Michigan
Penn State
U-M to Begin Three-Game Road Stand at No. 12 PSU, No. 13 UND
4/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
THIS WEEK
Thursday, April 9 -- at No. 12 Penn State (State College, Pa.), 7 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network | Live Stats | BTN2Go
Sunday, April 12 -- at No. 13 Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 1 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video
• Notes Pack (PDF)
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• Wolverine Athlete Spotlight: Molly Fishter
TEAM TWO: GAME THIRTEEN AND FOURTEEN
The University of Michigan women's lacrosse team (5-7, 0-2 Big Ten) will face three top-20 opponents on the road over the next two weeks. The Wolverines will first travel to State College, Pennsylvania, to face No. 12 Penn State (9-3, 2-0 Big Ten) on Thursday (April 9) at 7 p.m. at the Penn State Lacrosse Field before heading to South Bend, Indiana, to take on No. 13 Notre Dame (7-5, 2-3 ACC) on Sunday (April 12) at 1 p.m. inside Arlotta Stadium.
Michigan's game against Penn State can be seen live on the Big Ten Network and will also be streamed live on BTN2Go, where a subscription is needed to watch. The Michigan-Notre Dame matchup will be streamed live on watchnd.tv.
WOLVERINE BITES
One Year Older
Michigan competed in its inaugural season in 2014 with a roster compiled solely of 27 freshmen.
The 2015 roster includes 23 of those 27 original student-athletes, which are now sophomores, and also includes 12 new freshmen. Four Wolverine sophomores have started all 29 games in their careers -- Anna Schueler (M), Jess Angerman (A), Brooke Pancoast (D) and Allison Silber (G).
Michigan Among the Big Ten and NCAA
Goals: Michigan boasts two of the Big Ten's top 10 players in goals per game -- 6.) Kim Coughlan (2.33/game) and 9.) Jess Angerman (2.08/game).
Ground Balls: Michigan leads the Big Ten and is tied for 11th in the NCAA in ground balls per game at 19.25. Michigan owns three of the top five players in the Big Ten in ground balls per game -- Anna Schueler leads the conference, averaging 2.17, while Madeline Dion is third at 2.08, and Allison Silber is fifth at 1.92 per game.
Caused Turnovers: Michigan is first in the Big Ten and tied for 17th in the NCAA in caused turnovers, averaging 9.5 per outing. Madeline Dion ranks first in the conference and tied for 18th in the NCAA at 1.83 caused turnovers per game.
Draw Controls: The Wolverines rank fourth in the Big Ten in draw controls per game (11.42), led by Anna Schueler's 3.08 per game, which are good for fifth in the conference.
Attacking Threats
Michigan returned all of its offensive production from last season, including four players that accounted for 71 percent (112/158) of its goals and 72 percent (149/207) of its points -- Anna Schueler (32G+11A=43P), Jess Angerman (31G+13A=44P), Tess Korten (28G+10A=38P) and Kim Coughlan (21G+3A=24P).
This season, that same quartet continues to lead the Wolverines with the addition of Lauren Oberlander. Those five account for 135 of their 178 points (76 percent) and 107 of their 139 goals (77 percent) -- Jess Angerman (25G+8A=33P), Kim Coughlan (28G+4A=32P), Anna Schueler (24G+7A=31P), Lauren Oberlander (16G+4A=20P) and Tess Korten (14G+5A=19P).
Sharing the Ball
Thirteen different players have tallied points for Michigan this season, while 10 have scored goals. So far this season the Wolverines have six players with 10 or more goals -- Jess Angerman (25G, 8A) is leading U-M with 33 points, while Kim Coughlan (28G, 4A), Anna Schueler (24G, 7A), Lauren Oberlander (16G, 4A), Tess Korten (14G, 5A), and Madeline Dion (12G, 0A) round out the players with 10 or more goals.
