Michigan
Indiana
Michigan-Indiana Contest Postponed, Rescheduled for Friday Afternoon
4/6/2021 5:10:00 PM | Women's Soccer
UPDATE (4/9/2021, 11:12 a.m.): The Big Ten Regional Weekend women's soccer match between Michigan and Indiana has been deemed a no-contest, as mutually agreed upon by both teams due to health and safety concerns in the Michigan program. As a result, Michigan is eliminated from the Regional Weekend, while Indiana advances to play Penn State in the regional final Sunday (April 11). The teams were originally scheduled to play Thursday (April 8), but the match was postponed a day before ultimately being declared a no-contest. » Story
» Michigan earned the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 4 seed Indiana on Thursday night.
» The Wolverines will make their third straight postseason appearance.
» Indiana won the regular-season meeting with the Wolverines, 2-0.
THIS WEEK
Thursday, April 8 -- vs. Indiana – Big Ten Regional Weekend (State College, Pa.), 6 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The East No. 5 seed University of Michigan women's soccer will head to State College, Pa., to take on No. 4-seeded Indiana in the Big Ten Regional Weekend on Thursday (April 8) at 6 p.m. at Jeffrey Field. The game will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
The winner of this game will advance to the region final against East No. 1 seed Penn State -- which earned a first-game bye -- on Sunday (April 11).
Big Ten Regional Weekend Information
• All 14 teams will compete in a single-elimination Big Ten Regional Weekend, Thursday through Sunday (April 8-11) at four campus sites. The winning team at each of the four regional locations will advance to the four-team Big Ten Tournament, to be played on the campus of the highest-remaining seed following the Regional Weekend. The Big Ten Tournament semifinals are set for Thursday, April 15, with the tournament championship game scheduled for Sunday, April 18. Game times and television coverage for all Big Ten postseason women's soccer games will be announced at a later date.
• For the Regional Weekend, the schools are seeded and assigned to their regional sites based on the same divisional alignment that were used during the Big Ten football season.
• Following the Regional Weekend, the April 15 semifinals will be reseeded with the highest remaining seed playing host to the lowest remaining seed, while the second-highest remaining seed faces the second-lowest seed in the other semifinal. The winners of those games will meet for the Big Ten Tournament title on April 18, with the champion receiving the conference's automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan heads into Thursday's game with a 5-3-3 overall record after playing Rutgers to a 1-1 double-overtime draw on Saturday (April 3)in their final regular-season game.
• Senior Nicki Hernandez has found a way to get it done this season, scoring her team-best sixth goal against Rutgers. Hernandez leads the team with 14 points (six goals, two assists) and has a .667 shots-on-goal percentage. The senior midfielder has scored two game-winners for the Wolverines this season lifting the Wolverines to victory against Minnesota and Illinois.
• The Wolverines rank second in the Big Ten Conference in goals scored, netting 21 and in shots, firing 171, with 80 being on goal.
• The Wolverines will make their third straight postseason appearance under head coach Jennifer Klein. U-M seeks the third tournament title in program history (1997, 1999). In its 26 years in the Big Ten, Michigan women's soccer has made the Big Ten Tournament 19 times. In 2019, the Wolverines played in the Big Ten Tournament final for the first time since 2005. The Wolverines defeated Maryland at home before earning a 2-1 overtime victory over Rutgers in the semifinal match.
Opponent Preview
Indiana
Michigan leads, 17-6-4, in the all-time series with Indiana
Michigan is 7-2-2 in its last 11 meetings against Indiana, having lost 2-0 at U-M Soccer Stadium on March 28. The Hoosiers are 6-4-1 overall on the season and earned the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Regional Weekend. Indiana has scored 10 goals and given up eight to opponents with four shutout wins this season. Melanie Forbes has scored almost half of Indiana's goals with three, while Jen Blitchok has netted two goals. Between the pipes, Bethany Kopel has started all seven games with 42 saves and an .840 save percentage.
