Postgame Quotes: Michigan 3, Purdue 1
10/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 16, 2011
Michigan Head Coach Greg Ryan
On the importance of this game ... "This was a must-win for us if we wanted to stay in the Big Ten Tournament hunt. This win gives us the confidence to go forward in our final three games against some very good teams. Ohio State, Penn State and Illinois are among the best this conference has to offer, so getting this win under our belt was critical."
On Nkem Ezurike ... "It took Nkem a half to get her feet back in the game. At halftime, I told her that she could beat these players all by herself. Maybe she listened, maybe she did it anyway. On three different occasions, she took the players on, took the shot and scored goals. And they were highlight-reel goals, with two of them left-footed. She was amazing today."
On the team's overall performance ... "Those were the two best halves of soccer we played all season. We played well in the first half but couldn't put any of those chances away. We did in the second half, both sides of the ball, defending and attacking. It was the best we've been all year. Purdue is a good team. They don't have many weak spots. They scored eight goals against Indiana recently, and beat Ohio State, so we expected a tight game. I'm very happy we got this one."
U-M Senior Kristen Goncalves
On the win ... "It was so important for us to get this win. Our team was pretty down after the last two games. We had a talk yesterday about how important it would be for us to play well and what we needed to change for today. Nkem clicked pretty well, obviously, and the three people that played the balls in did, too. Something turned around real fast for us."
On the win giving the team confidence ... "This game gives us the confidence we need to go into our last home weekend of the season. We just have to keep going with this momentum, and continue it."
U-M Sophomore Nkem Ezurike
On her performance ... "I just wanted to go out there and play. Sitting out a game is tough for anybody. I had to get refocused. And above all, we needed this win. If we didn't get it, we'd be in a tough spot the rest of the year with some good teams still left on our schedule. Tori, Chloe and Jen played great balls into me and I just finished. We have to keep this going."