Consistent Starters
Six Wolverines have started all 12 games for Michigan this season -- Jess Angerman (A), Madeline Dion (M), Kelly Kubach (D), Brooke Pancoast (D), Anna Schueler (M) and Allison Silber (G).
One-Goal Games
Michigan has lost four games by just one goal each this season. Most recently, the Wolverines fell to Duquesne, 11-10 (April 5). The other three losses by one goal have come in overtime. U-M dropped a 14-13 double-overtime matchup to Colorado (March 22) and also lost overtime games at Winthrop (11-10) on Feb. 22 and against Virginia Tech (13-12) on March 11. Michigan is now 2-3 all-time in overtime games, as it defeated UC Davis and California in double overtime last season.
The Newcomers
Of Michigan's 12 freshmen on its roster, 10 have seen game action so far this season. Midfielder Molly Fishter has seen ample time in all 12 games, including three starts, and has tallied three assists and 12 ground balls. Attacker Mae Tarr has seen time in all 12 games, including one start. Tarr has recorded seven goals and one assist, including a breakout performance at St. Mary's, where she tied a program record with five goals and set a program record with seven draw controls, en route to being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Tarr is also second on the team in draw controls with 16. Katie Melvin notched her first career point on an assist vs. St. Bonaventure. Goalie Kat Geffken saw six minutes of time against Florida and 15 minutes against St. Bonaventure.
Women's Lax 101
There are currently 107 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs across the country that compete in 13 different conferences, including four first-year programs -- Furman, Gardner-Webb, Massachusetts-Lowell and Mercer. After competing in the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) during its inaugural season in 2014, Michigan is now a member of the Big Ten Conference, which is sponsoring women's lacrosse for the first year, along with Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Ohio State and Rutgers. Maryland, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State are each currently ranked in the top 20 nationally. [ IWLCA Division I Poll ]
Inaugural Season of Big Ten Lacrosse
The Big Ten Conference announced that it would sponsor men's and women's lacrosse as varsity sports on June 3, 2013, giving the conference 28 sports. With the addition of Maryland and Rutgers as full-fledged members of the Big Ten, starting in 2014-15, both the men and women have enough to form a conference with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Maryland, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers join Michigan for the inaugural season of Big Ten women's lacrosse.
Big Ten women's lacrosse features teams that have won 24 national championships and 20 of the 33 NCAA Championships, including nine of the last 10. Maryland won its 12th national championship last year. Northwestern has won seven NCAA titles -- most recently in 2012. Penn State has earned five national championships, including NCAA titles in 1987 and 1989.
Big Ten Conference Coaches
Five of the six Big Ten women's lacrosse head coaches are alums of the University of Maryland. Michigan's Jennifer Ulehla (1990-91), Northwestern's Kelly Amonte Hiller (1993-96), Penn State's Missy Doherty (1994-97), Maryland's Cathy Reese (1995-98) and Ohio State's Alexis Venechanos (2000-03) each played for the Terrapins. Ulehla and Amonte Hiller both continued their careers on the U.S. National Team, but were never teammates, while Rutgers' Laura Brand-Sias (Rutgers, 1996-99) played for the Canadian National Team.
High School Connections
Michigan-Penn State: Two Michigan players have hometown connections to members of Penn State's roster. Sophie duPhily and PSU freshman goalie McKenna Coyle were teammates at Kennett High School (Kennett Square, Pa.), while sophomore Amanda Sutor and Nittany Lion sophomore midi Shelby Wells were also teammates at St. Paul's School (Brooklandville, Md.).
