Yekka Scores Late Game-Winner to Lift Michigan Past Michigan State

Saturday, October 19

East Lansing, Mich.

5:00 PM

Michigan

12-3-1, 7-1-1

Michigan State

8-7-1, 1-6-1

Michigan

Michigan St.

Sura Yekka

Yekka Scores Late Game-Winner to Lift Michigan Past Michigan State

10/19/2019 9:01:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Megan McIntosh

» Sura Yekka scored the first game-winner of her career in the 86th minute to give Michigan a 3-2 win at Michigan State.
» Michigan earned its seventh win in B1G action.
» Hannah Blake scored her second career goal.
» Janiece Joyner earned her first career point with an assist.

Site: East Lansing Mich. (DeMartin Stadium)
Score: #19 Michigan 3, Michigan State 2
Records: U-M (12-3-1, 7-1-1 B1G), MSU (8-7-1, 1-6-1 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Oct. 24 -- vs. Rutgers (U-M Soccer Stadium), 7 p.m.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Fifth-year senior Sura Yekka scored the game-winning goal with less than five minutes left in regulation to give the No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's soccer team a 3-2 victory over in-state Big Ten Conference rival Michigan State Saturday night (Oct. 19) at DeMartin Stadium.

Yekka played the ball off a bounce at center field and dribbled it down the field inside the 18-yard box, drawing the keeper out of the box before placing the game-winner in the bottom right corner of the net at the 85:40 mark. It was the second goal of Yekka's career and her first game-winner.

The Wolverines (12-3-1, 7-1-1 B1G) earned their seventh Big Ten win of the season to stay at the top of league standings. U-M attacked offensively all match as it outshot MSU, 28-12, marking the most shots the Wolverines have taken in the 2019 season. Furthermore, Michigan put 14 shots on goal compared to the Spartans' four shots on frame.

Freshman Hannah Blake netted her second career goal for Michigan, while sophomore Meredith Haakenson notched her team-best eighth goal of the season. Sarah Stratigakis and Janiece Joyner earned an assist, the first of Joyner's career, while Nicki Hernandez had two assists against the Spartans.

Junior goalkeeper Hillary Beall made two saves in the victory, and the Michigan offense forced Lauren Kozel to make 11 saves on the evening.

Michigan came out striking against the Spartans, taking four straight shots before Hernandez brought the ball down the left side of the 18-yard box and passed the ball back to a trailing Blake, who ripped the one-timer into the bottom left corner to put the Wolverines up 1-0 in the eighth minute of action.

U-M's strike did not stop there as it fired two more straight shots on the MSU defense. In the 12th minute of play, Joyner sent a perfect pass to an unmarked Haakenson, who headed the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal to give the Wolverines a 2-0 advantage in the first 15 minutes of action.

The Maize and Blue completely dominated in the first half of play, taking 14 shots with seven on goal compared to Michigan State's five shots with only one reaching net.

Twenty minutes into the second half Michigan State came within one as it capitalized on a corner kick in the 65th minute that found the back of the net off a header. The Spartans were not done yet as they came back to knot the score at 2-2 in the 75th minute of play, sending a shot into the upper right corner.

The teams battled back and forth looking for the go-ahead goal as Michigan kept feeding the box but was unable to sneak anything past Kozal.

Freshman Danielle Wolfe ripped a shot that sailed out and over the net to the right, allowing MSU to take a goal kick in the 85th minute. Kozal kicked the ball in the air to midfield, where both teams battled for possession. The ball bounced out to Michigan's offensive side of the field for Yekka to gather the ball at her feet and dribble down the center of the field on her way to the game-winning tally.

The Spartans tried to make a comeback one last time when Camryn Evans ripped a shot at Beall, who corralled a massive save between her outreached hands in the 89th minute to secure the Michigan victory.

The Wolverines will conclude the 2019 regular season next week at U-M Soccer Stadium when they take on Rutgers at 7 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 24) and Maryland at 1 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 27).