Weekly Release #10
10/18/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Oct. 21 -- vs. Penn State (U-M Soccer Field), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 23 -- vs. Minnesota (U-M Soccer Field), Noon
Friday, Oct. 28 -- vs. Michigan State (U-M Soccer Field), 7 p.m.
Thu-Sun., Nov. 3-6 -- host Big Ten Tournament (U-M Soccer Field)
This Week
Michigan (7-6-2) hosts two Big Ten Conference teams this week. On Friday (Oct. 21), the Wolverines will face the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions at 7 p.m. at U-M Soccer Field. On Sunday (Oct. 23), Michigan takes on Minnesota at noon at U-M Soccer Field.
This Week's Promotions
The Wolverines will be signing autographs following both games this weekend. Friday will also be Youth Team Day at U-M Soccer Field.
Scouting the Opponents
Penn State -- Penn State (15-0-0, 7-0-0 Big Ten) has yet to lose a game and has allowed more than one goal on only one occasion so far this season with seven shutouts, including two in its last two games. Tiffany Weimer, the leading scorer in the Big Ten Conference, leads the Nittany Lions' offense with her 22 goals and four assists in 15 games this season. Erin McLeod backstops the Penn State defense with a Big Ten Conference leading goals-against-average of 0.75, and has 49 saves and five shutouts in 15 games. Head coach Paula Wilkins is in her fifth year as head coach of the Penn State women's soccer program and has compiled a 93-14-6 record over that span. The Nittany Lions return 19 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's squad that finished 19-3-1 (10-0-0 Big Ten). Penn State advanced to the Big Ten Conference tournament final, but was shutout 2-0 by Ohio State. The Nittany Lions lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament 1-0 to Maryland. The Wolverines hold a 4-9-3 record all-time against Penn State. Michigan went 2-3-1 in the first six meetings between the two schools, but both wins came in the Big Ten Conference tournament. The Wolverines won their first ever Big Ten Conference tournament game in their inaugural season in 1994 in penalty kicks. In 1997, the Wolverines defeated Penn State 3-1 in the second round on their way to the Big Ten Conference championship. After a 1-1 regular season tie in 1998, the Wolverines lost in the second round of the Big Ten Conference tournament to Penn State 3-1. The Wolverines earned revenge the following year en route to the program's second Big Ten tournament championship. Michigan tied Penn State 0-0 in the regular season match before being defeated by Penn State in the finals of the Big Ten Conference tournament 4-2. The Wolverines dropped the next three matches from 2000-2001, including losing in the finals of the Big Ten Conference tournament in 2000 1-0 in the third overtime. The Maize and Blue shut Penn State out in 2002 4-0, its last win against the Nittany Lions. Penn State has won the last two match ups, including a 1-0 win over Michigan in Ann Arbor in double overtime last season. Penn State on the Internet: www.gopsusports.com.
Minnesota -- Minnesota (8-5-2, 5-2-0 Big Ten) is coming off a 1-0 loss to Ohio State on Sunday (Oct. 16), its second Big Ten Conference loss of the season. Freshman forward Lindsey Schwartz leads the Minnesota offense with five goals and five assists for 15 points on the season. Senior goalkeeper Molly Schneider has played every minute in net for the Golden Gophers this season. She holds an 8-5-2 record with 89 saves, tops in the Big Ten, and a 0.89 goals-against-average, allowing just 14 goals in 15 games this season. Golden Gophers head coach Mikki Denney Wright is in her second season. She holds a 16-15-2 career record at Minnesota. The Golden Gophers return 12 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's team that finished 8-10-0 (2-8-0 Big Ten) and 10th in the Big Ten. Michigan is 5-7-0 all-time against Minnesota. The Wolverines dropped the first six contests played against Minnesota, including the only post-season meeting between the two schools, a 2-0 first round loss in the 1995 Big Ten Conference tournament. The Wolverines have won five out of the last six meetings between the two schools since 1998 with all six games coming in the regular season. All but three matches against Minnesota have ended with one team being shutout with the three non-shutout games coming in 1994 (2-1, L), 1996 (4-2, L) and 1997 (4-3, L). Michigan has earned a shutout in all five wins. The Wolverines have shut Minnesota out 1-0 each of the last two years, including last season in Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota on the Internet: www.gophersports.com.
