Michigan to Trek to No. 1 Florida State for NCAA Elite Eight Match

» Michigan travels to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on No. 1-ranked Florida State in the Elite Eight for the third time in program history.
» The Wolverines are 9-1 over their last 10 matches, outscoring teams 22-5.
» U-M's defense has not allowed a goal in 366 minutes, dating back to the Big Ten quarterfinals versus Purdue.

THIS WEEK
Friday, Nov. 26 -- at #1 Florida State - NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals (Tallahassee, Fla.), 2 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra | Tickets | Live Stats | Live Video - to come | Bracket

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The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan women's soccer team (18-3-3) travels to Tallahassee, Fla., for a Friday (Nov. 26) matchup against No. 1 Florida State (19-1-2) in the quarterfinals of the 2021 NCAA Tournament at 2 p.m. from Seminole Soccer Stadium. The match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, with Ariya Massoudi and Trevor DeGroot on the call.

Wolverine Bites

• Over its last 10 matches, U-M is 9-1 and has outscored opponents 22-5, including five clean sheets. U-M's defense has not allowed a goal in 366 minutes, dating back to the Big Ten quarterfinals versus Purdue (Nov. 4). Senior goalkeeper Hillary Beall has stopped 16 shots during U-M's postseason run.

• U-M is outshooting opponents 465-244 and outscoring them 46-17. The Wolverines rank No. 12 in the NCAA in shots (19.26/match) and are 16-2-2 on the year when outshooting teams. Senior Nicki Hernandez leads the team in shots with 62, while classmate Raleigh Loughman has taken 33 and has scored nine goals for a shooting percentage of .270.

• Loughman and Hernandez each own nine goals to lead the team, and have now surpassed their previous career highs in the category; her previous best was six, compiled during the 2019 season. Hernandez netted eight goals in 2018.

• After compiling only six points in the first 19 matches of the season, senior Meredith Haakenson has heated up during the postseason, scoring four goals and adding a pair of assists (10 points) since the start of the Big Ten Tournament. She has notched one goal in each of the last three matches.

• U-M has started fast in the postseason, scoring eight of its 18 goals in the first 30 minutes of the match. Four of the remaining 10 goals have been scored between the 56th and 66th minutes of play.

• The Wolverines are 16-2-2 on the campaign when outshooting teams, while going 14-0-1 when leading at the half and 14-1-3 when scoring the first.

• With a goal in Michigan's third-round victory over Tennessee, senior Sarah Stratigakis notched the 20th goal her illustrious Wolverine career, becoming the 15th Wolverine in program history to reach the plateau. Since 2019, U-M is 22-1-1 in matches that she has recorded at least one point.

• The Wolverines are 0-5-1 all-time when taking on the top-ranked team in the country. The tie came by way of a scoreless draw at Penn State on Nov. 3, 2005.

Opponent Preview

Florida State
All-time series against the Seminoles: First meeting

Florida State enters the Elite Eight ranked No. 1 and is NCAA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed with a 19-1-2 record. After a flawless postseason run to this point, they hold the ACC Tournament title, besting No. 25 Wake Forest (2-1, OT) and No. 1 Virginia (1-0). The Seminoles were only one of two teams to top the polls throughout the 2021-22 season, sharing the honor with ACC regular-season champion Virginia. The 'Noles cruised by South Alabama (3-0), No. 25 SMU (5-1), and No. 9 Pepperdine (1-0) on their way to Friday's Elite Eight matchup.

FSU ranks second in NCAA in scoring offense (3.00 goals per game), third in total goals (63), and fourth in points per game (8.76). Sophomore forward Beata Olsson stands 17th nationally in goals scored (13) and 25th in goals per game (0.68). Senior midfielder Clara Robbins is also a force to be reckoned with, coming fresh off winning her second consecutive ACC Tournament MVP honor.

If the Maize and Blue triumph over the Seminoles, they advance to the College Cup's Final Four for the first time in program history and would face off against the winner of Duke and Santa Clara.