Chavez Leads Wolverines Past Iowa with First-Half Goal

Friday, October 17

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

4-5-6

Iowa

3-10-2

Iowa

Michigan

Chavez Leads Wolverines Past Iowa with First-Half Goal

10/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's soccer team picked up an important Big Ten Conference victory Friday afternoon (Oct. 17), defeating Iowa 1-0 at the U-M Soccer Field. Senior Stephanie Chavez (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood HS) scored her third goal of the season in the first half to give the Wolverines the early edge, and the U-M defense held strong the rest of the way, holding the Hawkeyes (3-10-2, 0-7-2 Big Ten) to just 10 shots in the game.

Chavez's 20th career goal was enough to give Michigan its first October win (1-1-3).

Both teams spent a majority of the first half battling back and forth for an offensive presence, but neither squad was able to gain the early momentum. The Wolverines seized their first solid opportunity in the 19th minute, when junior Robyn Vince (Holt, Mich./Holt HS) was awarded a free kick on the right side. Vince's ball sailed toward the right post, where sophomore Therese Heaton (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South HS) headed it backwards at the net. Heaton's play brought Hawkeye goalkeeper Britta Vogele out of position and Chavez collected the ball and easily put it in the cage to give U-M a 1-0 advantage at 25:52 of the first half.

The Michigan defense continued to stifle any offensive chances by the Hawkeyes for the next several possessions. With 15 minutes left until the break, junior Laney Rosin (Potomac, Md./Thomas S. Wootton HS) chased a ball down the left side and made a cross to the front of the goal, where sophomore Stephanie Boyles (Arvada, Colo./Pomona HS) deflected the ball to Heaton, but her shot was saved by a diving Vogele. U-M had another great chance at 11:35, when junior Liz Dosa (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont HS) sent a pass up the right side and Rosin took the ball off one bounce and fired a shot on goal, but the shot was stopped by Vogele.

Iowa's only legitimate scoring opportunity in the first half came with just over four minutes remaining, as Katelyn Quinn launched a shot on target from the right side, but freshman goalkeeper Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholic HS) was able to scoop up the shot and keep Iowa scoreless heading into halftime.

The second half turned out to be a defensive battle between U-M and the Hawkeyes, as the two combined for just nine shots in the final 45 minutes. Iowa was presented with a chance to tie the game with 23 minutes remaining, but senior goalkeeper Suzie Grech (Narberth, Pa./The Shipley School) came out to midfield to play an open ball before a charging Iowa player could get to it. The Hawkeyes kept the ball on Michigan's end and Quinn sent a shot on net, but Grech made another key stop.

The Wolverines finished the game with a 17-10 advantage in the shot category. Tuura and Grech combined for five saves, while Vogele made eight stops for Iowa.

Michigan (4-5-6, 3-2-4 Big Ten) returns to the U-M Soccer Field on Sunday (Oct. 19) for a non-conference matchup with Central Michigan. The game is slated to start at noon.

GAME SUMMARY

Team	1	2	F
Iowa	0	0	0
Michigan	1	0	0

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Stephanie Chavez, 19:08 (Therese Heaton, Robyn Vince)

Shots: U-M 17, Iowa 10
Saves: U-M 5, Iowa 8
Corner Kicks: U-M 5, Iowa 3
Fouls: U-M 16, Iowa 13
Cards: U-M, Erika Kleinholz, 62:52 (yellow), Iowa, Whitney Strain, 84:10 (yellow), U-M, Whitney Kjar, 86:54 (yellow)

Q U O T E S

U-M Head Coach Debbie Rademacher
On the importance of getting a Big Ten win ... ""We needed this to finish the season strong and get a couple wins under our belt and strengthen the record."

On the advantages of splitting time between goalkeepers ... "Right now they're both doing a good job and they're both giving us something different in their strengths. Megan (Tuura) is better off her line with balls that she has to come out for, and Suzie (Grech) is more aggressive on the crosses. They're two totally different keepers but both so valuable and they do a good job, so we're giving them time and experience until it comes down to the end."

Senior Forward Stephanie Chavez
On scoring the only goal of the game ... "I'm glad to get on the board, I'm glad we got another win because we're trying to get to .500. It doesn't really matter who scored as long as we're winning, so I'm glad."

On the team's goals for the rest of the season ... "We have a really big game on Sunday because we're playing Central Michigan and it's an in-state rivalry, and if we win we'll be .500, which is really important for us to get in to the NCAA Tournament, but right now we're just focusing on getting to the Big Ten Tournament. The more wins we get the better chance we have."

N O T E S

Stephanie Chavez scored her 20th career goal with her marker against the Hawkeyes. She is tied for first place on the team in points (eight) this season and is second in goals (three). In 75 career games, Chavez has totals of 20 goals and 12 assists (52 points).

With her assist on Chavez's goal, Robyn Vince increased her team-leading assist total to four.

Therese Heaton's assist on the goal is her second of 2003 and the sixth of her career.

With the win, the Wolverines stay perfect against Iowa in the all-time series (8-0).

Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423