Weekly Release #1
8/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, Aug. 20 -- vs. Detroit (U-M Soccer Field), 2 p.m. (exhibition)
Friday, Aug. 25 -- vs. Western Michigan (U-M Soccer Field), 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 27 -- vs. Arizona (U-M Soccer Field), Noon
This Week
The University of Michigan women's soccer team will open up the program's 13th season with an exhibition match at the U-M Soccer Field against Detroit on Sunday (Aug. 20) at 2 p.m. This is the Wolverines' lone exhibition game before the start of the regular season. Michigan will host nine regular-season contests in 2006.
Scouting the Opponents
Detroit -- The Titans posted a 10-4-5 record in 2005 and a 5-1-1 mark in the Horizon League for a second-place league finish. The team returns eight starters and 15 letterwinners from the 2005 squad. Mary Parker is the top player among the returning starters. She scored 10 times in 2005 and added four assists to lead the Titans, which earned her All-Region honors. Mike Lupenec has been the head coach for all 13 seasons of the Detroit women's soccer program's existence. During that time, he has earned a 130-109-16 record.
Michigan leads the all-time series against the Titans with a record of 5-2. Detroit won the last regular-season meeting with a 3-2 upset in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Maize and Blue had won the previous four regular-season meetings by a combined score of 17-4, including two shutouts (6-0 in 1997 and 4-0 in 2001). U-M downed the Titans 4-1 in last season's exhibition match. Detroit on the Internet: www.detroittitans.com.
U-M Scheduled for Two Live Television Games on Comcast
Comcast is scheduled to televise Michigan home games against Notre Dame (Sept. 17, 1 p.m.) and Indiana (Oct. 1, 1 p.m.) live on Comcast local.
Tuura Moving Up Record Book in Saves and Wins
Megan Tuura (Tucker, Ga./St. Pius X Catholic) begins the 2006 season ranked third in school history in career saves with 250 and in wins with 26. Tuura, who holds the third (93, 2004) and fourth (89, 2005) spots for most saves in a season, is six saves shy of second place all-time in career saves and 79 stops shy of first place all-time. Eleven wins would move her ahead of Suzie Grech (2000-03) for second place all-time in career victories.
The senior has a career goals-against average of 1.32, which is the fifth-lowest in school history.
Dobbyn Approaching Top 10 in Career Points, Top 5 in Shots
Melissa Dobbyn (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) enters the season with 53 career points, which puts her three points behind Mari Hoff's (1996-99) 56 points for 10th-place all-time at U-M. After posting 32 points last season, Dobbyn could potentially hop to fourth place all-time if she reaches or surpasses her 2005 point total.
Dobbyn, who fired off 87 shots in 2005, has averaged 88 shots in two seasons at U-M. Repeating that average could place her second in career shots with number one in reach. She currently trails Jessica Limauro's 192 for fifth place all-time.
Other categories in which she is near the top five include goals (21, 10 short of fifth place) and assists (11, eight short of fifth place).
Five of U-M Opponents Ranked in NSCAA National Rankings
Michigan will suit up against five teams that are listed in this year's NSCAA/adidas preseason national rankings: Penn State (No. 3), Notre Dame (No. 5), Illinois (No. 13), Arizona (No. 17) and Purdue (No. 21).
2006 NSCAA/adidas Preseason National Rankings (8/15/06)
RANK, SCHOOL W-L-T PREV 1. Portland 23-0-2 1 2. UCLA 22-2-2 3 3. Penn State 23-0-2 2 4. North Carolina 23-1-1 5 5. Notre Dame 22-3-0 6 6. Florida State 20-4-1 4 7. Santa Clara 17-5-1 7 8. Virginia 18-6-1 8 9. Texas A&M 18-4-2 11 10. California 16-4-2 9 Boston College 13-6-2 10 12. Duke 14-6-1 16 13. Illinois 12-7-3 20 14. Tennessee 15-6-2 15 15. Cal State Fullerton 19-4-0 12 16. Connecticut 15-5-2 25 17. Arizona 11-8-3 17 18. West Virginia 12-6-3 19 Florida 13-6-1 24 20. Pepperdine 15-4-3 18 21. Purdue 11-7-2 RV 22. Vanderbilt 17-3-3 NR 23. Yale 15-4-1 13 24. Wake Forest 9-9-1 NR 25. Marquette 19-4-1 14
Soccer Buzz Ranks Maize and Blue Seventh in the Region
Michigan heads into the 2006 season ranked seventh in the Great Lakes region in the Soccer Buzz preseason rankings. U-M finished ranked ninth last season. The Soccer Buzz National Top 30 ranks three of Michigan's 2006 opponents: Notre Dame (No. 3), Penn State (No. 8) and Illinois (No. 15). Two of the Wolverines' opponents, Arizona and Purdue, received votes for the magazine's Top 30. Notre Dame and Illinois occupy the top two spots in the regional poll.
Wolverines Fall Just Short as Host of Big Ten Tournament in 2005
The 2005 season had a promising start as Michigan opened up 5-2-2. U-M's two draws came at No. 23-ranked Kansas and at home against No. 6-ranked Texas A&M, while one of its two losses came at No. 5-ranked Notre Dame. Two road trips and a poor Sunday record doomed Michigan as it failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine seasons. Needing to win the Big Ten Tournament to earn the conference bid to the NCAAs, Michigan mustered up an impressive performance to advance past No. 1-ranked and undefeated Penn State in penalty kicks in the first round. The Wolverines then downed Illinois, which had defeated Michigan earlier in the season, 2-1. After falling down 1-0, U-M answered with two straight scores for the victory. Facing Wisconsin in the final game, high winds and Big Ten Tournament MVP Amy Vermeulen's two goals and assist proved to be too large an obstacle as the Wolverines fell, 3-1. Whitney Kjar tied the game at 1-1 with a late first-half score, but two second-half tallies going with the wind for the Badgers ended Michigan's season. Melissa Dobbyn and Katelin Spencer (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) were awarded with Big Ten All-Tournament team accolades for strong play throughout the tournament.
