Ezurike, Lewis Score to Propel U-M Past No. 23 Huskers

Sunday, October 6

Lincoln, Neb.

1:00 PM CT

Michigan

9-2-1, 3-1-1Big Ten

Nebraska

9-3-1, 4-1-0Big Ten

Michigan

Nebraska

Ezurike, Lewis Score to Propel U-M Past No. 23 Huskers

10/6/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Brad Rudner

Site: Lincoln, Neb. (Nebraska Soccer Field)
Score: #21 Michigan 2, #23 Nebraska 1
Records: U-M (9-2-1, 3-1-1 Big Ten), Nebraska (9-3-1, 4-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Oct. 13 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 1 p.m.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Senior Nkem Ezurike (Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia/Sackville) and freshman Madisson Lewis (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) scored second-half goals within four minutes of each other to propel the No. 21-ranked University of Michigan women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory at Nebraska on Sunday (Oct. 6) at Nebraska Soccer Field. The Huskers had won seven consecutive matches and sat tied atop the Big Ten standings at 4-0-0.

Madisson Lewis

The two teams were scoreless after the opening 45 minutes of play. Ezurike attempted to get the offense going early, putting a shot on goal in the second minute that was saved by Nebraska goalkeeper Emma Stevens with a dive to her right. The Wolverines' best chance, though, came in the 10th minute off a corner kick. The service came in from the far side, and fifth-year senior Holly Hein (Castaic, Calif./West Ranch) came free in the center of the six-yard box, but her header attempt clanged off the crossbar. In the 16th minute, Ezurike took on the defense with a run and attempted to slip the ball to Lewis at the far post, but her pass was just out of Lewis' reach.

Ezurike snapped her three-match scoreless streak with a goal in the 54th minute to put Michigan up, 1-0. Sophomore Corinne Harris (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep) played a ball along the far side to Lewis. The speedy freshman drew defenders to her side and lured Stevens off her line then slipped a cross to a wide-open Ezurike at the far post, where she tapped the ball into an open net for the score.

Not even four minutes later, Lewis got in on the scoring to make it 2-0. The ball was loose in the box off a long throw-in after it glanced off a Nebraska defender, but Lewis found it in space and punched a shot through traffic past Stevens for the two-goal lead with 30 minutes to play.

The Cornhuskers cut the lead to 2-1 in the 75th minute on a header goal by Jordan Jackson. Nebraska's Courtney Claassen crossed the ball into the box and found Jackson on the end of a run, with her header dribbling past the outstretched arms of freshman goalkeeper Taylor Bucklin (Greenwich, Conn./Brookfield), who made three saves on the day. The Wolverines had some chances following that score to make it a two-goal lead again -- specifically a long run by Harris down the length of the field following a corner kick and an open-net chance for Ezurike as Stevens was out of the box -- but neither went in the net. Michigan's defense weathered the storm in the final 10 minutes, repelling four Nebraska shots to preserve the victory.

The Wolverines wrap up the road trip with one match next week, facing defending Big Ten champion Penn State next Sunday (Oct. 13) in State College, Pa. The match will begin at 1 p.m.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Michigan	0	2	2
Nebraska	0	1	1

Scoring, Time (Assist)
2nd -- U-M, Nkem Ezurike, 53:30 (Madisson Lewis)
2nd -- U-M, Lewis, 57:27 (unassisted)
2nd -- NEB, Jordan Jackson, 74:01 (Courtney Claassen)

Shots: U-M 15, NEB 13
Shots on Goal: U-M 4, NEB 4
Saves: U-M 3 (Taylor Bucklin), NEB 2 (Emma Stevens)
Corner Kicks: U-M 4, NEB 3
Cards: U-M, Tori McCombs, 35:46 (Yellow); NEB, Jaylyn Odermann, 35:46 (Yellow)

NOTES

• U-M improves to 4-1-1 all-time against Nebraska. The Wolverines have won all three meetings with the Cornhuskers since they joined the Big Ten in 2011, all of them by a score of 2-1.

• The Wolverines have won their first three road matches in Big Ten play for the second straight season (Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska). In 2012, Michigan beat Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northwestern to open the conference road slate.

