Michigan
Michigan State
Wolverines Fall to Spartans Despite Frantic Finish
10/7/2023 10:11:00 PM | Women's Soccer
» Trailing 3-0 with less than three minutes to play, U-M's Sammi Woods and Kali Burrell both scored, but time ran out on the Wolverine comeback.
» The teams played in front of a crowd of 2,319 -- the third largest in program history and the largest since 2016.
» The Wolverines fall to 5-1-1 at home on the campaign.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite a pair of goals in the final three minutes, the No. 14-ranked University of Michigan women's soccer team fell 3-2 to Michigan State on Saturday (Oct. 7) at U-M Soccer Stadium in front of 2,319 fans, the third-highest attendance in program history.
Michigan (7-3-3, 3-2-1 Big Ten) suffered its first setback at home on the season, falling to 5-1-1 at U-M Soccer Stadium.
Michigan State (9-3-2, 4-1-1 Big Ten) got on the board first in the 27th minute, when Regan Dalton and Bella Najera connected with Jordyn Wickes. Wickes collected the service at the top of the six and volleyed home the first goal of the match.
MSU doubled its lead nearly 10 minutes later in the 37th minute. Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Sparkowski stopped an initial shot from Emerson Sargent, but was unable to control the rebound. Gabby Mueller converted a tap-in on the doorstep as the Spartans took a 2-0 lead.
The Spartans added to their lead in the 56th, as Wickes added her second of the match to give MSU a 3-0 lead.
From there, Michigan had a golden chance in the 57th minute on a set piece from 19 yards out top-left. Senior Sarah Bridenstine took the chance that was created on a run by freshman Lilley Bosley, striking a ball that seemed destined for the right upper-90. However, a stellar stop from MSU's Kaitlyn Parks diving to her left.
The Maize and Blue followed with another opportunity in the 72nd minute. Sophomore Abby Zugay sent a ball in from the right touchline, finding Sammi Woods in open space at the top of the six. Her bounding effort with her right foot was lifted narrowly over the bar.
From there U-M dominated the final 18 minutes, scoring twice in the final three minutes. Woods converted on helpers from senior Kacey Lawrence and freshman Gabrielle Prych in the 88th minute. Less than two minutes later, sophomore Kali Burrell slotted home a shot from 25 yards out to run the count to 3-2, but time ran out on the Wolverine comeback as Michigan fell 3-2.
Lawrence returned to the U-M lineup after missing the previous two matches, logging 48 minutes of match action. The crowd of 2,319 was the largest since the 2016 season, when the Wolverines hosted 2,312 fans against MSU.
Tweet of the Match
89' | ????
— Michigan Women's Soccer (@umichwsoccer) October 8, 2023
Frantic finish! Burrell from Prych.
2:3
#GoBlue?? | #OurWay pic.twitter.com/asKy03FfDM
Next up, Michigan travels to the Garden State to take on Rutgers on Thursday (Oct. 12) at 6 p.m. The matchup will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