Michigan-Notre Dame: Eight Michigan student-athletes played high school lacrosse with members of Notre Dame's roster. U-M freshman Mae Tarr attended Notre Dame Prep (Towson, Md.) along with ND's Molly Cobb, Caroline Doyle, Hannah Hartman and Danielle Lukish. Wolverine sophomore Anna Schueler played high school lacrosse with Notre Dame's Anna Dooley and Katherine Eilers at Loyola Academy (Chicago, Ill.). U-M sophomore Allie Breitfeller played with NU's Cortney Fortunato at Northport High School (Northport, N.Y.). U-M sophomore Brooke Pancoast and Notre Dame senior Leah Gallagher were high school teammates for one season at Radnor (Wayne, Pa.). U-M goalie Allison Silber and Notre Dame's Grace Muller and Hannah Rees attended McDonogh School together (Owings Mills, Md.). Michigan freshman Gigi Packard and sophomore Caroline Fitzpatrick played with ND's Katherine McManus at Thayer Academy (Braintree, Mass.). U-M freshman Sydney Dalmass and Notre Dame's Stephanie Toy were high school teammates at Moorestown High School (Moorestown, N.J.).
Tarr Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week (March 9)
Freshman Mae Tarr received the program's first Big Ten Conference weekly honor on March 9, being named the conference's Freshman of the Week. At St. Mary's (March 6), Tarr helped lead the Maize and Blue to its third straight win by a lopsided score of 22-8. The Parkville, Maryland, native finished with five goals on seven shots, one assist, three ground balls and one caused turnover and also set a program record with seven draw controls. Four of her five goals were tallied in the second half, while one goal in each half came on a free-position attempt.
Facing Ranked Opponents
In total, the Maize and Blue will face six preseason nationally ranked opponents this season. The Wolverines will take on No. 1 Maryland (April 18), No. 12 Penn State (April 9) and No. 13 Notre Dame (April 12) over the next two weeks to round out its games vs. ranked opponents. Michigan is 0-3 against ranked opponents so far this season with losses to No. 4 Florida (Feb. 14; L, 21-0), No. 18 Ohio State (March 27; L, 13-5) and No. 6 Northwestern (April; L, 17-8).
LAST TIME OUT
April 5, 2015: Michigan 10, Duquesne 11
Michigan battled back and forth with Duquesne but could not hold on to a 10-8 lead with 13 minutes remaining in the game, allowing Duquesne to finish the game on a 3-0 run and edge the Wolverines, 11-10. There were five lead changes throughout the game, and it was tied on seven occasions. Sophomores Anna Schueler and Jess Angerman led the Wolverines with three goals each, while sophomore goalie Allison Silber made a season-high 11 saves to help keep U-M in the game until late.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
ATTACK
Jess Angerman led Michigan with 44 points on 31 goals and 13 assists last season. Angerman tallied at least one point in each of the last nine games of the season, tallying 27 points during that stretch.
Angerman leads U-M in points with 33, on 25 goals and eight assists, and she also has 12 ground balls, seven draw controls and four caused turnovers. She has scored at least one point in each of the last 11 games, including three or more goals in six games this season.
Tess Korten was third on the team in points in 2014 with 38, on 28 goals and 10 assists. She finished the season on a 10-game/30-point streak, tallying at least one point in each of the last 10 games of the season. Korten notched a program-record seven points (4G, 3A) in U-M's first-ever win over UC Davis.
Korten is fifth on the team in points this season with 14 goals and five assists. She also has seven ground balls, five draw controls and five caused turnovers.
MIDFIELD
Anna Schueler led Michigan in goals with 32 last season and was second in points (43) and assists (11). She was also U-M's primary player taking the draw, winning a team-high 54 draws in 2014, and will take the majority of the Wolverines' draws this season. Schueler also had a team-high 16 caused turnovers last season. She was a two-time ALC Rookie of the Week selection and an All-ALC second team member as a freshman.
In 2015, Schueler is third on the team in points with 31, on 24 goals and seven assists. She also has a team-high 37 draw controls, which rank fifth in the Big Ten (3.08/game), and is also second in the Big Ten, averaging 2.17 ground balls per game this season (26 total).
Kim Coughlan came on strong in the second half of last season, scoring 15 of her 21 goals in the final seven games of the season. She finished the 2014 season fourth on the team in goals with 21 and added three assists.
