Weekly Release #11
10/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Oct. 27 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 3 p.m.
Thu-Sun., Nov. 2-5 -- at Big Ten Tournament (State College, Pa.), TBD
Fri-Sun., Nov. 10-12 -- NCAA Tournament First/Second Rounds (Campus Sites), TBD
This Week
The University of Michigan women's soccer team (8-5-5, 4-2-3 Big Ten) heads into the season finale boasting a six-game unbeaten streak (3-0-3). The Wolverines wrap up the Big Ten slate with a trip to East Lansing, Mich., for a Friday afternoon (Oct. 27, 3 p.m.) affair against Michigan State at Old College Field.
Game Highlights Available on Michigan All-Access
Michigan women's soccer highlights from home matches against LMU, Oakland, Purdue and Illinois can be viewed on Michigan All-Access. All highlights, except those from U-M's game against Loyola Marymount, require subscription. Michigan All-Access is available via the link on the MGoBlue.com home page.
Scouting the Opponents
Michigan State -- The Spartans (7-9-1, 3-6-0 Big Ten) staved off elimination from a Big Ten Tournament bid with a 2-0 win at Minnesota on Sunday (Oct. 22) after falling 2-0 at Ohio State on Friday (Oct. 20). Michigan State started the season 4-3-1 before losing five times in the next six games. Freshman Lauren Hill leads the team with eight goals and two assists. Junior goalkeeper Nicole Galas has played every minute in goal for the Spartans, posting 80 saves, six shutouts and a 1.33 goals-against average. Tom Saxton is in his 16th season as the head coach at Michigan State, having earned a 157-135-26 record in his tenure.
Michigan State went 12-6-5 last season and 6-2-2 in Big Ten play, finishing third in the regular-season standings and advancing to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament before falling to eventual champion Wisconsin 2-1 on a last-minute score by tournament MVP Amy Vermeulen. MSU earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament win in the first round of last season's postseason tournament. The Spartans return 21 letterwinners and seven starters from that 2005 squad.
The Wolverines hold an 8-3-3 mark in the all-time series with Michigan State. After dropping the first game ever played between the two schools in the Wolverines' inaugural season in 1994, the Wolverines went unbeaten in six straight games, including winning five in a row from 1996-99 by a combined score of 17-4. The streak featured a 2-1 first-round win in the 1999 Big Ten Tournament on the way to the program's second Big Ten Tournament title. Michigan lost 1-0 to MSU in 2000 but exacted revenge with two wins in 2001, including a 2-0 win in the first round of the 2001 Big Ten Tournament. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in 2002, with Michigan winning in 2003 by a score of 2-1 in Ann Arbor. Michigan and MSU played to a 0-0 tie -- the Wolverines' only shutout of 2005 -- last season when U-M clinched the Challenge Cup.
Michigan State on the Internet: www.msuspartans.com.
Michigan Ends With Clutch Win at Ohio State, Extends Unbeaten Streak
Despite a 10-5 shots-on-goal advantage in the opening game of the weekend, and a glorious corner-kick attempt in the waning minutes of the second overtime, Michigan left Minnesota with one point in a 0-0 tie Friday night (Oct. 20) at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. Judy Coffman (San Jose, Calif./Santa Theresa) led the Wolverines with five shots, including three on net, and Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholic) stopped five shots for her sixth shutout of the season, leaving the senior goalkeeper one shy of her single-season career high of seven.
Melissa Dobbyn (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) scored 5:04 into the first overtime to push U-M to a 2-1 win over Ohio State on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 22) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The victory extended the Wolverines' unbeaten streak to six games (3-0-3) and clinched a spot for them in the Big Ten Tournament.
Tuura posted a season-high seven saves to backstop Michigan to the clutch victory. Kristin Thomas (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek) tallied an assist on the game-winner to go along with her first career goal, which tied the game 1-1 with just 31 seconds remaining in the first half. Dobbyn was credited with an assist on the Thomas tally. Sunday's win is Michigan's eighth of the season, which matches its win total from 2005.
Spencer Takes Fourth in All-Time Starts
Senior captain Katelin Spencer (Brighton, Mich./Brighton), who has started all 84 games in her career, took sole possession of fourth on Michigan's career games started list this past weekend. The senior captain is tied with fellow senior captain Judy Coffman for the active lead in career games played and trails Kacy Beitel (1997-2000) for third on the games started list.
Tuura Tops Conference in GAA
Megan Tuura, who holds an 8-2-3 record this season, has allowed eight goals through 16 games played to post a conference-best 0.51 goals-against average while ranking third in the Big Ten in save percentage (.864). Tuura already holds the Michigan program record for lowest goals-against average in a season, posting a 0.74 mark in 2003 as a freshman. She also ranks second on Michigan's career list with a GAA of 1.15.
Tuura's 12-save weekend, including a season-high seven at Ohio State, moved her over the 300-save mark for her career (301), which ranks second in program history. Her eight wins this season put her two victories behind Suzie Grech on the program's all-time wins list. Her 34 career wins trail Grech's 36.
