Michigan Battles No. 23 Kansas to Season-Opening Tie

Friday, August 26

Topeka, Kan.

2:00 PM CT

Michigan

0-0-1

Kansas

0-0-1

OT 1

OT 2

Michigan

Kansas

8/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Marc Ressler

Site: Topeka, Kan. (Hummer Sports Park)
Score: Michigan 1, #23 Kansas 1 (2OT)
Records: U-M (0-0-1), Kansas (0-0-1)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 2 -- vs. Texas (U-M Soccer Field), 7 p.m.

TOPEKA, Kan. -- The University of Michigan women's soccer team opened the 2005 regular season with a 1-1 double-overtime tie against No. 23 Kansas Friday afternoon (Aug. 26) at Hummer Sports Park. The Wolverines (0-0-1) were outshot 36-10 in the game, but sophomore Melissa Dobbyn's (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson HS) first-half goal and a career-best 12-save effort by junior goalkeeper Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholic HS) allowed U-M to escape with a draw after 110 minutes of action.

Michigan recorded just two shots in the first period, but Dobbyn made one of them count at 19:20. Freshman Danelle Underwood (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern HS) made a pass on point to Dobbyn, who quickly fired the ball from about 20 yards out past Jayhawk goalkeeper Colleen Quinn to give the Wolverines a 1-0 advantage.

Kansas netted the equalizer midway through the second period, as Caroline Smith collected a loose ball and sent a shot from 10 yards out past Tuura at 59:10. Neither team was able to find the back of the net before the end of regulation, with Tuura making seven saves in the final 45 minutes of regulation to keep Michigan in contention.

Senior Therese Heaton (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South HS) nearly ended the game in the opening minutes of the second overtime, but her blast deflected off the post. The Jayhawks' last chance at a score came in the final minute, but an indirect kick from inside the 18-yard box sailed wide and out of play.

Michigan returns home to host Texas and Texas A&M next weekend (Sept. 2-4) at U-M Soccer Field. The Wolverines will take the field for their first-ever night game when they battle the Longhorns at 7 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 2), and they finish out the weekend with a noon match against the Aggies on Sunday (Sept. 4).

GAME SUMMARY

Team	1	2	OT	OT	F
Michigan	1	0	0	0	1
Kansas	0	1	0	0	1

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Melissa Dobbyn, 19:20 (Danelle Underwood)
2nd -- KU, Caroline Smith, 58:21 (unassisted)

Shots: U-M 10, KU 36
Saves: U-M 14 (Megan Tuura 12, Team 2), KU 4 (Colleen Quinn)
Corner Kicks: U-M 5, KU 6
Fouls: U-M 21, KU 14
Cards: None

NOTES

• Melissa Dobbyn recorded her first goal of the season and the 10th of her career. In 23 games at Michigan she has collected 23 points on 10 goals and three assists.

• Melissa Dobbyn has scored a goal in two straight season openers for Michigan. She scored her first collegiate goal in U-M's 2-1 loss at Texas A&M in the first game of 2004 (Aug. 27).

• Melissa Dobbyn is eight shots shy of 100 for her career. Dobbyn tallied 89 shots during her freshman season, which is second in U-M's all-time individual season record book.

• Danelle Underwood collected her first career point at Michigan with an assist on Melissa Dobbyn's goal in the first half.

• Megan Tuura posted a career-high 12 saves against the Jayhawks. Her previous career best was 11, set against Ohio State (Oct. 3, 2004). She has 173 saves in 43 career games in goal.

• Three Wolverine freshmen made their career debuts in the season opener against Kansas. Skylar Andrews (Dallas, Texas/Plano West Senior HS) and Danelle Underwood (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern HS) were in the starting lineup, while Christina Paras (Dublin, Ohio/Columbus School for Girls) saw time as a reserve.

• Senior Stephanie Boyles (Arvada, Colo./Pomona HS) and junior Lindsey Cottrell (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central HS) were both in the lineup as starters after sitting out last season with ACL tears. Boyles' last game in a Michigan uniform was back on Nov. 21, 2003, when the Wolverines lost a 5-0 decision to Connecticut in the NCAA Sweet 16. Cottrell went down with her injury during U-M's 2-1 double-overtime victory over Kentucky in the 2004 home opener (Sept. 3).

• Sophomore Sarah Banco (Medfield, Mass/Noble and Greenough School) made her Wolverine debut as a reserve against Kansas.

• Three of Michigan's 12 season openers have ended in ties. U-M earned a scoreless draw at Brigham Young to start the 2003 campaign (Aug. 29) and tied Wisconsin-Green Gay 1-1 in its first-ever varsity game on Sept. 3, 1994.

• The Wolverines move their all-time record against Kansas to 0-1-1.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Debbie Rademacher
On tonight's contest ... "I think we just ran out of gas basically. We got a really nice goal in the first half but we were outshot 36-10. We had a hard time holding on to the ball and it was really hot and we played on turf. We didn't possess the ball as well as we would have hoped. Kansas is a good team and it was a hard-fought game. There we some unbelievable saves and some unbelievable misses throughout the course of the game."

On the play of the freshmen ... "Skylar (Andrews) was real strong and she did well as a center-back. Danelle (Underwood) played the entire game and had a nice assist. They're just getting some good experience and that will be good for us."

On how this game will help them going into the home-opening weekend ... "Looking back on the stats, the tie was a good result for us. Kansas is a good team and I feel that we're ready to take on Texas and Texas A&M back at home after this weekend. It's going to be exciting to play those top teams at home in front of our fans."