Michigan
Northwestern
Defense Shines as Michigan Shuts Out Northwestern
9/28/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's soccer team reached .500 for the first time this season by shutting out Northwestern University 2-0 Friday (Sept. 28) at the U-M Soccer Field. After an 0-3 start this fall, Michigan has won four of its last five games to sit at 4-4 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten action.
The Wolverines played a superb defensive game, limiting the Wildcats to four shots on goal and surrendering only one in the first half. Though the Wolverines were executing perfectly on defense, they were unable to capitalize on their first three shots on goal.
After being held at bay for much of the first half, Northwestern had a goal robbed by Carly Williamson (Barrington, R.I./Barrington HS) with under 18 minutes left in the period. After making a save, Michigan goaltender Suzie Grech (Narbeth, Pa./The Shipley School) was too far from the net to prevent Wildcat Kristen Pearce's shot from scoring, but Williamson stepped in front of the shot and blasted it away from the net.
The save by Williamson ignited more scoring opportunities for the Wolverines. Abby Crumpton (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) approached the Wildcats' goalie on a breakaway and, after faking a shot, she kicked the ball toward the left corner, hitting the crossbar. However the ball ricocheted to freshman Theresa Dwyer (Metairie, La./Mt. Carmel Academy), who nailed it in at 36:48 for the first goal of her college career.
The Wolverines continued to emphasize defense and carried a 1-0 lead into halftime. Michigan came out determined to stick to the same formula, playing hard-nosed defense and using timely offensive opportunities to generate scoring chances. Midway through second half, Michigan's plan worked as freshman Kate Morgan (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) scored at 69:14. Dwyer recorded an assist and her second point of the afternoon as she deked a defender on the far right side of the field and then sent a cross pass to Stephanie Chavez (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood HS), who corralled the pass and put it on the ground for Morgan to kick in.
With a two-goal advantage Michigan employed a stringent defensive strategy, playing more players back to outnumber the Northwestern offensive players. The Wolverines stopped Northwestern's remaining chances, as Grech recorded her second straight shutout, stopping four shots.
U-M completes its two-game Big Ten homestand with a match against Wisconsin on Sunday (Sept. 30) at 1 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Northwestern | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Theresa Dwyer, 36:48 (Abby Crumpton)
2nd -- U-M, Kate Morgan, 24:14 (Dwyer, Stephanie Chavez)
Shots: U-M 17, Northwestern 6
Saves: U-M 4 (Suzie Grech), Northwestern 5 (Susan McCreery)
Corner Kicks: U-M 8, Northwestern 3
Fouls: U-M 9, Northwestern 4
Cards: None
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Debbie Rademacher
On the game ... "I'm happy with the shutout. After we took the lead we didn't let them back in the game. They were physical but we matched them.
On the stellar play of the defense ... "I thought we played solid. Anytime you can limit a team to four shots on goal you're playing good defense."
On the impact the freshmen are making ... "They're getting confidence and playing well. They're getting playing time for a number of reasons. They're performing well in practice and with our schedule we need a lot of bodies."
Freshman Midfielder Theresa Dwyer
On her game-winning goal ... "I was so relieved. It was our first goal and it felt great."
On the contributions of the freshmen ... "We've been working real hard in practice and it's starting to pay off."
Junior Defender Andrea Kayal
On the play of the defense ... "We're organized now. We have cohesion. Every year there's little things to fix when the season begins, but we've fixed them. We know how to play as a group, because we know each other's games."
On the team's attitude after winning four of five ... "We've adopted a 'can't lose' mentality. Winning is the only goal."
Contact: Karen Simpson (734) 763-4423
