Michigan to Open Big Ten Play at Penn State, Ohio State

» Michigan will open its 26th season in the Big Ten this week with two road matches at Penn State and Ohio State
» Michigan is 12-11-2 in conference openers.
» U-M trails Penn State 23-4-7 in the all-time series, while it carries a slight 14-12-4 advantage all-time over Ohio State.

THIS WEEK
Thursday, Sept. 19 -- at No. 23 Penn State (State College, Pa.), 6 p.m.
TV: BTN | Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, Sept. 22 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 2 p.m.
TV: BTN+ | Live Stats | Live Video

• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
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The University of Michigan women's soccer team will open up Big Ten play with road trips to No. 23 Penn State and Ohio State. The Wolverines will take on No. 23-ranked Penn State on Thursday night (Sept. 19) at 6 p.m.; the contest will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. Michigan will then travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a Sunday (Sept. 22) match at 2 p.m. against the Buckeyes.

Michigan in Big Ten Conference Openers

• Michigan is 12-11-2 in its first match of conference play since the inception of the program in 1994.
• The Wolverines have won six of their last eight conference-opening matches.
• U-M fell in their 2017 and 2018 conference openers, but won six straight prior to the 2017 campaign.
• U-M has not fared as well on the road in conference openers, with a 6-8-1 overall record.
• Last season, Michigan fell to Indiana in Bloomington, 3-2, in double overtime, but ended the conference opening weekend with a 1-0 road win at Purdue.

Series History with No. 23 Penn State

• The Nittany Lions hold a 23-4-7 advantage in the all-time series against Michigan.
• Michigan is looking for just its second win on the road against the Nittany Lions.
• U-M lost two one-goal games against Penn State a season ago. The Wolverines fell, 2-1, on Oct. 7 at U-M Soccer Stadium, then fell, 1-0, in the Big Ten Tournament despite holding Penn State scoreless until the final two minutes of the match.
• Penn State has won the last six matches, with Michigan's last victory coming on Oct. 13, 2013, in State College.
• Despite winning just four games in the all-time series, Michigan has been competitive against the Nittany Lions; the Wolverines have forced overtime or gone to penalty kicks nine times and have fallen by just one goal on nine occasions.

Glancing at the Nittany Lions

• Penn State comes into the Thursday's Big Ten contest with a 4-3-1 overall record, which includes matches against three ranked opponents.
• The Nittany Lions have scored 18 goals and have given up nine to opponents while averaging 14.1 shots per game.
• Redshirt freshman Ally Schlegel ranks second in the conference with 13 points (six goals, one assist), while Frankie Tagliaferri ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 11 points (four goals, three assists).
• Transfer Sam Coffey also has come in and produced offensively for the Penn State, with three goals and three assists (nine points).
• In net, redshirt freshman Kat Asman has started three games and has made a team-best 10 saves, while Amanda Dennis has made three starts with nine saves. Sarafina Valenti has started one match with three saves.

All-Time Series with Ohio State

• The Maize and Blue hold a 14-12-4 advantage in the all-time series with the Buckeyes.
• After it dropped the first three matches of the series, Michigan won eight straight matchups with Ohio State. U-M also did not fall to the Buckeyes for an additional four matches, with three ties and a double-overtine win.
• Michigan is 4-7-1 on the road against the Buckeyes, which includes a 1-0 loss in their last meeting in Columbus (Oct. 8, 2017).
• Head coach Jennifer Klein is 1-0 all-time against Ohio State after the Wolverines earned a 1-0 victory in Ann Arbor last season, her first at the helm.

A Look at the Buckeyes

• Ohio State is 2-4-1 overall this season and has picked up its two wins in its last two outings against Miami and Ohio.
• The Buckeyes have outscored 11-9.
• Kayla Fisher has recorded nine of OSU's 28 points with three goals and three assists, while Marissa Birzon is the only other multi-goal scorer on the squad (three).
• Jordan Silkowitz has played the majority of the minutes in goal and has allowed all 11 goals against and has made 24 saves for a .686 save percentage.
• Bailey Kolinski has made an appearance in three matches and made seven saves for the Buckeyes.

Wolverines against Ranked Opponents

• The match between the Wolverines and Nittany Lions will mark the second straight match in which Michigan has taken on a ranked. Michigan defeated then-No. 13 Washington State, 2-1, on Friday night (Sept. 13).
• The Wolverines are 37-66-20 all-time when they have faced a ranked opponent and are 4-2-2 when going up against a No. 23-ranked team.
• Head coach Jennifer Klein has gone up against four ranked opponents in her tenure at Michigan, with wins over No. 13 Washington State (Sept. 13) and No. 17 Wisconsin (Sept. 20, 2018).

Junior Duo Earns Big Ten Honors

• Junior Hillary Beall was named the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week after she made career-best 12 saves on 13 shots in the Wolverine's 2-1 win over then-No. 13 Washington State (Sept. 13) to mark her first road win of the season and first career victory over against a ranked opponent.
• Beall's 12 saves tie for fourth all-time in single season record for the Wolverines, while her double-digit save effort is the first since Sarah Jackson made 10 saves at Minnesota, Sept. 21, 2017.
• Overall, Beall has earned two victories over ranked opponents, notching the 2-0 victory against No. 17 Wisconsin in 2018. The award is the first of Beall's career.
• This season, Beall has started all seven games in goal and made saves. The junior needs just 12 more saves in final 11 regular season games to tie a season-best 34 saves in the 2018 campaign.
• Junior Sarah Stratigakis was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week thanks to her three points in Michigan's 2-1 win over Washington State. She scored the first goal of the match before she set up Meredith Haakenson's game-winning goal with the second assist.
• The three-point match marked the third of the season for Stratigakis as she also recorded three points in back-to-back matches to start the season.
• Stratigakis' nine points are tied for the team lead and she is ranked sixth in the Big Ten in the category.

Offensive Trio Emerges in Non-Conference Play

• Junior Sarah Stratigakis and sophomores Meredith Haakenson and Raleigh Loughman have each contributed nine points in the first seven matches of the season.
• Haakenson scored her first career goal when she tallied the first goal of the season against Marshall. She followed it up with the final goal of the evening against the Thundering Herd for her first multi-point performance.
• Since opening weekend, Haakenson added a goal against Florida Gulf Coast and the game-winning goal against No. 13 Washington State for her team-best fourth goal of the season.
• Stratigakis has earned three three-point performances this season. The midfielder had a goal and an assist in the first two games of the year before she scored the first goal of the match and added an assist on the game-winner against No. 13 Washington State.
• Loughman recorded one goal in the season's first two matches to start the season offensively. Since then, she added three assists and one goal to her season total.

Ticket Information

• Individual and group tickets on are sale for all remaining 2019 home matches.
• For group experiences such as high five tunnel, halftime mini games and more, call (734) 647-1268 or email gobluegroupsales@umich.edu.
• For more information on purchasing tickets, visit the women's soccer ticket page.

Up Next

• Friday, Sept. 27 -- vs. Purdue, 7 p.m. (U-M Soccer Stadium)
• Sunday, Sept. 29 -- vs. Indiana, 1 p.m. (U-M Soccer Stadium)