Weekly Release #7

Upcoming Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 4 -- vs. Indiana (U-M Soccer Field), 8 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 7 -- vs. No. 8 Purdue (U-M Soccer Field), 1 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 12 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 14 -- at No. 11 Penn State (State College, Pa.), Noon

Promotions
Thursday (Oct. 4) is student tailgate night. A $100 Visa gift card and 3 iTunes Music Store gift cards will be raffled off to students in attendance. Sunday (Oct. 7) is Fan Appreciation Day, and stressballs will be handed out to the first 250 people in attendance. The afternoon also features a halftime performance by Smoking Paws.

Wolverines Seek First Big Ten Win in the Comfort of Home
The University of Michigan women's soccer team (2-6-1, 0-2-0 Big Ten) hosts two Big Ten matches this week, as Indiana and No. 11-ranked Purdue travel to Ann Arbor for matches on the U-M Soccer Field. The Wolverines face a red-hot Indiana squad in front of the Big Ten Network's national TV audience Thursday night (October 4) at 8 p.m., and U-M will meet Purdue -- the top team in the Big Ten -- Sunday afternoon (Oct. 7) at 1 p.m. All three of this week's conference player of the week honorees will play in Ann Arbor this weekend, as PU's Loredana Riverso and IU's Kristin Arnold shared player of the week honors, while PU's Christy Riggle took home defender of the week.

Thursday's Indiana Game to be Televised LIVE on the Big Ten Network
The Wolverines will make their Big Ten Network debut against Indiana on Thursday (Oct. 4th) at 8 p.m. The BTN will televise the Wolverines' home match live. Steve Schlanger will handle the play-by-play duties, while Ellen Weinberg provides color analysis. Weinberg played at New Hampshire under U-M head coach Debbie Rademacher, who served as an assistant coach at UNH from 1989-91.

In two weeks, U-M will once again grab the national spotlight, as the network showcases Michigan's match with Northwestern Friday, October 19th, at 5:30 p.m., on the U-M Soccer Field.

Launched in August, the Big Ten Network provides unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows, original programs in academics, the arts and sciences, campus activities and associated personalities. The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com.

Corner Kicks: Indiana
The Hoosiers (8-1-1, 2-0-0 Big Ten) will play their fourth road game of the season when they come to Ann Arbor Thursday (Oct. 4). Indiana is 2-1-0 as the visiting squad, and has outscored its competition on the road, 22-11. Sophomore Kristin Arnold exploded for five goals in the opening weekend of Big Ten play, earning conference co-player of the week honors. Fellow sophomore Christie Kotynski, a 2006 second team All-Big Ten honoree, carried the team lead in points into last weekend, but Arnold's outburst has tied the two second-year players with 14 points each. Experienced sophomores Kelly Lawrence and Jessica Boots headline the defense, while freshman goalkeeper Lauren Hollandsworth has quickly established herself with three shutouts and a 0.91 goals-against average in ten games. Head coach Mick Lyon is in his fifth season at the helm for the Hoosiers.

The past two seasons have resulted in 2-1 wins for Indiana. The 2006 match-up saw U-M's Katelin Spencer (2003-06) tie the score at 1-1 in the 61st minute, but Indiana responded with the go-ahead goal in the 75th minute off the foot of Kotynski. Indiana on the Internet: www.iuhoosiers.com.

Corner Kicks: Purdue
The eighth-ranked Boilermakers (10-1-1, 2-0-0 Big Ten) are averaging 2.70 goals-a-game and boast four players with 10 or more points. Purdue outscored its Big Ten opponents 9-0 over the weekend, beating up on Wisconsin and Northwestern. Senior Shauna Stapleton and sophomore Loredana Riverso lead the offense with 18 points this season. Senior Parrissa Eyorokon and junior Jessica Okoroafo arent far behind with 12 and 10 points, respectively. While the offense has lit up the scoreboard, the Purdue goal has remained relatively empty thanks to junior/sophomore Jenny Bradfisch. She has led the Boilermakers to eight shutouts in 12 games, posting a 0.44 goals-against average.

Head coach Robert Klatte has been in charge at Purdue since the programs inception in 1997. Michigan owns a 5-2-1 advantage over the Boilermakers in the all-time series. U-M is 1-1-1 when Purdue enters the match-up with an NSCAA ranking. Michigan took the last meeting, 2-0, on goals from Melissa Dobbyn (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) and Sarah Banco (Medfield, Mass./Noble and Greenough School), while Megan Tuura (2003-06) earned the shutout win behind a stellar defense. Purdue on the Internet: www.purduesports.com.