Michigan Sees Lead Slip Away in Second Half at Illinois
The University of Michigan women's soccer team fell to Illinois 3-2 Friday night (Oct. 7) at Illinois Soccer Stadium. Danelle Underwood (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern) and Melissa Dobbyn (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) each scored a goal in a 3:45 span in the first half to gain a one-goal advantage. However, the Wolverines could not overcome Illinois' two-goal push early in the second half and lost for the fourth time in five games.
Heaton, Coffman Fuel Women's Soccer Victory at Iowa
The University of Michigan women's soccer team defeated Iowa 4-1 on Sunday (Oct. 16), outshooting the Hawkeyes 19-8. Therese Heaton (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South) tallied four points in the game with a goal and two assists. Judy Coffman (San Jose, Calif./Santa Theresa) netted two goals, including the game-winning marker on a penalty kick at 23:27. Melissa Dobbyn (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) scored her third goal in four games while also adding an assist. The Wolverines improved to 10-0-0 all-time against the Hawkeyes.
Heaton Moving Up in the Record Books
Therese Heaton's first-half assist at Illinois (Oct. 14) moved her into sole possession of fifth place in all-time points in Michigan women's soccer history with 70. Two days later, Heaton increased her career point total to 74 with a four-point day (1 g, 2 a) at Iowa (Oct. 16), inching closer to Jessica Limauro (1995-98) for fourth place all-time in points with 79. This was the second time this season she has recorded four or more points in a game. She tallied a hat trick against Western Michigan (Sept. 16) earlier this season. Her goal at Iowa gives her 28 for her career and moved her to within two goals of Ruth Poulin (1994-97) for fifth place in all-time goals with 30. With her three assists this past weekend, Heaton increased her career total to 18, which moves to within one assist of Debbie Flaherty (1994-97) for fifth place all-time in assists with 19.
Heaton Saving Her Best For Last
Therese Heaton scored one goal and recorded three assists in two games this weekend. She now has six assists, eight goals and 22 points this season. Her six assists are a career-best season total. She is two goals and two points shy of tying her career-best season total in goals (10) and points (24) which she accomplished in 2002 as a freshman. She also surpassed her 2004 totals in assists (5) and points (21), and tied her 2004 goal total of eight. Her 36 shots are her second highest season total. She had a career-best season total 58 shots last season in 22 games.
A Coffman First
Judy Coffman notched her first career two-goal game at Iowa (Oct. 16). Her first goal, a penalty kick goal, was her team-leading second game-winning goal of the season. She scored the game-winner against Northwestern earlier this season on Oct. 7 in a 3-2 Michigan win. She is third on the team with five goals on the season.
Spencer Lending a Helping Hand
With her assist on Melissa Dobbyn's first-half goal at Iowa (Oct.16), Katelin Spencer (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) equaled her career-best season total in assists with three, which she accomplished last season. Her three assists this season rank third on the Wolverines this season.
Tuura Reaches Two Milestones, Nears Two More
Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholic) eclipsed the 50-save mark on the season with a five-save effort at Illinois (Oct. 14). She has five or more saves in three of her last four starts and has a team-high 55 saves this season. On Sunday, Tuura started her 50th career game at Iowa (Oct.16), making three saves for her 25th career win. Her 216 career saves are two shy of Jessica Jones (1995-98) for third place all-time in saves. She is one win shy of Jones for third place all-time in wins with 26. Her 1.26 career goals-against-average ranks second all-time at Michigan.
Banco in the Starting Lineup
Sarah Banco (Medfield, Mass./Noble and Greenough School) made her first career start, in place of Stephanie Boyles (Arvada, Colo./Pomona), at Illinois (Oct. 14). Prior to Friday's game, all of her 13 games played came as a reserve. Boyles returned to the starting lineup at Iowa (Oct. 16) on Sunday.