• Michigan is now 3-0-1 against ranked teams this season. The Wolverines have not beaten three ranked teams in the same season since 2006.

• Nkem Ezurike snapped a three-match streak without a goal. Her last goal came Sept. 22 at Iowa.

• Nkem Ezurike is now three goals away from becoming the school's career leader in goals. She now has 42 career goals, two away from tying current leader Kacy Beitel (44, 1997-00). Ezurike also has 99 career points, fourth all-time.

• For Madisson Lewis, it is her first goal since Sept. 1 vs. San Diego State, a stretch of seven matches. It is also her first points since Sept. 12 vs. Detroit. She came into the match tied for second on the team in goals (three) and second in points (10).

• The Wolverines used only two substitutes -- Christina Ordonez (24 minutes) and Anna Soccorsi (21 minutes). It was Soccorsi's first appearance since Sept. 22 at Iowa.

• Michigan has scored multiple goals in each of its nine wins this season. The Wolverines' last three wins have all been 2-1 victories. They are 4-2 in matches decided by one goal.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Greg Ryan
On the team's attitude following Sunday's win ... "I think they feel great about how disciplined and organized we played. It's good that we are winning these tight games because as you go along, that's how a lot of them will be, but we could have put Nebraska away very easily today. We could have scored up to three more goals, but we just didn't take those chances very well. It's something we'll keep working on. We're also a very tired team, playing in back-to-back weekends with two games. This next week is going to really help us recover mentally, physically and emotionally. We dug deep today. Nebraska is very good, but I think what we did tactically really threw them off. They didn't have the chances we did. Tactically, our players handled our style exceptionally well, especially considering how little time we had to prepare."

On if players get experience by playing in so many one-goal matches ... "It's huge. They scored a goal late, and we can look and see how to defend that better, but it gives the whole team a lot of confidence, winning matches like this. If we are up, our players know how to maintain the lead."

On Taylor Bucklin ... "She's the player that can probably take the most out of today's game. She played very well behind the back four, coming out and dealing with a ton of balls knocked in behind the defense. She went from being a freshman to being an upperclassmen today. She didn't have to make a ton of saves, but she continually dealt with a crowded penalty box and some very aggressive Nebraska players. She really matured today."

On what the emphasis will be this week in practice ... "We always look at our next opponent, and that is Penn State. A lot of what we do this week will be geared towards shutting down Penn State's potent attack and look at some of the ways we can get at them in terms of our attacking. Nebraska plays a very difficult style to cope with. They put you under pressure and play a lot of people forward. It took a lot of patience to know how to play them, and Penn State will be similar. In terms of our practice, we'll continue to work on finishing chances. I didn't think we'd have as many chances as we got."

U-M Senior Nkem Ezurike
On her goal ... "It felt good to get another goal against them. We just wanted to put their defense under pressure all day. Madi (Lewis) got the ball down the line and beat her player and maybe another one, actually. She crossed the ball in, and I was there at the right time."

On missed scoring opportunities ... "I think it's just having more focus in front of the goal when I'm taking my chances. We'll continue to work on that in practice."

On the importance of rest in preparing for next week's match with Penn State ... "I think we're going to get a little rest this week. This week was tough for us. I'd imagine our practices will be pretty intense, so we can be sharp and ready."

U-M Junior Chloe Sosenko
On how important this win was ... "We talked about this game being a turning point in our season. Nebraska was 4-0-0 in the Big Ten and we were 2-1-1, so it obviously meant a lot for us. We had a good mindset in training, and I thought we did a good job of preparing on short notice. Everyone was fighting. It was a team effort by everyone on the field. We were winning every second ball, and I think we showed that little extra effort today that maybe was missing the last few games."

On the match's physical play ... "It was definitely a physical match, especially towards the end. They literally had 11 players on our side of half, including their goalkeeper, dropping balls in behind our back line. At that point, it's a mental game. You have to be ready to anticipate that ball in the box and get your body in a position physically to clear it out. They were scrappy, but we dealt with it well."

On defending Nebraska's attacks late in the match ... "We felt confident after that second goal. We had chances and probably could have put a few more away. I think our back line and as a whole team were prepared for what Nebraska was going to throw at us. We knew they had a tendency to push people forward. Our communication was better today, and I think it helped us win this game."