This season, Coughlan is second on the team in points with 32, on 28 goals and four assists. She also has 14 draw controls, 10 ground balls and three caused turnovers. Against Niagara, Coughlan matched a program record with five goals on seven shots. She has had four games this season with three or more goals.
Madeline Dion finished the 2014 season fifth on the team in points with 11 goals and one assist and also added 13 ground balls, six draw controls and 11 caused turnovers.
So far in 2015, Dion has recorded 12 goals, including her first career hat trick against Colorado. She leads the team in caused turnovers with 22 (1.83/game), which are first in the Big Ten and tied for 18th in the NCAA. Against Virginia Tech, Dion set a program record with five caused turnovers. Dion is also second on the team in ground balls with 25, which which are third the Big Ten (2.08/game), and has 12 draw controls.
Lauren Oberlander has started nine games this season, far surpassing her offensive production from 2014 (8G, 1A) with 20 points (16G, 4A) in 2015, good for fourth on the team. She also has 12 ground balls, seven caused turnovers and four draw controls this season.
DEFENSE
Brooke Pancoast started all 17 games last season, recording 23 ground balls, 22 draw controls and eight caused turnovers.
Pancoast has started all 12 games in 2015 and has tallied 20 ground balls, six caused turnovers and three draw controls.
Kelly Kubach started all 16 games she played in last season, finishing the season second on the team in caused turnovers with 15 and also contributed 17 ground balls and six draw controls.
Kubach has started all 12 games in 2015, recording 18 ground balls, 10 caused turnovers and nine draw controls.
GOALIE
Allison Silber started all 17 games in goal for Michigan last season, making 143 saves and recording a save percentage of .360.
Silber has played all except 21 minutes in the cage for Michigan this season, making 86 total saves and recording a save percentage of .386. She made a season-high 11 saves in a narrow 11-10 loss to Duquesne on April 5. Silber also ranks fifth in the Big Ten in ground balls per game at 1.92.
MEET THE COACHING STAFF
Jennifer Ulehla is in her second year as the head coach of the Michigan women's lacrosse program. She was announced as Michigan's first head coach in program history in September 2011 and has been working to build a championship culture within her program from day one. Under Ulehla's guidance, Michigan compiled a 4-13 record in its first season as a Division I program in 2014. In addition, three Wolverines garnered ALC Rookie of the Week accolades, and freshman Anna Schueler was selected to the All-ALC second team in that first season.
Prior to coming to Ann Arbor, Ulehla gained experience in the development of a new program as an assistant coach at Florida from January 2008-June 2010. Taking a hiatus from collegiate lacrosse, Ulehla worked as an assistant coach with the U.S. National Elite Team from 2006-2009. Previous collegiate head coaching stops for Ulehla also include Temple (2004-06) and James Madison (1994-2002). She was inducted into the James Madison University Athletics Hall of Fame on Nov. 15, 2013, for her contributions to the program.
As a player, Ulehla was a two-time All-American at Maryland (1990-91) and also competed on the U.S. National Lacrosse Team from 1990-95.
Assistant coach Becca Block joined Ulehla's staff on July 16, 2014, and is working primarily with the Wolverine defense. Block joined U-M's staff after one season as an assistant coach at the University of Vermont. As a player, she was the 2013 IWLCA Defender of the Year at Syracuse University (2010-13) and is a current U.S. National Team member (2012-present). Throughout her collegiate playing career, she helped the Orange qualify for the NCAA Tournament on three occasions (2010, '12, '13). The team advanced to the Final Four in 2010 and the national championship game in 2012.
Assistant coach Alyssa Murray was the latest addition to U-M's staff (January 2015) and is the Wolverines' offensive specialist. She recently completed a standout career at Syracuse University, where she was a two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist. Following her career at Syracuse, Murray was selected to the U.S. Women's National Team and also signed a one-year contract with Team STX. Prior to coming to Ann Arbor, Murray served as a volunteer assistant coach at Stony Brook University during the Fall of 2014.
