Michigan
Wake Forest
First Touch #3: U-M to Hit the Road for First Time in '18
8/29/2018 11:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
» Michigan is 3-1-0 overall on the season after earning a win over Marquette and falling to Louisville in week two of the season
» This week's road trip will be the first of the season and first in the Jennifer Klein era.
» Wake Forest holds the slight all-time series advantage over Michigan, 1-0-1, after the two teams tied in the 2017 season.
» Sunday's meeting will be the first between Michigan and Florida Gulf Coast.
» Michigan is 9-11-4 all-time in its first road match of the season.
THIS WEEK
Thursday, Aug. 30 -- at Wake Forest (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 7 p.m.
Live Stats
Sunday, Aug. 26 -- at Florida Gulf Coast (Fort Myers, Fla.), 1 p.m.
Live Stats
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
The University of Michigan women's soccer team will head out on the road for the first time in the 2018 season when it heads to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for a Thursday (Aug. 30) contest against Wake Forest that is set to start at 7 p.m. The Wolverines end the week in Fort Myers, Florida, with a 1 p.m. contest at Florida Gulf Coast.
WOLVERINES ON THE ROAD
Michigan has struggled with its first road game of the season, holding a 9-12-4 overall record since its inception in 1994. Michigan is looking for its first road opening win since the 2011 season when it defeated UC-Riverside in its road opener. Last season, U-M tied Ole Miss 1-1 in double overtime and fell to Marquette in its 2016 road opener.
MICHIGAN AGAINST THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS
The Wolverines meet up with Wake Forest for the third time in the history of the two programs and will see Florida Gulf Coast on the pitch for this first time. Wake Forest holds the very slight advantage over the Wolverines taking one win in the first meeting in the 1999 campaign and the two teams played to a 0-0 double overtime draw when the Demon Deacons traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the 2017 campaign.
SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
The Demon Deacons are 1-1-1 overall on the season, picking up their first win of the season with a 3-2 victory over Charleston, while tying No. 13 Tennessee and falling to Northwestern to open the season. Wake Forest has scored only four goals on the season with each tally coming from four different players, while its five assists have come from all different players as well. Estelle Laurier and Giovanna DeMarco lead the team with a goal and an assist each, while Bayley Feist and Peyton Perea each have a goal on the season for the Demon Deacons. The Wake Forest defense has given up five goals on the year with Nonie Freishette playing all 300:42 in goal. Freishette has had to make 16 saves on the year and holds a .762 save percentage heading into week three.
SCOUTING FLORIDA GULF COAST
The Eagles are 2-0-0 before playing Niagara University in a Friday, Aug. 31, contest. Florida Gulf Coast earned a 3-0 victory over Georgia Southern to open its season and then defeated Alabama 4-2 after having its match against No. 16 UCF cancelled. The Eagles have scored seven goals in two matches and given up just two, holding a 3.50 goals per game average. Evdokia Popadinova and Majorie Boilesen lead the Eagles with two goals and one assist each, while three other players have at least two points on the season. Melissa Weck has played all 180:00 minutes in net, giving up two goals and saving five shots for FGCU.
HERNANDEZ TOPPING THE BIG TEN
Sophomore Nicki Hernandez has not only emerged as an offensive force for Michigan in the first two weeks of the season, but she is also topping the charts in the Big Ten Conference. Hernandez's 14 shots, 10 points, four goals and two game-winning goals all tie for first in the Big Ten Conference, while her 1.00 goals per game ranks third and her two assists tie for sixth in the league. Hernandez has scored a goal in each match for the Wolverines to lead the team, while her two assists tie for first on the Michigan roster.
FRESHMEN PLAYING BIG ROLES FOR MICHIGAN
Freshman Janiece Joyner has started all four matches for the Michigan defense, playing all but 10 minutes. Joyner has made some keys stops on the backline including chasing down the ball in what would have been a one-on-one with the keeper situation had she not made the stop at the top of the 18-yard box against Louisville. Also playing a big role for the Wolverines in her first four matches as a collegiate student-athlete is Meredith Haakenson. Haakenson has made an appearance in all four matches and earned her first career start against Louisville. The freshman midfielder has tallied two assists for the Maize and Blue in four matches. Finally, Sammi Atterbury, Skylar Anderson and Raleigh Loughman have all seen playing time for the Wolverines this season.
MICHIGAN SPLITS WEEK TWO OF 2018
The Wolverines earned a 3-2 win over Marquette after coming back from a 2-1 deficit. Sophomore Sarah Stratigakis scored tying goal off a pass from Nicki Hernandez before Hernandez found the back of the net for the game-winner minutes later. Michigan was unable to tally its fourth win of the season as it fell to Louisville, 3-1, on Sunday (Aug. 26). Hernandez netted her fourth goal of the season for the Wolverines, scoring the lone goal of the match for Michigan.
TICKET INFORMATION
Individual and group tickets on are sale for all 2018 home matched. For group experiences such as high five tunnel, halftime mini games and more, please call (734) 647-1268 or email gobluegroupsales@umich.edu. For more information on purchasing tickets, please visit the women's soccer page at MGoBlue.com.
NEXT TIME OUT
Michigan will return to U-M Soccer Stadium on Friday, Sept. 7, for a match against Central Michigan. First touch is slated for 5 p.m.
