Michigan
5-12, 0-5Big Ten
Northwestern
12-5, 3-2Big Ten
U-M's Season Ends With Loss to No. 9 Northwestern in B1G Tourney
4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Site: Piscataway, N.J. (High Point Solutions Stadium)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (First Round)
Score: #9 Northwestern 13, Michigan 9
Records: U-M (5-12), NU (12-5)
Next U-M Event: Season Complete
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The sixth-seeded University of Michigan women's lacrosse team came up short against third-seeded Northwestern in the first round of the inaugural Big Ten Tournament, as the No. 9 Wildcats outscored the Wolverines by two goals in each half to win, 13-9, on Thursday (April 30) at Rutgers' High Point Solutions Stadium.
Sophomore Anna Schueler led Michigan with her seventh hat trick of the season, while sophomore Tess Korten added two goals, and sophomores Lauren Oberlander and Jess Angerman each chipped in with a goal and an assist. Sophomore goalie Allison Silber made six saves in net, including four key saves in the first half to keep the game close.
Northwestern jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, as Wildcat sophomore Sheila Nesselbush scored two goals in the first four minutes of play. The Wolverines fought back to tie the game and eventually take a 3-2 lead by the 20:08 mark, as Schueler, Angerman and Korten all netted goals in just over a four-minute span. Oberlander was credited with the assist on Angerman's goal, as she dumped the ball into the middle from up top.
After holding Northwestern scoreless for 11:37, the Wildcats responded with back-to-back goals to regain the lead, 4-3, with 13:36 left in the opening half. Korten slowed the Wildcats' momentum and tied the game for the third time in the first half, 4-4, with 9:31 to play.
Northwestern tallied two more consecutive goals before the half to take a 6-4 lead into the locker room. The Wildcats ended the half with a free-position goal and added another one just 1:30 into the second half to take a three-goal lead, 7-4.
Oberlander halted NU's three-goal run that spanned both halves, as she drove left handed and scored at the 27:35 to make it a two-goal game (7-5).
After scoring the opening goal of the second half, Northwestern's Kaleigh Craig registered a pair of unanswered goals to jump start a 4-1 Wildcat run that gave them their largest lead of the game, 11-6, with 19:08 remaining. Freshman Mae Tarr scored U-M's goal during that run on an assist from sophomore Sophie duPhily.
Schueler then swapped goals with Northwestern, as two hard moves to the cage resulted in a pair of unassisted goals, and the Wildcats maintained a five-goal advantage with 6:34 to play.
After Schueler caught fire, Northwestern made the defensive switch to faceguard her, making it difficult for her to get involved in the offense. A special play called in from the sidelines brought sophomore Kim Coughlan over the restraining line onto the offensive end. The ball was swung around the back of the cage to Angerman, who found Coughlan cutting in for the score. That goal at 3:33 made it 13-9 and proved to be the final tally of the contest.
The loss brought an end to Michigan's second season as a varsity program, during which U-M went 5-12, while Northwestern advances to tomorrow's (Friday, May 1) semifinal match.
NOTES
• With her goal and assist today, Jess Angerman finished the season with a team-best 48 points this season (33G, 15A), surpassing her team-high 44 points from the 2014 season.
• With their points today, Jess Angerman (1G, 1A) and Anna Schueler (3G) have each tallied at least one point in each of the last 16 games. Schueler is the only Wolverine to score at least one goal in each of those 14 games. Schueler's hat trick today marked her seventh of the season and 12th of her career.
• Michigan caused nine of Northwestern's 17 turnovers, with Kim Coughlan recording a game-high three caused turnovers, while Michigan only committed 15 turnovers.
• Michigan held Northwestern standout freshman Selena Lasota, who had scored at least two goals in each game and was averaging 3.8 points per game, to just one goal and one assist today.
• With the loss today, Michigan end its second season as a varsity program with a 5-12 record.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Jennifer Ulehla
On the program taking a step in the right direction today ... "Obviously, Northwestern is an incredible team and a fantastic program so to be able to play against their starters, 13-9, was a big step for us. Although it's the end of the season, it was a fantastic experience for everybody. It really gives us a taste of what it's like to compete with nationally ranked programs and gives us the fire to want to come back and get better."
On the team showing their potential today ... "They really did. They were a little more relaxed and they really competed. We had some lapses here and there, but they really competed for 60 minutes and executed a great defense. We held Salena Lasota, one of the best attackers in the country, to one goal and one assist. We also really limited our fouls -- we wanted to play solid team defense and we really created a tremendous amount of caused turnovers and were able to get the ball down to our attack. I'm really proud of the growth we saw today. "
On the positives about the offense today ... "From an offensive standpoint, we knew they were going to put pressure on us, but they didn't put as much on us as we thought. We had prepared for it and the offense that Alyssa Murray was able to get it and the adjustments that she wanted to make, our team made those adjustments, and made them under a lot of pressure. That's definitely a step in the right direction for us, especially for 60 minutes. It's easy to execute for 30 minutes, but we have to continue to do it for 60 minutes. Anna Schueler went on a run in the second half, so they faceguarded her. We got in a play -- we didn't even have to call a timeout -- and it worked, it opened up Kim Coughlan for a goal, which was fantastic. Offensively, from everyone wanting the ball and working the offensive to get some great looks, I'm really proud of them for that. Defensively, there weren't as many fouls, and we really played as a unit. No one individual really stands out and that's when you know your defense is doing a great job. When you look at the stats and you see that Salena Lasota has one goal and one assist, that's real progress for us. I'm excited that they're getting a taste of executing the game plan and good things happening for them."
On what she'll remember most about this team ... "Their resiliency. Starting a season out by losing as badly as we did to Florida, which didn't show the talent we had, they made a choice to bounce back. Some of the one-goal losses that we had were tough and this team kept coming back and showing a lot of heart. We continue to work on our consistency in terms of how hard we need to work in practice, but it's the resiliency I'm going to remember. These freshmen and sophomores carry, not a burden, but a big responsibility with building a program at a school like the University of Michigan, and they've handled it with grace. There's definitely a long way to go and there is a tremendous amount that I know these 35 student-athletes can continue to improve upon, but they've been resilient. They're a great group and they've ended this season representing our block M with a lot of pride."
