Michigan
5-11, 0-5Big Ten
Rutgers
2-15, 1-4Big Ten
Wolverines Clipped by Rutgers in Regular-Season Finale
4/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
Score: Rutgers 7, Michigan 6
Records: U-M (5-11, 0-5 Big Ten), RU (2-15, 1-4 Big Ten)
Attendance: 312
Next U-M Event: Thursday, April 30 -- vs. Northwestern - Big Ten Tournament First Round (New Brunswick N.J.), 3 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's lacrosse team was unable to hold on to a 6-4 second-half lead, as Rutgers closed the game on a 3-0 run to edge the Wolverines, 7-6, and earn its first Big Ten Conference victory on Sunday (April 26) at Michigan Stadium.
The Scarlet Knights opened the game on a 3-0 run, tallying three unanswered goals in the first 3:53 of action. Sophomore Lauren Oberlander helped halt RU's run, converting a free-position goal at 19:46 to make it 3-1.
Both teams then went quiet on the offensive end until Rutgers' Amanda Turturro netted a free-position goal with 9:29 remaining in the first half. Michigan cut RU's advantage in half before the horn, as sophomore Tess Korten fed fellow sophomore Jess Angerman as Angerman was cutting around the crease from behind. Rutgers took a 4-2 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Maize and Blue carried the momentum from that late first-half goal into the second half, scoring four more unanswered goals in the first 10:29 out of the locker room. Angerman got the Wolverines started just 42 seconds into the half, before Korten, sophomore Anna Schueler and Oberlander each added unassisted goals by the 19:31 mark to give U-M its first lead of the game, 6-4.
Turturro narrowed the gap for Rutgers, 6-5, with a goal at the 16:57 mark and then tied the game with 8:27 remaining.
Rutgers (6:32) and Michigan (5:22) were each awarded yellow cards down the stretch, but the Scarlet Knights returned to full strength first and took advantage of it, netting the go-ahead man-up goal with 4:07 left on the clock. Rutgers won the draw and successfully stalled until Michigan's Margaret Metzger got the ball back with 31 seconds remaining. Michigan immediately called timeout but was unable to score the tying goal and Rutgers emerged with its first Big Ten Conference win.
Up next, the Wolverines will take on Northwestern on Thursday (April 30) in the first round of the inaugural Big Ten Tournament, which will be hosted by Rutgers in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The second meeting this season between the Wolverines and Wildcats will begin at 3 p.m.
NOTES
• With her two goals today, Jess Angerman now has a team-best 46 points this season (32G, 14A), surpassing her team-high 44 points from the 2014 season.
• With their goals today, Jess Angerman (2) and Anna Schueler (1) have each tallied at least one point in each of the last 15 games. Schueler is the only Wolverine to score at least one goal in each of those 14 games.
• With the loss today, Michigan will be the No. 6 seed in the inaugural Big Ten Tournament and will face third-seeded Northwestern on Thursday (April 30).
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Jennifer Ulehla
On what allowed Michigan to make a comeback early in the second half ... "At halftime, we focused them on how to break the defense that Rutgers was running, which wasn't anything we weren't expecting, we just needed to reiterate it. We also said they needed to work harder and smarter and move the ball and work the offense. When we came out in the second half, that's what they did, which allowed us to catch up."
On Michigan not holding onto a lead down the stretch ... "We just made really poor decisions at crucial times. Whether we were up, or it was tied and we needed a great opportunity, we were making passes to people that weren't open or the feed was too low. And then we had that yellow card with the illegal follow through, and you can't do that against any team, let alone a team that's fighting for its first Big Ten win. We just didn't make smart decisions down the stretch."
On what she'll focus the team on heading into the Big Ten Tournament ... "Like all year, we want to learn from every single game. Northwestern is another opportunity for this program to get better. We're going to learn from this loss, we're going to watch the film and discuss it. Northwestern plays a completely different style than Rutgers so we're going to have to adjust our team to that style in practice. The important thing over the next couple of day is going to be their heart and how much they want it. We want to go in seeing this game against Northwestern as a great opportunity for this program to learn. We have absolutely nothing to lose, but we need to show up and we need to work hard."