The Week That Was
The Wolverines opened the Big Ten docket with a pair of road losses. Two quick goals erased a first half lead for the Maize and Blue as they fell in the Big Ten Conference opener to Minnesota, 2-1, Friday (Sept. 28). Michigan carried a 1-0 lead into the second stanza, but the Gophers scored two goals -- four minutes apart -- in the middle of the second half to take control of the game. Freshman forward Amanda Bowery (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester) scored Michigan's lone goal in the first half, while junior goalkeeper Madison Gates (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) made three saves in net for the Wolverines. Sunday's contest saw a valiant U-M comeback attempt thwarted by a late goal en route to a 2-1 loss to Iowa Sunday afternoon (Sept. 30). Michigan tied the game at 1-1 in the 79th minute off the foot of Sarah Banco, but with just more than seven minutes left on the clock, the Hawkeyes scored again to end the comeback attempt.

Leaders and Best
Through nine games, Amanda Bowery leads the Wolverine offense with 10 points. She shares the team lead in assists with Katie Bohard (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central), as each Wolverine has two helpers on the season. Melissa Dobbyn has taken the most cracks at the net with 22 shots, while Bohard and Bowery have led the way with seven and 10 on goal, respectively. Madison Gates has shouldered the load in goal, playing 803-plus minutes with a 1.34 goals-against average. Gates has one solo shutout for the season, and has posted two combined-shutouts with Lindsay Yakel (Shelby Township, Mich./Utica).

U-M All-Time in Home Big Ten Openers
The Wolverines enter Thursday night's match against Indiana on a six-game win streak in home Big Ten openers. U-M is 9-3-1 all-time in its first home Big Ten game. Last season, U-M knocked off then-No.19 Purdue 2-0 in the Wolverines' Big Ten home opener.

Michigan in the Indiana-Purdue Weekend
The Maize and Blue owns a 10-4-2 all-time mark in weekend series against Indiana and Purdue. Michigan split the weekend series last season, downing then-No. 19 Purdue, 2-0, before it fell to Indiana, 2-1. The three teams have met in the same weekend every season since 1999, with U-M claiming a sweep from 1999 to 2001 and again in 2004. The Wolverines are 5-2-1 against each squad in weekends when they play both teams, while U-M bolsters a 10-3-1 against Indiana overall. Michigan and Purdue have never met when U-M doesn't play Indiana the same weekend.

Cottrell, Dobbyn and Kalmbach Putting In Their Time
Lindsey Cottrell (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central), who has started all nine games this season, is now 13th on the U-M career starts list. Cottrell made her 70th start on Sunday (Sept. 30) against Minnesota, passing Jessica Limauro (69, 1995-98). With two starts this weekend, she will tie Therese Heaton (72, 2002-05) for 12th all-time. Melissa Dobbyn tied Limauro for 14th place with her 69th career start on Sunday.

Cottrell is also climbing the U-M all-time minutes played list. She currently sits fourth with 6,140 minutes logged. Dobbyn is fifth with 5,738 minutes, and fifth-year senior Emily Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) sits in 10th all-time at 4,333 minutes played. Goalkeeper Suzie Grech (2000-03) is the career leader with 11,826 minutes, while the 7,130 minutes played by Katelin Spencer (2003-06) tops the list for field players.

Dobbyn Approaching Career Shots and Points Records
Senior Melissa Dobbyn leapfrogged Ruth Poulin (1994-97) into sixth place on the U-M all-time points list. Dobbyn now has 70 career points and needs nine more to catch Jessica Limauro (1995-98), who is next on the list in fifth place with 79 career points. Abby Crumpton (1999-2002) holds the top spot on the list with 116 points.

Dobbyn currently trails Crumptons career record of 300 shots by 7 strikes. The senior forward averages 90 shots per season and just less than four shots per game.

Dobbyn is near the top five in goals (26, four short of fifth place) and assists (18, one shy of fifth place) on the U-M career list.

Upcoming Opponents Ranked in NSCAA National Rankings
Michigan will suit up against two teams from the NSCAA/adidas national rankings: vs. No. 8 Purdue (Oct. 7) and at No. 11 Penn State (Oct. 14). Michigan is 0-1-1 against ranked opponents this season; U-M tied No. 2 Notre Dame, 0-0, in the Wolverines' season opener (Aug. 31) and lost to No. 22 Southern Cal on September 23rd. Check out the full rankings at the NSCAA site.

On the Horizon
The Wolverines return to the road for a pair of conference matches. The weekend will begin in Columbus, Ohio, Friday (Oct. 12) when U-M takes on Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 14) will pit the Wolverines against No. 11 Penn State. The start is set for noon.