Chavez Nets OT Winner to Lift U-M Over Michigan State

Friday, October 24

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

6-5-6 (4-2-4)

Michigan State

9-7-0 (4-6-0)

OT 1

Michigan State

Michigan

Chavez Nets OT Winner to Lift U-M Over Michigan State

10/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

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By: Marc Ressler

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Field)
Score: Michigan 2, Michigan State 1 (OT)
Records: U-M (6-5-6, 4-2-4 Big Ten), MSU (9-7, 4-6 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Oct. 26 -- vs. Kansas (U-M Soccer Field), 1:00 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's soccer team claimed a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Michigan State Friday afternoon (Oct. 24) in front of 1,417 fans at U-M Soccer Field. Senior forward Stephanie Chavez (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood HS) scored the game-winning goal in overtime and assisted on senior Erika Kleinholz's (North Ridgeville, Ohio/Elyria Catholic HS) first-half tally to lead the Wolverines to the win. The victory not only ensures U-M a bid to the eight-team Big Ten Tournament (Nov. 6-9), it also gives the university rights to the inaugural Pontiac Challenge Cup for the fall season.

Chavez's golden goal came at 93:20, when junior Liz Dosa (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont HS) brought the ball up the left side and made a nice lob to top of the box. Chavez collected the pass, turned and put the ball in the upper left corner of the net past the outstretched arms of MSU goalkeeper Stacy Heller to give U-M the victory.

The Wolverines immediately took charge of the game, as Chavez got off the first two shots, both on goal, in the first four minutes. After two solid saves by Heller, U-M continued its attack down on the MSU end of the field. With just under 34 minutes left in the half, Chavez brought the ball up the left side and made a nice fake on her defender before making a cross to Kleinholz, who was cutting toward the net on the left side. Kleinholz was able to angle the ball out of reach of an MSU player and fire a shot that went past a diving Heller and into the net to put Michigan ahead 1-0 with 33:53 left until the break.

The Maize and Blue kept the pressure on the Michigan State defense for the next several series. After Chavez's third shot on goal and another save by Heller, Dosa provided the Wolverines with another great scoring chance when she beat Heller to an open ball at the top of the box, but her shot was deflected by the goalkeeper and cleared out by MSU.

Michigan's seventh and final shot on goal in the first half came in the final two minutes, when sophomore Therese Heaton (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South HS) had one defender to beat at the top of the box. With her back to the goal, Heaton quickly spun and blasted a shot, but the State player blocked the ball.

The Wolverines finished the first 45 minutes with an 11-6 edge on the shot chart. Freshman goalkeeper Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholic HS) had a fairly easy half in net, stopping the one shot she faced in the half.

The Spartans stepped up the intensity in the waning minutes of the game. After freshman Brenna Mulholland (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) made a huge defensive stop on a breakaway, MSU was able to keep possession of the ball and send it back in the box. Tiffany Laskowski came out of a scramble and beat reserve goalkeeper Suzie Grech (Narberth, Pa./The Shipley School) with a shot into the lower right corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1 with 5:54 remaining.

With just over two minutes left, junior Laney Rosin (Potomac, Md./Thomas S. Wootton HS) got ahead of her defender and chased the ball toward the net, but she could not get a leg on it before it was scooped up by Heller. Time eventually ran out in regulation, making the way for Chavez's game-winning heroics in U-M's seventh overtime game of the season.

The Wolverines (6-5-6, 4-2-4 Big Ten) return to U-M Soccer Field on Sunday (Oct. 26) for their 2003 home finale against Kansas. Michigan will honor its five seniors -- Chavez, Grech, Kleinholz, Nicole D'Hondt (Grosse Pointe, Mich./South HS) and Shannon Reid (Centerville, Ohio/Archbishop Alter HS) -- prior to the 1 p.m. match.

GAME SUMMARY

Team	1	2	OT	F
Michigan State	0	1	0	1
Michigan	1	0	1	2

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Erika Kleinholz, 11:08 (Stephanie Chavez)
2nd -- MSU, Tiffany Laskowski, 84:06 (unassisted)
OT -- U-M, Chavez, 93:20 (Liz Dosa)

Shots: U-M 19, MSU 10
Saves: U-M 3 (Megan Tuura 1, Suzie Grech 1, Team 1), MSU 9 (Stacy Heller)
Corner Kicks: U-M 0, MSU 4
Fouls: U-M 12, MSU 8
Cards: None

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Debbie Rademacher
On the game ... "When Michigan State scored the game-tying goal with five minutes left, we told ourselves that we did not want a tie. I give credit to the team. They came out and really wanted it bad. They were sick of coming out with ties when they knew they had the games in their hands. They made the most of their opportunity and they did a great job."

On Stephanie Chavez's game-winner ... "Stephanie's shot had a good angle and a good spin, taking the goalkeeper out of position. You can't just take a straight-out shot on Stacy Heller and expect the ball to go in."

On finishing up the season strong ... "We feel like we're just starting. We want to get more wins under our belt and we still want to make the NCAA Tournament. These two final games will give us a great opportunity to achieve that goal. I don't have to motivate the girls too much; they know exactly what's at stake."

Senior Forward Stephanie Chavez
On how it feels to score such an important goal ... "It was really exciting when it went in. We always had some really good battles with Michigan State and I'm glad we were able to beat them in our senior year."

On what the win does for the team heading into the postseason ... "This was really important because we were really close with MSU in the Big Ten standings. We're assured a spot in the Big Ten Tournament now and it's good for us to go into that after such a strong win."

NOTES

• Stephanie Chavez recorded her team-leading fourth goal of 2003 and her second game-winning tally of the season. In 77 career games, Chavez has 21 career goals and 13 assists for 55 points. Chavez has a team-best 11 points in 2003 (four goals, three assists).

• Erika Kleinholz scored her third goal of season and the sixth of her career. Kleinholz is second on the team in points this season with eight (three goals, two assists).

• Liz Dosa tallied her first point of the season on the assist to Chavez in overtime. In 56 career games, Dosa has recorded one goal and two assists for four points.

• With the win, Michigan moves its all-time advantage to 8-2-2 against Michigan State.

• It was Michigan's seventh overtime game of the season, with the previous six ending in ties.

• Freshman Katelin Spencer (Brighton, Mich./Brighton HS), a vocal performance major, sang the national anthem prior to the game against the Spartans.