The Wolverines finished with an 8-9-4 record overall and placed eighth in the Big Ten at 3-6-1. Dobbyn earned All-Big Ten first team honors after posting 12 goals and eight assists for 32 points, which was good for third in the conference. Skylar Andrews (Dallas, Texas/Plano West Senior) gathered All-Big Ten second team honors, and she was joined by Danelle Underwood (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Northern) on the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Spencer also represented the Maize and Blue, earning a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Michigan graduated second-leading scorer Therese Heaton, who tallied 11 goals and six assists in 2005, along with Stephanie Boyles, Kjar and Katie Kramer.
Introducing the Captains ...
Seniors Judy Coffman (San Jose, Calif./Santa Theresa), Lindsey Cottrell (Kalamazoo, Mich./Central) and Katelin Spencer, along with junior Sarah Banco (Medfield, Mass./Noble and Greenough School) will captain the 2006 Wolverines. Spencer wears the honor for the second straight season, while Coffman, Cottrell, and Banco hold the honor for the first time.
The Next Generation
Michigan brings in six new faces in 2006 to help replace four players lost to graduation. Alex Jendrusch (Troy, Mich./Athens), Amy Klippert (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor), Brittany Magee (Dublin, Ohio/Coffman), Katie Miler (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne), Niki Moran (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and Kylie Neschke (Still River, Mass./Tabor Academy) will all join the Maize and Blue this season. Miler enters the year as a sophomore at U-M.
The Offense
The Wolverines return 2005 leading scorer Melissa Dobbyn, a Soccer Buzz All-Great Lakes Region first-team member, Judy Coffman and Danelle Underwood. Coffman and Underwood tied for third on the team in scoring last season with 14 points apiece. Coffman tallied six goals and two assists, while Underwood earned five goals and four assists. With the loss of second-leading scorer from 2005 Therese Heaton to graduation, Michigan looks to Sarah Banco and Jamie Artsis (Chatsworth, Calif./Harvard-Westlake School) to add an offensive punch as each enters her third season. Artsis scored once and dished out three helpers while patrolling the midfield last season and Banco had a goal and an assist in mostly a reserve role. Defender/midfielder Katelin Spencer will also be relied upon after posting four assists in 2005 from the back half. U-M looks to five incoming offensive players to add a new look to the offensive attack.
The Defense
Michigan returns all four defensive starters from 2005 and adds 2006 NSCAA High School All-American Kylie Neschke. Senior captain Katelin Spencer and Soccer Buzz All-Freshman team member Skylar Andrews return after starting every game of the 2005 season. Seniors Brenna Mulholland (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Lindsey Cottrell also return to boost a very experienced Wolverine defense. Mulholland played in 20 of 21 contests, starting 17 times, while Cottrell played in all 21 games, starting 19 times. In addition, U-M looks to Erica Gordy (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Detroit Country Day School), who started the final four games of the season in 2005 as a freshman, including all three Big Ten Tournament contests.
And in Net ...
Michigan boasts a sturdy goaltending nucleus for the upcoming season as it returns senior and 2005 starter Megan Tuura as well as sophomore Madison Gates (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker). Tuura went 7-6-3 with a 1.82 GAA and made 89 saves in 2005. Gates played well when given the opportunity, including backstopping Michigan to a 1-1 tie against sixth-ranked Texas A&M in her first career game, and compiled a 1.64 GAA in six contests as a freshman. Junior Lindsay Yakel (Shelby Township, Mich./Utica) provides depth at the goalkeeping position.
The Leaders of the Wolverines
Head coach Debbie Rademacher begins her 13th season as head coach of the U-M women's soccer program. A United States National Team member from 1986-1991, Rademacher has posted a 148-92-25 record in 12 seasons at U-M, including a 59-37-13 record in Big Ten play and two Big Ten championships. Over that stretch, the Wolverines' program has exhibited steady growth; from an impressive Big Ten Conference Tournament semifinal finish in the inaugural 1994 season, to a pair of conference tournament titles in 1997 and 1999, the Maize and Blue has begun to expect success on the national level, with eight consecutive NCAA Tournament trips from 1997-2004, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2002 and the Sweet 16 in 2003. Rademacher has coached four National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Americans, 20 NSCAA all-region honorees, 37 All-Big Ten first- or second-team picks and 93 Academic All-Big Ten recipients.
Dan Dalzochio, who is in his fifth season as an assistant, and Aileen Guiney, who is in her third season as an assistant, join Rademacher. Dalzochio, a USSF "A" goalkeeper licensed coach, works mostly with Michigan goalkeepers. He has worked with both the men's U-18 national team and the girls U-16 and U-21 women's national team in addition to six years of professional playing experience in the NPSL and A-League. Guiney's responsibilities include organizing and implementing training programs in addition to on-field duties. Guiney obtained her NSCAA National Diploma this past summer.
On the Horizon ...
The Wolverines open the 2006 season at home as they host Western Michigan at 4:30 p.m. next Friday (Aug. 25) and Arizona at noon next Sunday (Aug. 27). Both matches are slated to be played at the U-M Soccer Field.
Contact: Matt Baumer (734) 763-4423