Dobbyn is a Shooter
Melissa Dobbyn continued her streak of recording a shot in every game with a seven-shot performance at Illinois (Oct. 14). Her seven shots also pushed her past 150 career shots. She has had a shot in 23 straight games dating back to last season. Her only collegiate game without a shot came in a 1-0 win over Indiana on Oct. 10, 2004, in which she assisted on the lone goal of the game.
Dobbyn Sets New Career Bests
Melissa Dobbyn equaled her goal total from 2004 (9) with her first-half goal at Illinois (Oct. 14). Dobbyn then increased her team-leading goal total to 10 with her first-half goal at Iowa (Oct. 16), surpassing her 2004 goal total. This is the Wolverines' highest individual goal total since 2002 when Abby Crumpton (1999-2002) scored 11 in her senior season.
Leading All Freshman
Danelle Underwood's goal in the first half at Illinois (Oct. 14) was her fourth of the season. She leads all Wolverine freshmen in goals (4), assists (1), and points (9).
Bohard Makes Season Debut
Katie Bohard (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) saw her first action this season as a reserve on Sunday at Iowa (Oct. 16).
MacDonald Fires Career High
Lindsey MacDonald (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) registered a career high two shots at Iowa (Oct. 16), the most of any reserve in the game.
Welcome Back
Emily Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) saw her first action since being injured in the first game of the season at Illinois (Oct. 14). She last played at Kansas on August 26.
Leading Dobbyn
Melissa Dobbyn leads the Wolverines in goals (10), assists (7), points (27) and shots (67) this season. Her 10 goals rank fourth in the Big Ten. She is tied for the Big Ten Conference lead in assists and is second in the Big Ten in points. She is also second in the Big Ten in shots-per-game (4.47) and points-per-game (1.80).
Did You Know
Seven of Melissa Dobbyn's ten goals have come on Friday games this season. She recorded two goals at Oakland on Sunday, Sept. 25 and one goal last Sunday (Oct. 16) at Iowa.
The Wolverines are 5-2-1 on Fridays and hold a 2-4-1 record on Sundays.
The Wolverines are a perfect 4-0-0 under the lights at U-M Soccer Field.
U-M Listed No. 4 in Big Ten
The Wolverines earned a No. 4 ranking in the Big Ten Conference preseason coaches poll released Thursday, Aug. 18. U-M is listed below 2004 Big Ten regular-season champion Penn State, Big Ten Tournament champion Ohio State and Illinois.
2005 Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll (8/18/05)
1. Penn State 2. Ohio State 3. Illinois 4. MICHIGAN 5. Wisconsin 6. Indiana 7. Purdue 8. Northwestern 9. Michigan State 10. Minnesota 11. Iowa
Let's Take a Look at the Poll
The Wolverines remained unranked in the latest NCSAA/adidas National Rankings after a loss to Illinois on Friday (Oct. 14) and a win over Iowa on Sunday (Oct. 16). The Wolverines made their season debut in the national rankings the week of September 6 with a No. 17 listing. U-M moved up to No. 5 in the association's Great Lakes Regional rankings.
NSCAA/adidas National Rankings (10/18/05)
Rank, School W-L-T Prev 1. Penn State 15-0-0 1 2. Portland 14-0-1 2 3. North Carolina 15-1-0 3 4. UCLA 13-1-0 4 5. Santa Clara 13-2-1 5 6. Duke 11-2-1 6 7. Notre Dame 14-2-0 8 8. Virginia 11-3-1 7 9. Florida State 12-2-0 9 10. California 10-2-1 11 11. Boston College 10-3-1 10 12. Brigham Young 14-1-1 16 13. Marquette 14-2-1 14 14. Texas A&M 10-3-2 20 15. Pepperdine 10-2-2 14 16. Connecticut 12-3-1 17 17. Tennessee 9-5-1 13 18. West Virginia 9-3-3 18 19. Florida 10-4-1 22 20. Purdue 10-5-0 23 21. Cal State Fullerton 12-3-0 24 22. Yale 10-2-0 21 23. Wake Forest 8-5-1 12 24. Colorado 9-5-2 NR 25. Stanford 8-4-1 19
U-M Out of Soccer Buzz National Rankings
The Wolverines remained unranked in the latest Soccer Buzz national rankings, released yesterday (Monday, Oct. 18). Michigan did receive votes in the poll for the third straight week. The Maize and Blue moved up to No. 7 in the publication's Great Lakes regional rankings. Two of Michigan's remaining 2005 opponents appear in the magazine's national rankings: Penn State (No. 1) and Michigan State (No. 28).
