Michigan
0-2
Texas
1-1
Michigan Suffers Road Loss to 13th-Ranked Longhorns
8/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
AUSTIN, Texas -- The No. 20 University of Michigan women's soccer team suffered its second straight loss of the young 2004 season, falling 4-1 to No. 13 Texas Sunday night (Aug. 29) at Myers Stadium. The Wolverines received a first-half goal from junior Therese Heaton (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South HS), but the Longhorns proved to be too strong for U-M on the offensive end with a 24-8 shot advantage, including three first-half goals and one insurance score in second frame.
The Longhorns went at the U-M defense right from opening whistle, as Kelly McDonald recorded the first shot wide right just 25 seconds into the game. Texas was able to keep the ball in Michigan territory in the early moments of the half, with Caitlin Kennedy taking the first UT corner kick at 4:16. Kennedy's kick was perfectly placed in front of the net, where Nikki Thaden booted the ball out of mid-air and past the reach of sophomore Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholic HS) to put the Longhorns ahead 1-0.
The Wolverines escaped further damage after Tuura made her first stop of the night on a shot by Thaden at 10:02. Three minutes later, sophomore Katelin Spencer (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) intercepted a pass at the top of the box and fed the ball to a streaking Heaton, who ripped a shot underneath the crossbar past goalkeeper Dana Hall to tie the game at 1-1 at 13:15.
Kelsey Spencer scored what proved to be the game-winner at 23:44, as her cross deflected off the far post and into the net to give Texas a 2-1 advantage. Michigan continued to have trouble finding an offensive rhythm, while the Longhorns were able to increase their cushion when Kelly Wilson got behind the defense and beat Tuura to her left at 39:04 to send UT to the locker room with a 3-1 halftime lead.
The Texas defense gave the Wolverines little chance of closing the gap, as U-M was limited to just one shot in the first 15 minutes of the second half. Meanwhile, Priscilla Fite gave the Longhorns a 4-1 lead with a score at 58:08. Michigan had an opportunity to cut into the deficit with its first corner kick in the 74th minute, but senior Laura Tanchon's (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) ball was cleared out by the Longhorns.
The Wolverines (0-2) open their home schedule next weekend against a pair of non-conference opponents. U-M will host Kentucky on Friday (Sept. 3) at 4 p.m. and Ohio on Sunday (Sept. 5) at 1 p.m. Both matches will be played at the U-M Soccer Field.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Texas | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- UT, Nikki Thaden, 4:19 (Caitlin Kennedy)
1st -- U-M, Therese Heaton, 13:15 (Katelin Spencer)
1st -- UT, Kelsey Carpenter, 23:44 (unassisted)
1st -- UT, Kelly Wilson, 39:04 (Thaden)
2nd -- UT, Priscilla Fite, 58:08 (Kristen Teter, Wilson)
Shots: U-M 8, Texas 24
Saves: U-M 5 (Megan Tuura), Texas 0 (Dana Hall)
Corner Kicks: U-M 2, Texas 8
Fouls: U-M 12, Texas 17
Cards: U-M, Laura Tanchon, 24:22 (yellow)
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Debbie Rademacher
On the game ... "Texas is a really dynamic team that will attack and take a shot at every chance they get. We just didn't mark up tight enough tonight. We've got to sort some things out and focus on basic defensive principles. We have a lot of returning players, but there are some things we still need to address. Our mistakes tonight were a result of turning the ball over and not getting back on defense."
N O T E S
Therese Heaton recorded her 13th career goal, while Katelin Spencer collected her second assist of the season and the fourth of her career.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Thaden, Nikki (1)
Assisted By: Kennedy, Caitlin
4:19
Heaton, Therese (1)
Assisted By: Spencer, Katelin
13:15
Carpenter, Kelsey (1)
23:44
Wilson, Kelly (1)
Assisted By: Thaden, Nikki
39:04
Fite, Priscilla (1)
Assisted By: Teter, Kristen , Wilson, Kelly
58:08
