Weekly Release #11
10/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 28 -- vs. Notre Dame (U-M Soccer Field), 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 30 -- at Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, Mich.), 1 p.m.
Thu-Sun., Nov. 4-7 -- at Big Ten Tournament (Columbus, Ohio)
This Week
The University of Michigan women's soccer team (9-6-2, 6-3-1 Big Ten) looks to break a three-game losing skid this week when it closes out its season against a pair of non-conference opponents. The Wolverines will welcome No. 2 Notre Dame to the U-M Soccer Field for their final home game of the season on Thursday (Oct. 28) at 3 p.m. Michigan will then close out the regular season on the road against Western Michigan on Saturday (Oct. 30) at the WMU Soccer Complex in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Scouting the Opponents
Notre Dame -- The No. 2-ranked Fighting Irish (16-0-1) surrendered their No. 1 national ranking for first time this season after a 1-1 tie against Rutgers last Saturday (Oct. 23). Katie Thorlakson leads Notre Dame with an impressive 37 points on 12 goals and 13 assists. The Irish, who have scored 44 goals and have let in just 10 this season, are paced on defense by goalkeeper Erika Bohn. Bohn has made 12 starts and has let in just five goals in over 1,100 minutes for an 0.41 GAA. Head coach Randy Waldrum is in his sixth season at UND and has collected a career record of 110-19-5 at the school. The 2003 BIG EAST champions return 23 letterwinners and eight starters from last year's squad, which finished with an overall record of 20-3-1. Michigan was responsible for two of those losses, with the Wolverines defeating the Irish twice in South Bend, Ind., first in the regular season finale (3-1) and then in the second round of the NCAA Tournament (1-0). Notre Dame still leads the all-time series 7-2-0. Notre Dame on the Internet: www.und.com.
Western Michigan -- The Broncos (11-4-3) close their regular season against Michigan after a 3-1 victory over Toledo and a 2-2 tie to Bowling Green last weekend. Mandi Marsh and Chantal Robinson lead the WMU offensive charge tied for the team lead with 14 points each (five goals, four assists). Kate Perz has appeared in goal in 14 of Western Michigan's 18 games, collecting 61 saves and allowing 14 goals for a 1.06 GAA. Head coach Mike Haines is in his seventh year at the helm of the WMU women's soccer program. The 2004 Mid-American Conference Tournament champions return 14 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's team. Michigan is 2-0-0 all-time against the Broncos, including a 3-1 victory in the last meeting in Ann Arbor on Sept. 6. Western Michigan on the Internet: www.wmubroncos.com.
Last Week
The Wolverines dropped their third straight game with a 2-1 loss to Michigan State last Friday (Oct. 22) at Old College Field in East Lansing, Mich.. The Spartans earned their first goal with five minutes left in the first half, then added another score in the 69th minute en route to the victory. Senior Laura Tanchon (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) recorded her second goal of the season and the third of her career off a direct kick in the 85th minute to trim MSU's lead to one goal, but the Wolverines were unable to find the equalizer during the remaining five minutes of the contest. U-M falls to 8-3-2 in the all-time series against Michigan State.
Catch the Rivalries on TV
Comcast Local will show a tape-delayed broadcast of Oct. 22nd's Michigan vs. Michigan State match this Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. The Wolverines' game against Notre Dame this Thursday (Oct. 28) will also be shown by the network on Friday (Oct. 29) at 2:30 p.m. and Monday (Nov. 1) at 1:30 p.m. Check local listings for channel number.
2004 Big Ten Tournament Pairings
Thursday, Nov. 4 Quarterfinals
Game 1 -- #1 seed Penn State vs. #8 seed Indiana -- 10:30 a.m.
Game 2 -- #4 seed Illinois vs. #5 seed Northwestern -- 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 -- #2 seed Ohio State vs. #7 seed Purdue -- 4:30 p.m.
Game 4 -- #3 seed Michigan vs. #6 seed Wisconsin -- 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 5 Semifinals
Game 5 -- Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner -- 4:30 p.m.
Game 6 -- Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner -- 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 7 Championship
Game 7 -- Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner -- 2:30 p.m.
Bring on the Badgers
The Wolverines will look to avenge their 3-1 loss on Oct. 17 to Wisconsin when they meet the Badgers in the quarterfinals of the 2004 Big Ten Conference Tournament on Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. EST at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Wisconsin ended its 2003 season with a 1-0 loss to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals (Nov. 7). Wisconsin still holds an 8-6-1 advantage in the all-time series.
Final Big Ten Standings
Big Ten Pct. Pts. 1. Penn State 10-0-0 1.000 30 2. Ohio State 6-1-3 .750 21 3. Michigan 6-3-1 .650 19 4. Illinois 5-3-2 .600 17 5. Wisconsin 5-4-1 .550 16 Northwestern 5-4-1 .550 16 7. Purdue 4-6-0 .400 12 8. Indiana 3-5-2 .400 11 9. Michigan State 3-6-1 .350 10 10. Minnesota 2-8-0 .200 6 11. Iowa 0-9-1 .050 1
Michigan in the National and Regional Rankings
The Wolverines are not listed in the the most recent NSCAA/adidas national rankings, released Tuesday (Oct. 26). This is the second consecutive week that Michigan has not appeared in the national poll. U-M dropped one spot to No. 6 in the association's Great Lake Regional rankings.
NSCAA/adidas National Rankings (10/26/04)
Rank, School W-L-T Prev 1. North Carolina 15-0-1 2 2. Notre Dame 16-0-1 1 3. Penn State 14-1-1 3 4. Virginia 13-2-1 5 5. Santa Clara 11-4-2 11 6. Portland 15-3-0 4 7. Kansas 15-3-0 6 8. Princeton 12-1-0 9 9. UCLA 11-5-0 7 10. Auburn 13-2-2 17 11. Tennessee 12-3-2 8 12. Washington 12-3-1 15 13. Texas A&M 13-5-0 13 14. Ohio State 11-3-3 12 15. Duke 12-5-0 10 16. Florida State 12-4-1 14 17. Stanford 10-4-2 18 18. Florida 12-3-3 25 19. Maryland 7-4-3 NR 20. Illinois 11-4-2 19 21. Texas 11-5-1 NR 22. Boston College 12-5-0 23 23. San Diego 10-7-1 21 24. Connecticut 15-5-0 24 25. West Virginia 14-4-0 16
U-M Listed in Soccer Buzz Regional Poll
With three straight losses, Michigan has dropped out of the Top 30 in the most recent Soccer Buzz national rankings, released Monday (Oct. 25). The Wolverines are listed at No. 6 in the publication's Great Lakes Regional rankings.
On the Horizon ...
The Wolverines head to Columbus, Ohio, next week to compete in the 2004 Big Ten Tournament (Nov. 4-7). Michigan, the No. 3 seed, will take on sixth-seeded Wisconsin in the quarterfinals on Thursday (Nov. 4). The game is slated to start at 7:30 EST at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
