Michigan Blanks Northwestern on Road for Seventh Straight Win

Sunday, October 27

Evanston, Ill.

1:00 PM CT

Michigan

14-2-1, 8-1-1

Northwestern

3-13-2, 1-9-0

Michigan

Northwestern

Michigan Blanks Northwestern on Road for Seventh Straight Win

10/27/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Brad Rudner

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Lakeside Field)
Score: #10 Michigan 3, Northwestern 0
Records: U-M (14-2-1, 8-1-1 Big Ten), Northwestern (3-13-2, 1-9 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 2 -- vs. Ohio State (U-M Soccer Stadium), 6 p.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's soccer team tied a program record for longest winning streak (seven), downing Northwestern, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 27) at Lakeside Field. Sophomore Cassie Collins (San Diego, Calif./Westview), senior Meghan Toohey (Philadelphia, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian) and freshman Nicky Waldeck (Chicago, Ill./Western Reserve Academy [Ohio]) scored a goal each, while freshman Taylor Bucklin (Greenwich, Conn./Brookfield) made five saves for her second consecutive shutout.

Cassie Collins

The Wolverines remain in second place in the Big Ten at 25 points (8-1-1) with one game remaining. Michigan is two points behind conference leader Nebraska (27 points, 9-1-0), which defeated Penn State, 3-2, in double overtime Sunday to remain in first.

The Wolverines controlled the pace of play in the opening half. Northwestern had the first shot of the match in the 10th minute and it was saved by Bucklin, but after that, it was all Michigan. In the 14th minute, sophomore Christina Ordonez (Elmhurst, Ill./York) had the first real scoring chance, but her high shot was saved by Northwestern goalkeeper Sam Hartfield. The scoreless tie was nearly broken in the 26th minute, as Toohey fired a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar.

Michigan broke through in the 42nd minute on a set piece. After Northwestern was called for a foul, Collins found the ball outside the 18-yard box on the restart, firing a low shot that went past Hartfield and into the back of the net. Sophomore Corinne Harris (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep) was credited with an assist on the play. At the half, Michigan led Northwestern on the scoreboard and in all major categories, including shots (14-1), shots on goal (6-1) and corners (3-0).

In the 65th minute, Toohey added another strike, successfully converting a penalty kick after a hand ball was called against a Northwestern defender in the box. Toohey put her shot low and Hartfield guessed incorrectly, giving Michigan the goal and increasing the lead.

Waldeck tallied an insurance goal in the match's final moments, scoring her third goal of the season in the 86th minute. Toohey started the play, passing the ball to freshman Madisson Lewis (Canton, Mich./Plymouth). She then slotted the ball to Waldeck, who placed her shot into the back of the net from inside the box on the left side.

Michigan will close the regular season on Saturday (Nov. 2), as it welcomes rival Ohio State to U-M Soccer Stadium. The match will begin at 6 p.m. Prior to the match, U-M will honor its eight seniors on the field in a pregame ceremony. In order for Michigan to win the Big Ten championship, it needs to beat Ohio State and have Nebraska lose or draw against Indiana on Friday (Nov. 1) in Lincoln, Neb. If Nebraska loses and Michigan wins, the Wolverines would win the title outright. If Nebraska draws and Michigan wins, the two teams would each have 28 points and share the championship.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Michigan	1	2	3
Northwestern	0	0	0

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Cassie Collins, 41:16 (Corinne Harris)
2nd -- U-M, Meghan Toohey, 64:38 (penalty kick)
2nd -- U-M, Nicky Waldeck, 85:17 (Madisson Lewis, Toohey)

Shots: U-M 22, NU 5
Shots on Goal: U-M 10, NU 5
Saves: U-M 5 (Taylor Bucklin), NU 7 (Sam Hartfield)
Corner Kicks: U-M 3, NU 1
Cards: None

NOTES

• Michigan improves to 12-5-5 all-time against Northwestern and has won two in a row in the series for the first time since 2004-05.

• Michigan is guaranteed to finish in the top two of the Big Ten, which will tie for the program's best finish. It has finished second on four prior occasions (1997, 1999, 2001, 2002) but has never won a Big Ten regular-season championship.

• The last time U-M won seven consecutive matches was Sept. 7-28, 1997.

• The Wolverines are 6-1 on the road this season, tying a single-season best for most road wins (also: 1998, 2004). U-M lost its first road match at Butler (Sept. 15) but has won all six since, making U-M perfect on the road (6-0) in Big Ten play.

• U-M went unbeaten (7-0) during the month of October for the first time in program history.

