Michigan
Rutgers
First Touch #11: Crucial Match at No. 25 Rutgers Slated for Regular-Season Finale
10/23/2017 7:57:00 PM | Women's Soccer
» Michigan will wrap up the regular season at No. 25 Rutgers on Wednesday (Oct. 25) at 4 p.m. in a game the Wolverines must win to advance to the Big Ten Tournament.
» The all-time series between Michigan and Rutgers is tied at 1-1-1, with U-M getting a 3-2 win in double overtime last season in Ann Arbor.
» Reilly Martin has at least one point in seven of 10 Big Ten games and leads Michigan with 17 points overall, on six goals and five assists.
» Wednesday's game will air live on BTN and will be available online via BTN2Go (cable subscription required).
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Oct. 25 -- at Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.), 4 p.m., BTN
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The University of Michigan women's soccer team (6-5-6, 3-4-3 B1G) will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey, for a must-win match at 25th-ranked Rutgers (11-2-4, 5-2-3 Big Ten) in its regular-season finale on Wednesday (Oct. 25) at 4 p.m. The match will be nationally televised on BTN and available online via BTN2Go (cable subscription required).
WOLVERINE BITES
• Michigan is currently in ninth place with 12 points in the Big Ten standings and must earn three points with a win at Rutgers to give the Wolverines a chance to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. U-M would also need a little help from other Big Ten teams to secure a spot in the tournament. Nebraska and Purdue sit two points ahead of Michigan with 14 points. If Michigan wins, a loss or tie for Nebraska, or a loss from Purdue, would guarantee Michigan a spot. The Big Ten Tournament will begin with the quarterfinals on Sunday, Oct. 29, and will be hosted by the higher seeds in each match. The semifinals (Nov. 3) and finals (Nov. 5) will be held at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
• Due to several injuries in Michigan's starting lineup this season, just three U-M players have started all 17 game this season -- sophomore center back Jada Dayne, senior/junior outside back Taylor Timko and freshman midfielder Sarah Stratigakis. Heading into the last game of the regular season, Michigan will have all field players healthy and back in the starting lineup for the third straight game.
• Michigan earned a 3-0 shutout win over Illinois on its Senior Night on Saturday (Oct. 21). All seven of U-M's seniors saw game action in the win, including goalkeepers Megan Hinz and Sarah Jackson, who split halves in goal. Fifth-year senior Ani Sarkisian and senior Emma Groffsky also registered points, as Sarkisian converted a penalty kick and Groffsky assisted on U-M's third goal.
• U-M dropped nine spots to No. 55 in this week's NCAA Women's Soccer RPI despite its 3-0 win over Illinois, as the Fighting Illini were No. 192 in RPI at the time of the match. Through 17 games, the Wolverines have faced nine teams in the top 50 in RPI -- No. 1 South Carolina, No. 11 Penn State, No. 15 Ohio State, No. 25 Ole Miss, No. 29 Santa Clara, No. 33 Wake Forest, No. 34 Wisconsin, No. 37 Washington, and No. 46 Minnesota (current rankings, not at the time of the match). This week's opponent, Rutgers, sits at No. 16, giving U-M's its 10th opponent inside the top 50 in RPI. According to HERO Sports, Michigan ranks 10th in strength of schedule in the nation.
• Junior Reilly Martin continues to lead Michigan with 17 points on six goals and five assists, recording 14 of those points during Big Ten play. She has had at least one point in seven of Michigan's 10 conference matches, including all six of her goals in Big Ten action. Her 1.06 points per game average ranks 10th in the conference.
• Michigan's defense recorded its fifth shutout of the season and its first clean sheet in Big Ten play in its 3-0 win over Illinois. Hinz and Jackson split the shutout in goal, giving them both 0.3 shutouts this season. Â
• Michigan has scored 23 goals this season for an average of 1.35 per game, while giving up 17 goals in 17 matches, for an average of 1.0 goals per game. The Wolverines have recorded five shutouts and held seven other opponents to just one goal. Michigan is 3-4 in games decided by one goal this season. U-M has not given up more than two goals in a match this season, and the last time U-M gave up three goals was October 6, 2016, at Illinois.
• Senior goalkeeper Sarah Jackson is second in the Big Ten in save percentage at .845, and is third in saves per game, averaging 5.5 per outing. In 960 minutes of action, Jackson has allowed 11 goals, made 60 saves and contributed to three shutouts.
• Michigan has gone to overtime in seven matches this season, going 1-0-6 in those outings. In total, the Maize and Blue has played an additional 126 minutes of soccer this season, totaling nearly an extra match and a half. U-M has already tied a program record for most overtime matches in the regular season with seven (2003, 2006), while its six ties also match a program record (2003, 2006, 2007).
OPPONENT PREVIEWS
Scouting RutgersÂ
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Mike O'Neill, Rutgers currently has a record of 11-2-4, including a 5-2-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights are fifth in the Big Ten and have locked up a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Rutgers leads the Big Ten in fewest goals allowed with five, with all five coming during conference play, as it did not allow a single goal in non-conference action. RU posted 29 goals this season with nine of them coming during Big Ten play. Senior forward Colby Ciarrocca leads Rutgers with 15 points on six goals and three assists. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Casey Murphy leads the nation with 13 shutouts and is fourth in goals-against average at 0.28, which leads the Big Ten.
Series vs. Rutgers: Michigan has faced Rutgers just three times in the history of the two programs, with all three meetings coming after the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014. The all-time series is tied at 1-1-1, with U-M getting a 3-2 win in double overtime last season on a hat trick from Nicky Waldeck. The last two matchups have gone to double overtime, with the 2015 meeting ending in a 1-1 draw.
UP NEXT
Sunday, Oct. 29 -- Big Ten Tournament (if qualify), location and time TBD
