Postgame Quotes: Michigan 1, Maryland 0
9/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 19, 2014
Michigan Head Coach Greg Ryan
On the team generating several scoring chances ... "I thought it was a very tight game and even though we did have the better chances, I thought Maryland defended really well. It was hard to find many chances. It seemed like the kind of game that may be a draw. That goal was just phenomenal. A great ball from Anna (Soccorsi) to Corinne (Harris), Corinne off the post, to Ani (Sarkisian) and Madi (Lewis) just buried that thing -- almost took the net off. It seemed like it was going to be a one-goal game all along and we were waiting to see who was going to get the break. I think Nicky (Waldeck) really sparked us when she came on. She created some great chances -- the goalie had to save it off the post -- so I think Nicky was a real factor for us. It was a very tough game for both teams."
On the back line's continued development ... "The defense has been fantastic ever since we left California. We've been working on it daily and we're really getting organized. We're giving away very few chances and it's giving us opportunities to stay in the game and win. It's a whole team defending -- it's been fantastic. Anna (Soccorsi) and Tina (Ordonez) really anchor that back line and whoever we have back there has played well around them -- Keyana (Thompson-Shaw), Bailey (Haydock), Taylor (Timko). They're solid now and they're only going to get better and better. It's amazing because none of them played in the back line last year, so to have a back four or five playing this well this early, with so little experience, is phenomenal."
On remaining unbeaten in the Big Ten in front of several Michigan fans ... "It was great to have the Michigan fans out here today. It was fun -- it was just a good game. Every game is tough in the Big Ten. Things are going our way, we're playing well, we're starting to put our chances away and now we're getting some belief in what we're doing and some confidence individually. I didn't think it would come this early, but it's fantastic."
On Megan Hinz' performance in front of her hometown fans ... "It was a fantastic game for Megan. You knew she was going to play hard and she was just solid all night. She didn't have to make the big saves that she's made recently, but she was solid in everything she did. She's getting her confidence -- she's a very vocal leader and very determined. You don't find many freshmen that come in this vocal, this aggressive, this confident and ready to lead so young in their career. Megan has just been fantastic. It was nice to have a game where she didn't have to come up with a miraculous save."
U-M Sophomore Madisson Lewis
On both teams getting good scoring chances ... "I definitely thought the first half we controlled the game and they were on their heels most of the time and then second half it was pretty even. We were just trying to stay with them -- they changed their formation, which kind of threw us off, but we were able to change our formation on the fly and stay with them and push through until the 83rd minute when we finally got a goal."
On her game-winning goal ... "Honestly, I was so tired at that point I was just focused on getting in front of the goal. I remember the ball going over my head and Corinne (Harris) getting on the end and her hitting it and being like 'that is going in' and it hits the post. But I saw Ani (Sarkisian) was wide open so I knew I had to get in front of the goal -- I knew she was going to hit it as hard as she could. Sure enough, she hits it as hard as she can and I was able to get a foot on it and score."
On the team learning to play with a 1-0 lead ... "I think it's very important for us to have that learning experience, especially because we've scored in the last second and we know it can be done. We're just trying to play has hard as we can throughout the entire game no matter what the score is. We've learned recently that if we play hard, we can stay in the game and if we keep playing hard then we can find a way to win the game."
