the Michigan career leader in GAA at 0.99.
Morgan Returns to the Field
Kate Morgan returned to action last week after missing seven games with a leg injury and made an immediate impact in Michigan's 2-1 road victory over Western Michigan (Oct. 30). Morgan scored the game-winner on a penalty kick in the 56th minute to lead the Wolverines past the Broncos, 2-1. It was her third goal of the year and the 12th of her career. In 70 games as a Wolverine, Morgan has collected 27 points on 12 goals and three assists.
Mulholland Earns First Career Point
With her assist on Katie Kramer's goal against Western Michigan (Oct. 30), sophomore defender Brenna Mulholland (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) earned her first career point at Michigan. Mulholland has started every game at defense for the Wolverines this season.
What a Shot!
Freshman Melissa Dobbyn (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) enters her first postseason competition after scoring six goals and handing out three assists in 19 starts during the regular season. Dobbyn will be a main focus for opposing defenses, as she leads the team in shots (79) and ranks third in the Big Ten in conference shots (45). She lists fourth on the U-M single season shot chart and holds the single-game shot record of 13, set at Minnesota on Sept. 24.
Fantastic Forward
Junior Therese Heaton (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South HS) is leading the team in scoring with 20 points on eight goals and four assists. Heaton also ranks first in game-winning goals with three. Her 51 career points place her in 11th place on Michigan's all-time points list.
Wearing the 'C'
Senior tri-captain Laura Tanchon (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) looks to close out her U-M career in winning form after collecting season bests of two goals and four assists for eight points. In 83 career games, Tanchon has compiled 12 points on three goals and six assists.
Michigan in the National and Regional Rankings
The Wolverines are not listed in the the most recent NSCAA/adidas national rankings, released Tuesday (Nov. 2). This is the third consecutive week that Michigan has not appeared in the national poll. U-M remains at No. 6 in the association's Great Lake Regional rankings.
NSCAA/adidas National Rankings (11/2/04)
Rank, School W-L-T Prev 1. North Carolina 16-0-1 1 2. Notre Dame 18-0-1 2 3. Penn State 16-1-1 3 4. Santa Clara 13-4-2 5 5. Virginia 14-2-1 4 6. Portland 16-3-0 4 7. Kansas 16-3-0 6 8. Tennessee 13-3-2 11 9. Auburn 14-2-2 10 10. Texas A&M 14-5-0 13 11. Stanford 12-4-2 17 12. Princeton 14-2-0 8 13. Ohio State 13-3-3 14 14. UCLA 12-6-0 9 15. Arizona 14-4-0 NR 16. Florida 13-3-3 18 17. Duke 12-6-0 15 18. Illinois 12-4-2 20 19. Boston College 14-5-0 22 20. Florida State 12-5-1 16 21. Texas 11-5-2 21 22. San Diego 10-7-2 23 23. Villanova 13-5-1 NR 24. Colorado 13-4-2 NR 25. Wisconsin 15-4-1 NR Washington 12-4-1 12
U-M Listed in Soccer Buzz Regional Poll
With three straight losses, Michigan has dropped out of the Top 30 in the most recent Soccer Buzz national rankings, released Monday (Nov. 1). The Wolverines are listed at No. 6 in the publication's Great Lakes Regional rankings.
On the Horizon ...
Following the Big Ten Tournament, the Wolverines will await seeding for the 2004 NCAA Tournament. First and second round contests will be held at 16 campus sites Friday through Sunday, Nov. 12-14. The NCAA field and pairings will be announced Monday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. EST on ESPNEWS.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