• During its seven-match win streak, U-M has outscored opponents by a 14-3 margin and recorded four shutouts.

• Michigan has won eight Big Ten Conference matches this season, tied for most in a single season in program history. The Wolverines also won eight Big Ten matches in 1999 and 2001.

• The Michigan defense pitched back-to-back shutouts for the third time this season (Pepperdine/Detroit, Penn State/Indiana). The Wolverines allowed only five shots to Northwestern on Sunday, the third-lowest opponent total of the season behind Detroit (2) and UW-Milwaukee (4).

• Cassie Collins scored her second goal of the season and first since scoring vs. Oakland (Aug. 25).

• Prior to Sunday, Nicky Waldeck had not scored since the second match of the season against Oakland (Aug. 25). It was her third goal of the season. She also scored in the season opener vs. UW-Milwaukee (Aug. 23).

• U-M improves to 12-0-0 when scoring first. The Wolverines have scored multiple goals in 12 of their 14 wins.

• After not having a penalty kick through the first 14 matches, U-M has drawn two in the last three matches (also: Nkem Ezurike, Oct. 20 vs. Purdue).

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Greg Ryan
On the match ... "I think we played one of our best matches of the year. We controlled possession and were very patient in our attack. It was another shutout for the team, for the defense and for Taylor. We gave away very few chances today. Northwestern was playing five at the back, which is difficult to break down. I thought they did a good job of keeping us in front of them and not letting us get in behind. Cassie (Collins) really broke the ice and that was key. When that happened, they started to come out more and even more so after we got that second goal. That opened up even more chances. Nicky (Waldeck) finished it off with a fantastic goal, a rocket with her left foot."

On balanced scoring, getting five goals on the weekend from five different players ... "It was great to see. We showed that kind of balance in the non-conference, but we really hadn't done it yet in Big Ten play. I think our freshmen have matured greatly. They are gaining confidence more and more each week and have shown a great understanding of how to play within our group. Nicky has looked great in training. I told her today before the match that she was ready, just to believe in herself and do her thing. Don't think too much; just play. She's looked so good. I think in today's match, during the second half, she took it up to another level. Her goal was fantastic. Madisson Lewis gave her the assist. Cassie stepped up and got the first goal on a shot from distance. (Meghan) Toohey had the composure to finish under pressure with that PK. Today's match showcased the talent and depth that this team has."

On preparing for Saturday's match against Ohio State and the mental aspect of potentially playing for a Big Ten championship ... "You go into it saying, 'Hey, anything can happen.' Indiana is having a great year. They are 6-4-0 and play everyone tough. They played us tough. We have to believe we still have a chance. When the match starts, we'll know the result. The worst we can do is finish second in the Big Ten, which is something this team hasn't done in a long time. We'll hope we can catch a break from Indiana. At a minimum, they get a draw to give us a chance. At this point, even three games ago, we wanted to give ourselves every chance to win this conference championship, but we do it one game at a time and we don't worry about what anyone else does. We also realize there's a lot to play for. We have the Big Ten Tournament. We have the NCAA Tournament. We try to look at the big picture in terms of what this team can achieve. Finishing second is another big step for our program. This team enjoys playing together. They played hard this weekend and played well. They had smiles on their faces when they came off the field. We'll be ready for the next game regardless of what happens."

On the senior class and honoring them before next Saturday's match ... "They have been the cornerstone. Without that class, we never rebuild this program to this level. From their first year on, when we made the NCAA Tournament with them as freshmen, to the Sweet 16 last year ... I don't know what to say. They are the foundation, not only talent-wise but leadership-wise. It's in the quality of their character. It's an amazing class. I'm lucky they came here and I got to coach them."

U-M Fifth-Year Senior Holly Hein
On the importance of the wins this weekend and the winning streak as a whole ... "I think we've just really bounced back since that Wisconsin/Minnesota weekend in late September. That was rough on us. After that, we put our minds to it and said that we were going to get results. It's been a total team effort. It's great to know that we can execute and get it done regardless of the circumstances and regardless of what the other team is doing. I thought we came in prepared this weekend for both opponents. Today, Northwestern came out in a different system and we adjusted. I'm proud of our team."

On Saturday's match vs. Ohio State and it being Senior Night ... "I haven't started thinking about it. Maybe a little bit, since Northwestern had theirs today. It's a little bit of a weird feeling. For us, it's business as usual. We have a game to play on Saturday and it's always a big one. Ohio State is a great team with great players. We're going to be focused on that and hopefully we can close the regular season out with a win, which would be big for us. We'll get ready to play and go from there. As far as Senior Day, we'll deal with it when it happens and enjoy it a little, too."