Wolverines Earn Eighth Straight NCAA Bid in 2004
After starting out the 2004 campaign at 0-2, Michigan found its groove and went unbeaten during the next eight games (6-0-2). During the stretch, the Wolverines claimed a pair of home victories over nationally-ranked opponents Boston University (No. 22) and Illinois (No. 11). Michigan got off to a great start in Big Ten Conference play, earning four straight wins to climb to the top of the league standings. Fifth-ranked Penn State put a halt to the winning streak with a 1-0 victory in double-overtime at the U-M Soccer Field (Oct. 1), and the Wolverines would win just three of their final nine games of the regular season. Michigan got back on track with a 1-0 victory over No. 25 Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, but would fall to host and 13th-ranked Ohio State 5-2 in the semifinals. Detroit spoiled the Maize and Blue's eighth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, earning a 3-2 upset in the first round to end Michigan's season.
Michigan finished at 11-9-2 overall and took third place in the Big Ten at 6-3-1. Three Wolverines earned All-Big Ten second team honors -- Jamie Artsis (Chatsworth, Calif./Harvard-Westlake School), Brenna Mulholland (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Megan Tuura, while Melissa Dobbyn was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Dobbyn and Therese Heaton finished in a tie for the team lead in points with 21, while Tuura allowed 32 goals in over 2,050 minutes of action (.744 GAA) and earned seven shutouts.
Introducing the Captains ...
Seniors Stephanie Boyles and Therese Heaton, and junior Katelin Spencer have been selected to lead the Wolverines as tri-captains in 2005. It marks the first nomination for both Heaton and Spencer, while Boyles is carrying the honor for the second straight season.
The Leader of the Wolverines
Head coach Debbie Rademacher is in her 12th season at the helm of the U-M women's soccer program having compiled a career record of 146-89-23 heading into the week. 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 eight 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, 35 All-Big Ten first- or second-team picks and 81 Academic All-Big Ten recipients.
Guiney Remains on Staff as Women's Soccer Assistant
Head coach Debbie Rademacher announced at the beginning of the year that interim assistant coach Aileen Guiney would be joining the U-M coaching staff on a permanent basis. A varsity letterwinner for the Wildcats from 2000-03, Guiney finished her collegiate career with 20 assists, which is second on NU's all-time list, and eight goals for 36 points. A three-time captain, Guiney earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Soccer Buzz All-Great Lakes Region second team honors in 2003 after leading the team in scoring with four goals and four assists for 12 points. She joins Rademacher and Dan Dalzochio, who is in his fourth season as an assistant, on the U-M coaching staff.
Michigan Set to Host Big Ten Tournament
In addition to Michigan's nine regular season home contests in 2005, the Wolverines will host the Big Ten Tournament for the first time on Nov. 3-6 at the U-M Soccer Field. The top eight teams in the league standings are invited to the annual postseason championship, and Michigan has qualified every year since the inaugural tournament in 1994. Michigan has won two Big Ten Tournament titles (1997, '99).
Flip the Switch
The Wolverine soccer programs will be able to host night games for the first time in 2005, as new lighting was installed at the U-M Soccer Field in early August. The Musco Light Structure Green features a four-pole system that is lit to an average of 70 foot-candles. The men's soccer team will suit up for the first-ever night game on September 1 against Detroit, while the women's team will host its first night game on September 2 against Texas. Both matches are scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.
On the Horizon ...
Michigan will host Michigan State in the Wolverines' final regular season game on Friday (Oct. 28) at 7 p.m. at U-M Soccer Field. The Wolverines will host the Big Ten Tournament (Nov. 3-6) at U-M Soccer Field.
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
