Michigan
Colorado
Wolverines to Open 2018 against No. 17 Colorado, Jacksonville
2/6/2018 11:47:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
» In its fifth season as a varsity program, Michigan will be led by first-year head coach Hannah Nielsen.
» The Wolverines will play two games in Jacksonville, Florida, to open the season, taking on No. 17 Colorado on Friday (Feb. 9) at 5 p.m. and Jacksonville on Sunday (Feb. 11) at noon.
» Bianca Brueckner, Molly Garrett and Adriana Pendino were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors list.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Feb. 9 -- vs. #17 Colorado (Jacksonville, Fla.), 5 p.m.
Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 11 -- at Jacksonville (Jacksonville, Fla.), noon, ESPN3
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The University of Michigan women's lacrosse team will begin its fifth season as a varsity program under first-year head coach Hannah Nielsen. The Wolverines will play their first two games of the season in Jacksonville, Florida, starting with the season opener against No. 17 Colorado on Friday (Feb. 9) at 5 p.m. at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville's Pajcic-Hunt Field. U-M will wrap up its opening weekend with a matchup against the Jacksonville Dolphins on Sunday (Feb. 11) at noon at D.B. Milne Field. The Jacksonville game will be streamed live on ESPN3.
WOLVERINE BITES
• The 2018 season marks Nielsen's first at the helm of the women's lacrosse program and her first as a Division I head coach. She has eight years of assistant-coaching experience at the Division I level and is one of the most decorated athletes to play the game of lacrosse. Nielsen, who hails from Adelaide, Australia, was a four-time national champion and two-time Tewaaraton Award winner during her collegiate career at Northwestern and has also represented Australia at four World Cups.
• Nielsen was an assistant coach at Colorado for two seasons (2014-15) under former Northwestern teammate Ann Elliott. Nielsen assisted Elliott in building the program in its infancy and helped the Buffaloes compile a 22-15 record during her two years in Boulder.
• Michigan is in its fifth season as a varsity program. The Wolverines graduated their first senior class in 2017, with 14 seniors earning their U-M degrees. Graduate student Bianca Brueckner, a member of Michigan's inaugural team in 2014, also earned her undergraduate degree and is back for her final season of eligibility and pursuing a master's degree in management from the Ross School of Business.
• Brueckner, sophomore Molly Garrett and junior Adriana Pendino were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors list on Jan. 29. Brueckner and Pendino, who recorded nine and eight goals, respectively, in 2017, will look to lead the Wolverine attack. Garrett, one of U-M's most aggressive players, will look to make an impact all over the field and will lead Michigan's young draw specialist group.
• Michigan returns 11 players, including seven with starting experience, who saw action in at least 50 percent of its games last season. Junior defender Madison Richardson boasts the most starting experience of any field player from last season, as she played in 16 games (14 starts).
• The goalie position returns the most career playing experience on the team. Juniors Mira Shane and Alli Kothari split time in the cage last season, with Shane playing in 15 games with nine starts and Kothari appearing in 12 games with eight starts. Shane also played in 17 games with four starts as a freshman. Freshman Arielle Weissman adds talent and depth to that goalie group.
• There are eight new faces on the 2018 roster, including seven true freshmen, as well as junior defender Casey Cummo, who joined the Wolverines in January as a transfer student from Louisville. Cummo started all 19 games for the Cardinals as a sophomore and helped lead them to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Michigan won the draw control in 12 of 17 games in 2017, pulling in a total of 244 draw controls, which is the most by the Wolverines in a single season. U-M finished third in the Big Ten in draw controls per game, averaging 14.4, a dramatic improvement from its 10.5 in 2016. Garrett leads all returners with the most draw controls from last season with 18, while junior Gabby Burns had 16 and senior Mae Tarr had 15.
• With the addition of three new programs for the 2018 season, there are currently 115 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs across the country that compete in 13 different conferences. Michigan has been competing in the Big Ten Conference since 2015, as the additions of Maryland and Rutgers to the Big Ten gave the conference six teams that sponsor the sport. Johns Hopkins joined the Big Ten as an affiliate member in 2017, giving the conference seven teams.
Head Coach Hannah Nielsen
On deciding to play Colorado in a neutral site matchup to open the season …
"We were planning on going down to play Jacksonville, and Colorado was planning on going down to play Florida, so I got on the phone with Colorado's coach (Ann Elliott) and threw out the idea. I'm glad it worked out -- kicking off the season with this neutral site game will be a different experience for us and we're looking forward to it."
On facing Colorado in the season opener …
"I think they're a great opponent. They're in the exact same position as us in terms of years of Division I experience. They just lost their inaugural class and we just lost ours, so it's kind of a refreshing, rebuilding year for them as well. They're a top-20 opponent and that's what we want -- we want a challenging schedule. It will be exciting and a little bit emotional for me to play them again because they hold a special place in my heart, since I helped start the program there. I think we match up well with them, so it's a perfect season opener for us."
Scouting Colorado:
Colorado, which launched its varsity lacrosse program the same year as Michigan (2014), is under the direction of fifth-year head coach Ann Elliott. The Pac-12 Conference is sponsoring women's lacrosse for the first time this season; the addition of Arizona State's women's lacrosse program gave the conference six teams. Colorado constructed its best season in program history in 2017, going 16-4 overall with wins over four ranked opponents, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Buffaloes are ranked No. 17 in the 2018 IWLCA Preseason Poll and return seven of 12 starters from last season. Senior Darby Kiernan led the Buffs with 77 points on 52 goals and 25 assists a year ago. Colorado graduated its starting goalie, Paige Soenksen, along with 15 other seniors following the 2017 season.
Series vs. Colorado
Colorado owns a 2-0 lead in the all-time series. The Buffs earned a close 14-13 win in double overtime in the first meeting in 2015, then defeated Michigan 11-4 in 2016.
Scouting Jacksonville
Jacksonville, which competes in the ASUN Conference, is led by ninth-year head coach Mindy McCord. The Dolphins are coming off a 14-6 season, in which they captured the ASUN Tournament title and advanced to their fourth NCAA Tournament in five years. JU graduated its top two scorers from 2017 in Danielle Della rocca (60 goals, 17 assists) and Courtney Valdez (46 goals, 25 assists). Senior midfielder Ashtyn Hiron was tabbed the 2018 ASUN Preseason Player of the Year, while Hiron and senior defender Emily Barton were unanimous selections to the Preseason All-ASUN Team. Hiron posted 36 goals, 12 assists and 77 draw controls a year ago, while Barton had 39 ground balls, 29 caused turnovers and nine draw controls. Sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Matthews returns as JU's starter from last season, when she recorded a save percentage of .455 and a goals-against average of 8.29.
Series vs. Jacksonville:
The Wolverines and Dolphins have met just once in program history during Michigan's inaugural season in 2014, when Jacksonville earned the win, 15-7.
UP NEXT
Friday, Feb. 18 -- Butler (U-M Lacrosse Stadium), 3 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 20 -- Canisius (U-M Lacrosse Stadium), 1 p.m.
