Michigan
7-8-3, 3-6-1
Michigan State
10-4-5, 6-2-2
Scoreless Tie With Spartans Clinches Retention of Cup
10/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Field)
Score: Michigan 0, Michigan State 0 (2OT)
Records: U-M (7-8-3, 3-6-1 Big Ten), MSU (10-4-5, 6-2-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Nov. 3 -- Quarterfinals at Big Ten Tournament (U-M Soccer Field), 10:30 a.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's soccer team clinched a share of the Challenge Cup fall competition and retention of the Cup with a 0-0 double-overtime draw with Michigan State in front of a U-M Soccer Field record 1,887 fans on Senior Night (Friday, Oct. 28). Sophomore Melissa Dobbyn (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) had a season-high 10 shots for the Wolverines, while junior Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholic) earned her first shutout of the season, making three saves.
Michigan dominated play territorially in the first half, earning six shots on goal and allowing just one. The Maize and Blue nearly netted the first marker 20 minutes in on a corner kick by Judy Coffman (San Jose, Calif./Santa Theresa). Coffman's service sailed high into the box to Whitney Kjar (Sandy, Utah/Skyline), but her header sailed just over the crossbar. Minutes later, the Spartans had their best chance of the half on a cross to Emma Harris, but Tuura blocked Harris' close-in attempt.
With just under a minute to play in the half, Dobbyn carried the ball to the top of the box and ripped a low shot that Spartans goalkeeper Nicole Galas barely dove and stopped as the two teams went into halftime knotted up at 0-0.
The story was the same in the second half with Michigan carrying the play for most of the period. The Wolverines' first chance in the second half came 14 minutes in as Dobbyn flicked a cross from Therese Heaton (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South) toward the low right corner of the net, but Galas dove and saved the shot attempt. Michigan earned a corner kick two minutes later and Coffman's service bounced free near the far post, but no Wolverine was able to get a foot on it before Galas covered it up.
Jamie Artsis (Chatsworth, Calif./Harvard-Westlake School) nearly put Michigan up with five minutes to play on a cross by Dobbyn, but Galas laid out and grabbed Artsis' header before it crossed the goal line. Less than a minute later, Coffman sent a cross in from the left sideline to Heaton near the six-yard box, but Heaton's header attempt sailed just outside the near post. The Spartans earned a corner kick with less than a minute to play, but Tuura came up huge and stoned Lauren Astry's header attempt as the two teams ended regulation tied 0-0.
In the first overtime period, Michigan came close to getting the sudden-victory marker in the 94th minute. Dobbyn headed a Wolverine cross over Galas, but the ball bounced off the inside of the crossbar and back out and the Spartans cleared. Dobbyn had another good look in the 96th minute, but her shot attempt sailed just wide.
In the second overtime period, both teams looked drained and played tight defensively with no team gaining any open space for a scoring chance. The Wolverines settled for a 0-0 tie that is good for a half point in the fall Challenge Cup standings and gives Michigan the necessary three points to assure a tie and retention of the Cup.
The Wolverines will host the Big Ten Tournament next Thursday, Friday and Sunday (Nov. 3-4-6) at U-M Soccer Field.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | OT | F |
| Michigan State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Shots: U-M 20, MSU 12
Saves: U-M 3 (Megan Tuura 3), MSU 8 (Nicole Galas 8)
Corner Kicks: U-M 7, MSU 4
Fouls: U-M 12, MSU 15
Cards: None
NOTES
• Therese Heaton moved into a tie for third place in career games played and eighth place in games started by a Wolverine women's soccer player. She is three games shy of passing Michigan's all-time leaders Kacy Beitel (1997-2000) and Amy Sullivant (1999-2002), who each played 91 games in their respective careers.
• Melissa Dobbyn fired a team-high 10 shots, her highest total of the season and the second highest total in her career. She fired a career-high 13 shots in a 1-0 win at Minnesota last season on Sept. 24, 2004.
• Megan Tuura gathered her third shutout of her career with a three-save performance in 110 minutes of play. Her 13 career shutouts are the third most in program history. Tuura's last shutout came in the first round of the 2004 Big Ten Tournament in a 1-0 win over Wisconsin on Nov. 4.
• The Wolverines played in front of a U-M Soccer Field record attendance of 1,887. The previous record was set earlier this season against Texas when 1,817 fans watched the Wolverines defeat the Longhorns 3-2.
• Whitney Kjar and Erica Gordy made their first career starts. Kjar's seven previous games and Gordy's 15 previous games all came as reserves.
• Stephanie Boyles, Therese Heaton, Whitney Kjar and Katie Kramer were honored in a pregame ceremony commemorating their careers.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Debbie Rademacher
On tonight's game ... "Both teams fought really hard. It was ugly at times but exciting at other times. It was a defensive stalemate. I think as a whole our defense played well. Our defensive effort was great. I thought we brought Lindsey MacDonald onto the field and she did good job in the second half, so that was exciting. Erica Gordy had a nice game."
On the pace of tonight's game ... "I felt like there are times when we had the run of play. There were changes in momentum, but we got it back and we outshot them by quite a bit. I thought we had the better of the play at times."
U-M Freshman Midfielder Lindsey MacDonald
On the result ... "It wasn't a win, but I think we all put our hearts on the field and gave it all we could. So I think our coaches were satisfied and we are satisfied."
On earning more playing time in recent games ... "I always want to be successful at what I'm doing, and I feel that if I am not on the field then I'm not going to my potential. I definitely want to be a contributing player on the field. That felt good to go out there and get a chance at least. I finally feel that I was given enough time to get a rhythm and feel like I was connected with the rest of the team."
U-M Freshman Defender Skylar Andrews
On tonight's defensive effort ... "I think as a team, it was a great defensive effort. We held them. This is our first shutout this year. Defensively with the forwards, midfield, defense and Megan (Tuura), we all just played really well today. We just couldn't put one in."
On shutting down MSU's leading scorer, Emma Harris ... "We knew that she was a scorer and I didn't follow her around this game because we have good backs. We just made sure we got a body on her, whether it was Erica (Gordy), me or anyone else that was out there. We marked her tight."
On the play of the freshman defenders this season ... "We're just coming in and doing what he have to do to win. Unfortunately, we didn't get a win today, but we are just trying to stop teams from scoring and we've done a great job this year."
