Michigan
Wisconsin
Michigan Upsets No. 14 Wisconsin for Fifth Straight Shutout Win
9/23/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Site: Madison, Wis. (McClimon Soccer Complex)
Score: Michigan 3, #14 Wisconsin 0
Records: U-M (9-2, 3-0 Big Ten), Wisconsin (7-3, 1-2)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Sept. 28 -- vs. Iowa (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m.
MADISON, Wis. -- Junior Nkem Ezurike (Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia/Sackville) scored two goals and freshman Christina Ordonez (Elmhurst, Ill./York) added a third, as the University of Michigan women's soccer team earned a school-record fifth straight shutout victory, upsetting No. 14 Wisconsin, 3-0, on Sunday (Sept. 23) at the McClimon Soccer Complex.
Christina Ordonez
Ezurike made the most of a flurry of Wolverine chances early, scoring her fourth goal of the season in the 16th minute to give U-M a 1-0 lead. Junior Meghan Toohey (Philadelphia, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) sent a long ball down the field to Ezurike, who got behind the Wisconsin defense for a one-on-one scoring chance with Badgers goalkeeper Lauren Gunderson. Ezurike took a few dribbles then slipped the ball past Gunderson into the lower-left corner of the net for the goal.
The Wolverines had two other good scoring opportunities in the first half but could not score on either. In the 24th minute, Ezurike corralled the ball and turned away from two Wisconsin defenders inside the 18-yard box, but her shot was deflected by Gunderson. In the 41st minute, Wisconsin was whistled for a foul after freshman Christina Ordonez (Elmhurst, Ill./York) was taken down just outside the 18-yard box. Ordonez stepped up to take the free kick, but her shot was high of the net, and Michigan went into the locker room at halftime with its 1-0 lead intact, with the defense allowing only three Wisconsin shots (none on goal).
Less than a minute into the second half, the Badgers turned the ball over in their own third on an errant pass. Freshman Corinne Harris (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep). intercepted it and played a give-and-go with Ezurike down into the six-yard box, with Ezurike finishing the play with her second goal of the match to increase the Wolverines' lead to 2-0. Ezurike nearly had the hat trick on another breakaway, but she did not get enough of her shot, which was easily saved by Gunderson.
Ordonez added an insurance goal in the 78th minute to make the score 3-0. Ordonez took a pass from senior Emily Jaffe (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) on the far side of the field and outran the Wisconsin defense for 30 yards. Her run lured Gunderson out of the box, and Ordonez capitalized, placing her shot in the lower left corner of the net for the goal.
The Michigan defense once again shut down any opposing offense en route to its eighth shutout of the season. The Badgers did not have a real scoring threat until the final minutes of the match, as three of their four shots on goal came in the final three minutes of the match. Fifth-year senior Haley Kopmeyer (Troy, Mich./Lahser) made four saves in goal for her sixth individual shutout of the season.
Michigan plays four of its next five matches at the U-M Soccer Stadium, beginning on Friday (Sept. 28) against Iowa. The match will begin at 7 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| By Periods | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Nkem Ezurike, 15:59 (Meghan Toohey)
2nd -- U-M, Ezurike, 45:58 (Corinne Harris)
2nd -- U-M, Christina Ordonez, 77:28 (unassisted)
Shots: U-M 11, UW 9
Shots on Goal: U-M 6, UW 4
Saves: U-M 4 (Haley Kopmeyer), UW 3 (Lauren Gunderson)
Corner Kicks: U-M 7, UW 2
Cards: U-M, Nkem Ezurike, 44:23 (Yellow); UW, Joana Bielefeld, 39:59 (Yellow)
NOTES
• The win is Michigan's ninth of the season. The Wolverines had nine wins all of last season (9-8-2).
• Michigan improves to 9-12-4 all-time against Wisconsin. Additionally, Sunday's victory is Michigan's first win over Wisconsin in nearly five years (Oct. 21, 2007) and its first victory in Madison since Nov. 7, 2003.
• Eight of Michigan's nine wins have been shutouts. Sunday's win sets a new school record for consecutive shutout wins in a season. The previous was four, which was set from Sept. 23-Oct. 5, 2001.
• The Wolverines have won five straight matches for the first time since Sept. 12-26, 2004.
• Sunday's win is Michigan's first win over a ranked opponent since Oct. 31, 2010, when it beat No. 16 Illinois, 3-2, in Ann Arbor.
• It was also the Wolverines' first regular season road win over a ranked team since Oct. 22, 2010 (beat No. 23 Minnesota, 1-0, in double overtime).
• Michigan's last victory over a top-15 ranked team came on Sept. 19, 2004, when they beat No. 11 Illinois, 1-0, in Ann Arbor.
• During this current five-match winning streak, Michigan has outscored opponents by an 11-0 margin and held the edge in shots, 70-35.