The Block-Murray Connection
Assistant coaches Becca Block and Alyssa Murray were teammates at Syracuse University for three seasons, where they both had outstanding careers and are now members of the U.S. Women's National Team together. Block was the National Defender of the Year in 2013 at Syracuse and now coaches the Wolverine defense, while Murray was a two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist (2013-14) as an attacker and works primarily with U-M's offense.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Scouting No. 12 Penn State
Penn State, which is led by fifth-year head coach Missy Doherty, owns a 9-3 overall record and 2-0 mark in Big Ten play. All three of PSU's losses have been to ranked opponents by one goal each -- vs. No. 8 Virginia (16-15), vs. No. 15 James Madison (13-12) and at No. 13 Princeton (12-11). The Nittany Lions will enter Thursday's game on a four-game winning streak, including a 14-13 win over No. 18 Ohio State on April 4.
Penn State is averaging 14.25 goals per game, which rank ninth in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten, and defeating its opponents by an average of 5.33 goals. Senior attacker Maggie McCormick averages 3.5 points per game, which are tied for fifth in the conference, including 2.0 assists per game, which rank tied for 10th in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten. As a team, the Nittany Lions are second in the Big Ten in turnovers per game (10.67) and goals-against average (8.92). Junior goalie Emi Smith has a goals-against average of 9.03 and a save percentage of .466, which is 28th in the nation. Overall this season, PSU is winning the draw control battle, 158-136, led by junior midfielder Jenna Mosketti, who has a team-best 43 draw controls.
Last season, Penn State finished with a 10-8 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, where it fell to Princeton, 16-13, in the first round.
Series vs. Penn State: Penn State leads the all-time series 1-0 against Michigan. The Nittany Lions (ranked 10th nationally at the time) defeated the Wolverines, 20-7, last season. Midfielder Anna Schueler led Michigan with three goals, while goalie Allison Silber made a career-high 14 saves in the game. Four PSU players, who each returned this season, had hat tricks in that meeting -- Madison Cyr, Tatum Coffey, Maggie Mccormick and Jess Loizeaux.
Scouting No. 13 Notre Dame
Notre Dame is led by third-year head coach Christine Halfpenny and is currently 7-5 overall, including a 2-3 mark in ACC play. The Irish rank 13th in the county in strength of schedule, facing seven ranked opponents already this season, going 2-5 in those games. Most recently, Notre Dame defeated No. 4 Virginia, 14-4, in ACC action.
The Irish have eight players with double-digit points, led by sophomore midfielder Cortney Fortunato, who has a team-best 54 points on 40 goals and 14 assists. She ranks tied for 10th in the NCAA, averaging 4.5 points per game, and tied for 11th in the nation with 3.33 goals per game. Senior defender Barbara Sullivan ranks 24th in the NCAA, averaging 4.08 draw controls per game (51 total) and also has a team-high 24 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers. Goalie Liz O'Sullivan has played the majority of minutes in cage for the Fighting Irish, making 68 saves and recording a save percentage of .415.
Last season, Notre Dame finished with an overall record of 10-9 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year, where it eventually lost to Duke, 10-8, in the second round.
Series vs. Notre Dame: Michigan and Notre Dame will face off for the first time in the history of the two programs.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2015 season are still available at the U-M Athletic Ticket Office or online at MGoBlue.com/tickets. For more information on Michigan women's lacrosse single-game tickets or season ticket packages, call the U-M Athletic Ticket Office at (734) 764-0247 or (866) 296-MTIX.
UP NEXT
Saturday, April 18 -- at Maryland (College, Park, Md.), Noon
Sunday, April 26 -- vs. Rutgers (Michigan Stadium), 1 p.m.
