Weekly Release #11
11/9/1998 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Wednesday, Nov. 11 -- vs. Xavier (Michigan Soccer Field), 2 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 15 -- UM-XU Winner at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 1 p.m.
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Tickets for Michigan's first-round match against Xavier on Wednesday (Nov. 11) at the Michigan Soccer Field will be available at the gate. Ticket prices are $7 for general public and $5 for senior citizens, children under 12 and students with proper identification from the participating institutions.
About the Wolverines
Michigan, 13-6-1 on the season, was ranked 24th in the nation in the NSCAA poll of Nov. 2. The Wolverines advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 5 seed before being knocked out by top seed and eventual champion Penn State. The Wolverines received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and will be making their second NCAA appearance.
About Xavier
The Musketeers enter the NCAA Tournament with a 12-6-2 record and will represent the Atlantic 10 Conference in the tournament. Xavier defeated Dayton 2-1 on penalty kicks to claim the A-10's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Xavier will be making its first-ever NCAA appearance. After opening the season 1-5-1, the Musketeers have posted an impressive 11-1-1 record over the last 13 games. XU has two scorers in double figures on the season. Annette Gruber leads the way with 23 points on 10 goals and three assists, and Christie Reinshagen has totaled 21 on 10 goals and one assist. Ann Marie Hubbard has compiled an 11-4-2 record and 1.05 goals-against average in net.
Xavier and Michigan in Common
The Wolverines and Musketeers had six common opponents this season: Dayton, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Ohio State. XU compiled a 2-3-1 record against these opponents, while U-M was an impressive 5-0-0.
Opponent Michigan Result Xavier Result Dayton W, 3-1 (9/4, away) L, 0-1 OT (9/8, home) W, 2-1 2OT (11/8, away) Indiana W, 2-0 (10/9, home) L, 1-4 (9/1, away) Kentucky W, 1-0 (11/1, home) T, 0-0 2OT (9/4, away) Massachusetts W, 5-1 (9/11, home) W, 3-2 OT (10/16, home) Ohio State W, 2-0 (9/27, away) L, 1-2 OT (9/15, away)
Michigan and the NCAA Tournament
The Wolverines will be making their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, U-M made its NCAA debut in Lincoln, Neb., and suffered a 5-1 defeat to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. U-M will be hosting an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in the history of the program.
Big Ten and the NCAA
Six Big Ten Conference teams -- Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin -- were selected for the NCAA Tournament, tying the Big Ten with the Southeastern Conference for the most by any conference. The Atlantic Coast and Pacific-10 each received five bids.
U-M Opponents and the NCAAs
Eight of Michigan's regular-season opponents received bids to the NCAA Tournament. In addition to five Big Ten foes -- Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin -- three non-conference opponents earned invitations: Brigham Young, Kentucky and Notre Dame. The Wolverines were 3-6-1 against NCAA Tournament teams in 1998.
Against the Atlantic 10
The Wolverines boast an impressive 3-1 all-time record against Atlantic 10 Conference opponents, with a 2-0 mark against Dayton and a 1-1 record against Massachusetts. This year the Wolverines went 2-0 against the A-10, defeating Dayton and Massachusetts.
Potential for Round Two
The winner of the Michigan-Xavier contest will advance to the NCAA second round to face Notre Dame on Sunday (Nov. 15) at 1 p.m. in South Bend, Ind. U-M and Notre Dame met earlier this year (Oct. 23) in Ann Arbor, with the Wolverines dropping a heartbreaking 1-0 double-overtime decision.
Recapping the Big Ten Tournament
At the Big Ten Tournament in State College, Pa., fifth-seeded Michigan opened with a 1-0 victory over No. 4 seed Northwestern in the quarterfinal round, avening a 4-2 loss to the Wildcats on Sept. 20 in Evanston. Amber Berendowsky (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS) connected on a feed from Shannon Poole (Troy, Mich./Troy HS) at 54:58 for the game-winner.
The Wolverines advanced to the semifinals to take on host Penn State, the top seed and regular-season champion. Michigan was unable to counter the Nittany Lions' high-powered attack and fell 3-1 to the eventual champions. Jessica Limauro (Troy, Mich./Troy HS) tallied the only Wolverine goal.
Leading Michigan Scorers
Jessica Limauro and Amber Berendowsky have been neck and neck all season in the team scoring race and will enter Wednesday's NCAA Tournament game tied with 27 points. Berendowsky has 11 goals and five assists, while Limauro has 10 goals and seven assists. They accounted for all of the Wolverines' scoring in the Big Ten Tournament with one goal apiece.
Stewart in Goal
Sophomore Carissa Stewart (Topsham, Maine/Mt. Ararat HS) appears to have taken over the role of the Wolverines everyday keeper. Stewart and senior Jessica Jones (Northville, Mich./Northville HS) alternated games during the regular season. Stewart started both games in the Big Ten Tournament, posting a 1-1 record, and was Michigan's keeper in its only NCAA Tournament appearance last year.
Four All-Big Ten
Michigan placed four players on the All-Big Ten Conference Second-Team, announced at the league tournament banquet on Friday (Nov. 6). Senior defender Vanessa Lewis (Dover, N.J./Morris Catholic), junior forward Amber Berendowsky, sophomore forward Kacy Beitel (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow HS) and junior midfielder Mari Hoff (Canton, Mich./Salem HS) were all second team selections.
WOLVERINE SOCCER QUICK FACTS
1998 Record
Overall: 13-6-1 (.675)
Big Ten: 5-3-1
Home: 6-3-1
Away: 6-3-0
Neutral: 1-0-0
Head Coach
Debbie Belkin (Massachusetts, 1988)
Overall Coaching Record (7th year): 77-46-12 (.615)
At U-M (5th year): 59-35-8 (.618)
Big Ten (5th year): 17-18-4 (.487)
Assistant Coaches
Carrie Maier (Wisconsin, 1995)
Scott Forrester (Western Michigan, 1985)
1998 Co-Captains
Jessica Jones (Sr./GK/Northville, Mich.)
Shannon Poole (Jr./MF/Troy, Mich.)
Michigan History
All Time: 59-35-8, (.618) (5 years, 1994-present)
U-M Soccer Field: 23-10-4, (.676) (4 years / 1995 - present)
NCAA Tourney: 1997 (0-1, .000)
Contact: Jeff Conrad (734) 763-4423