• With the shutout, the Wolverines' defense has not allowed a goal in the last 450:53, a span of six matches. The school record for most minutes without allowing a goal is 618:33, accomplished Oct. 7-Nov. 9, 2001.
• Nkem Ezurike now has six multi-goal matches in her career, including two this season (other: Sept. 15 vs. Indiana).
• Nkem Ezurike has scored all five of her goals in the last three matches.
• Christina Ordonez scored her second career goal in the victory. She also scored the game-winning goal against Pittsburgh back on Aug. 19.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Greg Ryan
On Sunday's win ... "We had a great tactical plan in terms of facing Wisconsin. They are a very skillful, talented attacking team. I felt our ability to counter that kind of an opponent would create a lot of chances, but I didn't know we'd get as many as we got. Our goals were very similar, counter-attacked right down the middle of the field. That was the plan. I have to give credit to our players. Their execution and tactical awareness were great for a young group. It's more like what you see with professionals."
On the bench ... "One of the great things about this team is that the players coming off the bench on Sunday are giving us great energy. Christina (Ordonez) scored a goal. Shelby (Chambers-Garcia) and Tori (McCombs) gave us great minutes and great energy. So many players came on; that rested our legs a little bit and added to the game. It's so different from any team I've ever coached at Michigan. In past Sundays, the wheels were coming off. Now we're taking it to other teams, and I'm really pleased with how they're playing."
On the team's mindset after this weekend's result ... "This team has changed from a team that's trying to stay in games to a team that believes they should win every time they step on the field. I believe in them right now. What they're showing me is that they can win every time they step on the field. I think this team has proven that they can play against anyone in our conference, and do well in the process. Now we have to have the drive to do it every game from here on out. This weekend was really impressive for Michigan soccer. We've never been like this before, and that's a credit to the players."
On how the team approaches the remainder of the Big Ten season ... "It's something we talked about after the game. We had to get to the point where we're believing in ourselves and knowing that we're as good as we are. This isn't a fluke. We're a good team. We have to become hard knowing that every opponent you face could be the team that takes you off your pedestal. The talent is here, the understanding is here, the defending is here, and that defense is for real. We have to take our mindset to a point where we're not satisfied. They just can't wait until the next game. They're hungry. Our determination is to be ready to play every game."
On how different Nkem Ezurike has been playing since coming back from the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup ... "It's hard to say. Nkem reminds me of how she played with us last year once we hit Big Ten play. She started scoring goal after goal, but right now, she's got better players to play with. Meghan (Toohey) played her the perfect ball on the first goal, and she finished it like a pro, but she always does that. Corinne (Harris) played a double give-and-go on the second goal, and really served it up for her on a silver platter. Nkem has never had a player to create that kind of environment for her. As we're improving as a team, Nkem is having better chances. In the past, she had to create a lot of those on her own. Now we can create opportunities for her to score."
U-M Junior Nkem Ezurike
On the offense ... "As a whole, the team played really well. It was a great team effort. We had some awesome goals today. Being up top, the team maybe looks for me a little more, and I'm just happy I was able to finish off some of those chances today."
On her second-half breakaway scoring chance that was saved ... "I made a bit of a mistake on that one, and I knew it immediately. I'll learn from it, and if I get that chance again, I'll be a little more prepared to put the ball in the back of the net."
On finishing scoring chances ... "It's falling for us right now. We're getting some great opportunities to score goals, and it's not just me. As a team, we're really playing well in the offensive third, and when we do get a scoring chance, we're doing a better job at converting them. Today, we knew we had to play hard in order to get goals, and I thought we did a good job of that."
On what the weekend's wins mean for the team going forward ... "I think it gives us a little more momentum, especially coming off two big wins. They don't get any easier from here. We're obviously happy with the results, but we'll learn from these two and get better. We have to bring the momentum and excitement to each game from here on out."
U-M Fifth-Year Senior Haley Kopmeyer
On the importance of this weekend ... "This is huge. It doesn't matter who you're playing. It's always hard to get a road win in the Big Ten, much less two, especially against two wins like these teams as good as Minnesota and Wisconsin. It's absolutely amazing. It's something that hasn't been done too much in the past."
On the team's defense ... "The back line has been so strong. Even when substitutions come in, there's no letdown at all. We're playing as a very cohesive unit right now, and it's making my job so easy. They are limiting opposing team's scoring opportunities, and from my perspective, I've had a few matches when I've made very few saves. They are so organized, so competitive, and they're playing at a very high level right now."
On if the team's mentality changes ... You know, it's something Greg (Ryan) told us after the match. This is the first time that people are going to come in to play us and know who we are. We have to be on our guard and defend our home turf. Teams are going to want to beat us and we need to be ready."