She also remains one shutout from her single-season career high of seven, which she set in 2004 as a sophomore.
Dobbyn Ends Six-Game Goal Drought to Move Up Points List
Melissa Dobbyn, currently leading the Big Ten in shots with 81, moved within two points of sixth on the program's all-time points list after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to beat Ohio State in addition to her assist on U-M's first goal of the game. The goal-and-assist effort gives her 25 goals and 17 assists in her career. The junior's 67 career points trail Ruth Poulin (1994-97), who collected 69 points in her career.
The Livonia, Mich., native needs just two more assists to crack the top five in career helpers at Michigan. Debbie Flaherty (1994-97) and Emily Schmitt (1996-99) currently hold the fifth spot with 19 apiece. In addition, Dobbyn surpassed Kacy Beitel for second on Michigan's career shots list as she went over 250 career attempts on goal after an eight-shot weekend. Her career shot total reaches 257.
Dobbyn owns the second and third spots on the program's list for most shots in a season after firing 87 as a sophomore and 89 as a freshman. Beitel holds the top spot with her 94 attempts in 2000.
Clutch Performers: Dobbyn and Miler Tie for Lead in Game-Winners
Melissa Dobbyn and Katie Miler (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) have each scored three game-winning goals this season. All three of Miler's scores on the season have come in the clutch, and all but one of Dobbyn's four scores have clinched Michigan wins.
Dobbyn has been clutch her entire career, having tallied seven game-winning goals and five postseason scores in her career. Two of her game-clinchers have come in overtime.
Thomas Providing Spark in the Midfield
After playing in two games as a freshman in 2005, Kristin Thomas has filled in marvelously in the midfield and was rewarded with her first points at Ohio State on Sunday (Oct. 22). The sophomore scored a back-breaking goal with just 31 seconds remaining in the first half and set up Melissa Dobbyn for the overtime winner.
Dobbyn became the fourth non-rookie Michigan player to earn her first career point this year. Emily Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic), Megan Tuura and Katie Bohard (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) join Thomas in tallying first career points this season.
First-Half Defense Perfect at Home, Nearly as Tough on the Road
The Wolverines did not allow a goal in the first half in any home game this season. U-M will start the 2007 campaign with an 11-game regular-season streak not letting in a goal in the beginning frame at home, dating back to 2005.
The Wolverines yielded their second first-half goal of the season at Ohio State but overcame the score to shut out the Buckeyes the rest of the way.
U-M Gaining on Goals-Against Record
Having allowed just 16 goals with one regular-season game remaining, Michigan continues to close in the program record for fewest goals allowed in a season, 20, set in 1994 and 2002.
Two Scores Equal Win
The Wolverines hold a 5-0 record when scoring more than one goal in a game. The Maize and Blue defeated Oklahoma and Purdue by a 2-0 margin in September and dropped Iowa and No. 24 Illinois by a score of 2-1 in consecutive games in the final home weekend. Michigan then improved that record with a 2-1 overtime win at Ohio State.
'M' Notables
Judy Coffman finished with seven shots this weekend, including a team-high five at Minnesota, to pass 50 shots for the season (55).
Michigan has entered halftime in a 0-0 deadlock in 10 out of 18 games this season. The 1-1 score heading into halftime at Ohio State marked the first time both teams have scored in the first half in any U-M game this season. Michigan has outscored its opponents 7-2 in the first frame during the 2006 campaign.
The Wolverines have played six overtime contests this season, which is the most in a campaign since 2003, when U-M played seven double-overtime matches and one single-overtime contest. Michigan is also one tie away from equaling the program record for draws in a single season (6 in 2003).
U-M equaled its season high for shots on goal in a game at Minnesota (Oct. 20). The Maize and Blue also accumulated 10 on net in its first game of the year, a 0-0 tie with Western Michigan.
The Wolverines' current unbeaten streak of six games (3-0-3) is their longest since 2004, when they went 7-0-1 in a span of eight games in the month of September.
Five of Michigan's seven overtime games this season have come on the road. U-M holds a 2-0-5 record in those contests.
Wolverines Stay at No. 9 in NSCAA/adidas Regional Poll
The NSCAA/adidas Great Lakes Region Poll, released Tuesday (Oct. 24), kept Michigan in the eighth spot after an undefeated weekend. Notre Dame is atop the national poll for the eighth straight week, sitting in a tie for first with North Carolina. Two Big Ten teams rank nationally -- Penn State (No. 9) and Illinois (No. 16) -- while one (Purdue) received votes.
Michigan Moves to No. 6 in Soccer Buzz Great Lakes Region Rankings
The Wolverines' undefeated road weekend, which included a 2-1 overtime win over Ohio State, advanced the Maize and Blue up two spots to No. 6 in the latest Soccer Buzz Great Lakes Region Rankings released Monday (Oct. 23).
On the Horizon ...
Michigan can finish between the third seed and the sixth seed for the Big Ten Tournament, hosted by Penn State next week (Nov. 2-5) at Jeffrey Field. The tournament schedule will be announced following the completion of this weekend's competition. U-M's possible opponents are Purdue, Indiana and Northwestern.
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
