Weekly Release #1: U-M Begins Greg Ryan Era
8/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Friday, Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m. -- at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.)
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Sunday, Aug. 24, 1 p.m. -- at Eastern Michigan (Ypsilanti, Mich.)
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The University of Michigan women's soccer team (0-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) kicks off the program's first season under new head coach Greg Ryan with a pair of road contests with No. 5-ranked Notre Dame and Eastern Michigan. Ryan took the reins of the Wolverine program inFebruaryafter three-years at the helm of the United States National Team.
The Wolverines, who return their 2007 leading scorer Amanda Bowery(Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester HS), open the campaign in South Bend, Ind., on Alumni Field at 7:30 p.m. on Friday (Aug. 22). Free live video of the game will be available through Notre Dame's website. The Maize and Blue will then head to Ypsilanti, Mich., for a matinee with its Washtenaw County rivals on Scicluna Field at noon on Sunday (Aug. 24). Both games were originally scheduled to be home contests, but ongoing construction of the new U-M Soccer Complex forced a change of location.
MICHIGAN BY THE NUMBERS
Complete Stats: 2007 Final Statistics
Returning Leaders
| Name | GP | G | A | P |
| Amanda Bowery | 18 | 5 | 2 | 12 |
| Stephanie Crawford | 18 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Kristin Thomas | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Name | GP-GS | W-L-T | GAA | SV% |
| Madison Gates | 17-16 | 3-9-5 | 1.16 | .730 |
WOLVERINE TO WATCH
| Madison Gates, Senior Goalkeeper Michigan opened the 2007 campaign at UND's Alumni Field with one of the best goalkeeping efforts of the season. The Maize and Blue grinded out a 0-0 tie with the nations then-second ranked team in front of 3,200 Irish faithful. Madison Gates made a career-high 10 saves and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors in the marathon game. Lifetime against the Irish, Gates has a 1.00 goals-against average in two career appearances. |
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Notre Dame C The No. 5-ranked Irish return senior All-Americans Kerri Hanks and Brittany Bock to a potent line-up that streaked to the NCAA Semifinals in 2007. Despite a 2-11-1 all-time record against the Irish, both of U-M's wins and the tie came on the road at Notre Dame's Alumni Field. The Irish boast the only recruiting class in the Great Lakes region to receive a higher ranking from Soccer Buzz.
Eastern Michigan C U-M leads the all-time series by a 5-0 margin and last squared off with the Eagles in 2002. Michigan, owning the No. 9-ranking at the time, took the contest to the tune of a 5-1 victory. The Eagles return 14 letterwinners from last year's 7-8-4 squad, including nine starters.
MICHIGAN IN SEASON OPENERS
The Wolverines hold a 5-4-5 record all-time in season-opening contests. Michigan battled to a 0-0 tie with then-No. 2 Notre Dame, setting the defensive tone for the campaign. The last U-M opening-game victory came in 2002 with a 2-1 win over No. 13 Florida. Since that victory, the Maize and Blue are 0-1-4 in season openers. U-M has opened the season against ranked opponents five times since 2000, posting a 1-1-3 record. The Wolverines have the same 1-1-3 record when opening up on the road since 2000.
OLD FRIENDS IN A NEW PLACE
U-M assistant coach Dean Duerst, freshman goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer(Troy, Mich./Lahser HS) and freshman forward Clare Stachel(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) are already old acquaintances after spending time with the U.S. U-18 National Team. Duerst, who is the United States head coach, and the two newest Wolverines travelled to Denmark and France to take on the Danish U-19 National Team and the English U-19 National Team. The US swept the three game (June 30-July 2) tour and outscored the opposition by a 10-1 margin.
GETTING SOME NEW DIGS
The Wolverines will move into the U-M Soccer Complex during the 2008 campaign. The brand new home of Michigan soccer will feature a regulation, lighted competition field and separate practice fields for both the men's and women's programs. The fields are located west of the tennis complex on South State Street. This is the second move for the Maize and Blue, who began varsity competition at Elbel Field in 1994 before moving into the U-M Soccer Field, a place it called home from 1995-2007.
BIG TEN STRAW POLL
Michigan was voted into a tie for seventh with intrastate rival Michigan State in the Big Ten preseason coaches' poll. Penn State was named the preseason favorite for the sixth consecutive season followed by Illinois and Purdue.
Big Ten Coaches Poll (Preseason)
1. Penn State 2. Illinois 3. Purdue 4. Indiana 5. Ohio State 6. Minnesota 7. MICHIGAN Michigan State 9. Wisconsin 10. Northwestern 11. IowaINTRODUCING THE CAPTAINS
Seniors Katie Miler(Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) and Kristin Thomas(Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek) will serve as co-captains for the Wolverines during the 2008 campaign. Miler, a forward, began her career as a member of U-M's club team before making it to the varsity level in her sophomore year. Thomas, a veteran amongst the midfielder group, has become a mainstay in the Wolverine line-up after making four starts in her first two seasons.
TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS
This year's freshman class was tabbed as the top recruiting class in the Big Ten Conference and earned a No. 16 ranking nationally in the Soccer Buzz Magazine rankings. The incoming class, which includes five top-200 prospects, was also tabbed as the second best in the Great Lakes Region. The eight-member class is made up of forward Kristen Goncalves(Ann Arbor, Mich./Gabriel Richard Catholic HS), forward Meaghan Hennessy(Westlake, Ohio/Magnificat HS), midfielder Natalie Horner(Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington HS), goalkeeper Haley Kopmeyer(Troy, Mich./Lahser HS), midfielder Courtney Mercier(Erie, Pa./McDowell HS), defender Kimberly Siebert(Troy, Mich./Avondale HS), forward Clare Stachel(Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) and midfielder Kelsey Rogind(Emerald Hills, Calif./St. Francis HS).
THE LEADER OF THE MAIZE AND BLUE
Greg Ryan, the former U.S. Women's National Team coach, was selected to lead the Wolverines on February 1, 2008. He is just the second head coach in the program's 14-year history. He comes to Michigan after leading the U.S. Women's National Team to a 45-1-9 record in three years. He earned a bronze medal at the 2007 FIFA World Cup and won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics as an assistant coach. Coming to Michigan marks a return to the Big Ten for Ryan who spent eight years at the helm of Wisconsin from 1986-93. With the Badgers, Ryan made five NCAA appearances and advanced all the way to the NCAA semifinals twice, including one trip to the championship game.
Ryan's staff is made up of another former Big Ten head coach, Dean Duerst, and former UCLA prospect Jessica Stamp. Duerst, who won the 2005 Big Ten Tournament on the U-M Soccer Field with Wisconsin, surpassed Ryan on the Badgers' career wins list before stepping down to focus on his work with the U-17 and U-18 National teams. Stamp brings the experience of working with the top-tier programs at UCLA and Texas. Keith Jarema, the team's volunteer coach, will work with goalkeepers.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Friday, Aug. 29, 5 p.m. -- at Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Friday, Aug. 31, 1 p.m. -- at Miami (Ohio) (Oxford, Ohio)
Friday, Sept. 5, 7 p.m. C- vs. Dayton (U-M Soccer Complex)
