Michigan
0-0-1
Notre Dame
0-0-1
U-M Opens Season with Scoreless Tie at No. 2 Notre Dame
8/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Alumni Field)
Score: Michigan 0, #2 Notre Dame 0 (2OT)
Records: U-M (0-0-1), Notre Dame (0-0-1)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 7 -- vs. Cincinnati (U-M Soccer Field), 7 p.m.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's soccer team battled to a scoreless tie with No. 2 Notre Dame Friday night (Aug. 31) on Alumni Field. The crowd of more than 3,200 was treated to 110 minutes of fierce competition and strong goaltending.
Junior goalkeeper Madison Gates (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) stood on her head for much of the game, making 10 saves in the tie. Freshman Jackie Carron (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester), sophomore Amy Klippert (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) and fifth-year players Lindsey Cottrell (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central) and Emily Kalmbach (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) applied constant pressure to the Notre Dame attackers, forcing the Irish to take a large amount of low-percentage shots.
After 45-minutes, neither team had found a way to score. Michigan was able to hold off the Irish offense at the end of the first half despite being outshot 9-3. While Gates spelled the Notre Dame offense, Melissa Dobbyn (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) got Michigan's best scoring chance of the night midway through the first half. Cutting across from the right side, Dobbyn fired the ball before the Notre Dame defenders could pounce, but her upper-ninety shot was caught by an outstretched Kelsey Lysander.
In the first five minutes of the second half, Michigan got saves from everything and its goalkeeper. Two minutes after the half, Brittany Bock took a cross and headed it into the crossbar, followed by offsides wiping out a scoring chance and a header that landed on top of the net. Gates capped the flurry of diverse stops with a sliding save on Kerri Hanks. For each of the 18 attempts in the second half, Gates was once again equal to the task making five of her nine saves in the second half alone.
Both teams were quiet in the first overtime session, a calm before the storm of the final stanza. Two minutes into the second extra frame, Dobbyn struck a ball that sliced the defense to a streaking Katie Bohard (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central). The Wolverine forward only had the goalie to beat. The two came together just outside the box, with the Irish keeper pulling down the Wolverine forward to lead to a free kick. Dobbyn took the free kick, which sailed just over the net. Michigan outshot Notre Dame 3-1 in the last overtime period.
The Wolverines return home for a pair of non-conference matches. Michigan will take on Cincinnati in U-M's 2007 home opener Friday (Sept. 7) at 7 p.m., before taking on Marquette on Sunday (Sept. 9) in a 1 p.m. contest.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | OT | F |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Notre Dame | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
None
Shots: U-M 28, ND 6
Shots on Goal: U-M 2, ND 10
Saves: U-M 10 (Madison Gates), ND 2 (Kelsey Lysander 1, Nikki Weiss 1)
Corner Kicks: U-M 1, ND 10
Fouls: U-M 16, ND 10
Cards: U-M, Danelle Underswood, 14:41 (yellow), Amanda Bowery, 30:38 (yellow), Emily Kalmbach, 45:47 (yellow), Amy Klippert, 78:49 (yellow). ND, Niki Weiss, 112:13 (yellow), Rebecca Mendoza, 114:20 (yellow)
NOTES
• Freshmen Amanda Bowery and Jackie Carron made their career debuts, starting in their first collegiate game. Jill Ferree and Stephanie Crawford also made their first career appearances, both came off the bench in the first half.
• Goalkeeper Madison Gates made a career-high 10 saves. She topped her previous mark of six vs. Penn State (Sept. 24).
• Michigan added to its 5-3-5 record all-time in season-opening contests.
• Michigan snapped Notre Dame's 32-game home winning streak with tonight's tie. The Irish were one win away from the third longest string in NCAA history.
• Senior Melissa Dobbyn, moved two shots closer to Abby Crumpton's (1999-2002) career shots record of 300. She trails the current U-M assistant coach by 27 strikes.
