Weekly Release #3: Wolverines Ready for Home Opener
9/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
TAKING TO THE PITCH
Friday,Sept. 5, 5:30 p.m. --vs. Dayton(Ypsilanti, Mich.)
Live Stats daytonflyers.com
Sunday, Sept. 7, 1 p.m. --vs. WesternMichigan(Ypsilanti, Mich.)
Live Stats wmubroncos.com
The University of Michigan women's soccer team (1-2-1 overall, 0-0-0 Big Ten)will open the home portion of the 2008 schedule with non-conference contests against Dayton on Friday(Sept. 5) at 5:30 p.m. and West Michigan on Sunday (Sept. 7) at 1 p.m. Due to ongoing construction of the new U-M Soccer Complex, both matches will be played at Eastern Michigan's Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti, Mich.Head coach Greg Ryan will be making his home debut forU-Mafter taking the reins of the Wolverine program in February.
Promotions
Friday is residence housing day at the field. To kick off the 2008 season, all ResLife students are invited to attend the game. There will be free pizza (limited quantities available) and the Resident Advisor who brings the most students from their hall will win a $50 gift certificate to a restaurant of their choice. As part of Youth Soccer Month, all kids are invited out to enjoy the game. The first 160 kids receive free pom-poms.
MICHIGAN BY THE NUMBERS
Complete Stats: Through 8/31/08
Team Leaders
| Name | GP | G | A | P |
| Amy Klippert | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Kelsey Rogind | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Clare Stachel | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Name | GP-GS | W-L-T | GAA | SV% |
| Madison Gates | 4-3 | 1-1-1 | 1.70 | .667 |
WOLVERINE TO WATCH
| Katie Miler,Senior Midfielder Senior Katie Miler(Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) had two career firsts against this weekend's opponents during the 2006 campaign. She made hercollegiate debut against Western Michigan (Aug. 25, 2006), recording four shots in a 0-0 tie.Four games later at Dayton, Miler scored her first career goal and one of her team-leading three game-winningscores. |
WOLVERINE BITES
Open House -- The Wolverinesboast a 7-5-2 record in home openers all-time and are undefeated in the past four. The 2007 team offed Cincinnati to the tune of a 3-0 victory, the 2006 squad tied Western Michigan 0-0, U-M knocked off Texas 3-2 under the lights in 2005,andduring the2004 campaign, Michigan earned a 2-1 victory over Kentucky in overtime.
Close the Gates -- Senior goalkeeperMadison Gates(Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) sits second in the conference in savesthrough four games with 12 stops. Gates earned her first shutout of the season on Sunday (Aug. 31), making five stops against Miami (Ohio). She is 1-1-1 with a 1.70 goals-against average this season.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Dayton -- The Wolverines are undefeated against Dayton in regular-season play, winning all four matches between the clubs. UD did take an exhibition matchlast season, 2-1, on the U-M Soccer Field. The Flyers (2-1-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic 10) are coming off a second-place showing at the Illini Challenge cup where they fell to No. 18 Illinois by a score of 1-0 in the championship game. Junior forward Mandi Back is the returning Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year after tallying 30 points last season. She leads the team with four points through three games this season.
Western Michigan -- U-M leads 4-0-1 in the all-time series with the Broncos (1-1-0, 0-0-0 MAC). The Western Michigan scoring attack is very balanced with three women owning a goal apiece for the Broncos including freshman Stephanie Skowneski who scored in her collegiate debut.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Michigansplit the weekend series in Ohio, falling to Cincinnati, 2-1, on Friday (Aug. 29) before gettinghead coach Greg Ryan his first victory as a Wolverine on Sunday (Aug. 31) in the form of a 1-0 win over Miami (Ohio). Freshman forward Clare Stachel(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) had a strong weekend,contributing on both of U-M'smarkers for her first career goal vs. the Bearcats and first career assist vs. the RedHawks.Madison Gatesmade five saves against UC for her fourth career shutout.
GETTING SOME NEW DIGS
The Wolverines will move into the U-M Soccer Complex during the 2008 campaign. The brand new home of Michigan soccer will feature a regulation, lighted competition field and separate practice fields for both the men's and women's programs. The fields are located west of the tennis complex on South State Street. This is the second move for the Maize and Blue, who began varsity competition at Elbel Field in 1994 before moving into the U-M Soccer Field, a place it called home from 1995-2007.
BIG TEN STRAW POLL
Michigan was voted into a tie for seventh with intrastate rival Michigan State in the Big Ten preseason coaches' poll. Penn State was named the preseason favorite for the sixth consecutive season followed by Illinois and Purdue.
Big Ten Coaches Poll (Preseason)
1. Penn State 2. Illinois 3. Purdue 4. Indiana 5. Ohio State 6. Minnesota 7. MICHIGAN Michigan State 9. Wisconsin 10. Northwestern 11. IowaINTRODUCING THE CAPTAINS
Seniors Katie Miler(Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) and Kristin Thomas(Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek) will serve as co-captains for the Wolverines during the 2008 campaign. Miler, a forward, began her career as a member of U-M's club team before making it to the varsity level in her sophomore year. Thomas, a veteran amongst the midfielder group, has become a mainstay in the Wolverine line-up after making four starts in her first two seasons.
THE LEADER OF THE MAIZE AND BLUE
Greg Ryan, the former U.S. Women's National Team coach, was selected to lead the Wolverines on February 1, 2008. He is just the second head coach in the program's 14-year history. He comes to Michigan after leading the U.S. Women's National Team to a 45-1-9 record in three years. He earned a bronze medal at the 2007 FIFA World Cup and won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics as an assistant coach. Coming to Michigan marks a return to the Big Ten for Ryan who spent eight years at the helm of Wisconsin from 1986-93. With the Badgers, Ryan made five NCAA appearances and advanced all the way to the NCAA semifinals twice, including one trip to the championship game.
Ryan's staff is made up of another former Big Ten head coach, Dean Duerst, and former UCLA prospect Jessica Stamp. Duerst, who won the 2005 Big Ten Tournament on the U-M Soccer Field with Wisconsin, surpassed Ryan on the Badgers' career wins list before stepping down to focus on his work with the U-17 and U-18 National teams. Stamp brings the experience of working with the top-tier programs at UCLA and Texas. Keith Jarema, the team's volunteer coach, will work with goalkeepers.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Thursday, Sept. 11, 7 p.m. -- vs. Oakland (U-M Soccer Complex)
Friday, Sept. 19, 7 p.m.MST-- at Arizona (Tucson, Ariz.)
Sunday, Sept. 21, 1 p.m. MST-- at Arizona State (Tempe, Ariz.)
