Season Preview: 2022 Michigan Women's Soccer
8/9/2022 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
University of Michigan women's soccer head coach Jennifer Klein leads a 2022 program coming off one of the best seasons in its history. Last season, she guided the Wolverines to one of their best seasons in program history, highlighted by a Big Ten Tournament championship, an NCAA Elite Eight appearance and an 18-4-3 record.
Wolverine Bites
• The Wolverines enter the 2022 campaign ranked No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. This follows the Wolverines finishing a historic 2021 season ranked No. 7.
• Klein enters her fifth season at the helm of the Wolverines with an impressive 49-22-8 mark, winning 65 percent of her matches.
• Michigan returns six starters and 14 letterwinners and welcomes nine newcomers to the fold.
• The Wolverines return 26 of the 46 goals scored a year ago and five players who scored at least three goals. In addition, graduate student Meredith Haakenson (five goals), senior Dani Wolfe (five), junior Sammi Woods (five), senior Hannah Blake (four), junior Kacey Lawrence (three), and senior Lily Farkas (one) all marked tallies a year ago and figure to feature in the Starting XI. Overall, 70 of 143 points return.
• Ten players with at least 20 matches played from last season return. Farkas and Blake will be counted on to step up to support the offensive attack. Blake started 19 matches as a sophomore in 2019 and has played in 42 matches with 23 starts in her U-M career with six goals and nine assists (18 points).
• Farkas has played in 50 matches in her career with nine starting nods. She has contributed three goals and four assists as well as 67 shots.
• Haakenson returns to anchor the offense as the unit's most senior member with 59 career starts and 79 matches played. She boasts 16 goals and 11 assists (43 points) and six match-winning goals.
• With Hilary Beall, incumbent starter for the last four seasons, graduated and now crafting her trade professionally in the NWSL for Racing Lousiville, sixth-year graduate student Izzy Nino figures to take over in goal. Nino saw 143 minutes in goal a year ago, playing the full 90 and earning a clean sheet against Central Michigan (Aug. 29). Overall, she saw time in three matches as the backup goalkeeper. She served as the team's backup goalkeeper in the spring of 2021 and her sophomore season (2018), when she started the first nine matches.
• In addition to an old but new face in goal, the Wolverines' back line will undergo a few changes, with a pair of center-back positions open for the taking. Sophomore Tamia Tolbert played in 11 matches as a freshman with six starts. Senior Emily Leyson (23 games, 15 starts) is capable of playing holding midfield or center back as well. The group also will be joined by graduate transfer Margot Ridgeway, who brings experience at the center back from NC State.
• Senior Jayde Riviere and junior Sarah Bridenstine also return to anchor the outside back positions. Riviere, who boasts an Olympic gold medal, started 19 of 22 matches a year ago with time off interspersed due to Canadian international duty. Bridenstine transitioned from a holding midfield role to defense in her sophomore and started 12 matches.
• Riviere spent the summer playing with Team Canada in the CONCACAF Championship. She played the full 90 minutes in matches against Trinidad & Tobago, Costa Rica and Jamaica and started against Panama and the United States. Team Canada earned a runner-up finish in the tournament after losing 1-0 to the United States in the final.
• Sophomore Avery Kalitta burst on the scene in the latter portion of last season, starting the final nine matches of the year at holding midfield. Her efforts earned her a nod to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. Additionally, she is ranked as one of the top defensive midfielders in the country by WoSo Independent.
• Klein also will welcome an overhauled coaching staff, replacing Katie Hultin and Tiffany Hansen with Sammy Boateng and Tori Christ (Boston University, assistant coach). Boateng served as the head man for the Broncos for three seasons, compiling a 20-24-3 mark, and was highlighted by a 6-2-2 record during the COVID-19-shortened 2019 season. Christ, a United Soccer Coaches 30 Under 30 Program member, spent the last three seasons at Boston University as goalkeeper coach.
Newcomers
Before the start of the season, Klein announced the addition of eight student-athletes for the 2022-2023 academic year.
The class includes Taylor Brennan (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North), Kali Burrell (Evanston, Ill./Evanston), Sophie Homan (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek), Jenna Lang (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North), Aniyah League (Cypress, Calif./Cypress High School), Vickie Jones (San Lorenzo, Calif./Arroyo), Sierra Sargent (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa), and Sam Suplee (Weymouth, Mass./Buckingham Browne & Nichols).
Ridgeway spent the past three seasons at NC State, playing in 18 matches with five starting nods. She spent her freshman season at UC-Davis, where she was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team and started 17 matches.
"We are excited about our 2022 recruiting class," Klein said. "This collection of young women is a great representation of the qualities we look for in our student-athletes. They not only have the skill and understanding that will allow them to thrive within our style of play, but they possess the character that will allow them to contribute to our team culture. Their motivation and enthusiasm will be a great asset to this program, and we are looking forward to seeing what they will accomplish as a class wearing and representing the block M!"
Schedule
U-M's 18-match schedule features 11 matches at U-M Soccer Stadium, which includes U-M hosting No. 4 Virginia in an exhibition match on Aug. 13 and opening up the season slate against No. 20 Washington State. In addition, Big Ten Conference matches will be contested at Penn State (Oct. 16) and Rutgers (Oct. 20).
After opening the season with back-to-back home games, the Wolverines hit the road for a Massachusetts road swing, traveling to Boston College on Aug. 25 and Boston University on Aug. 28.
Michigan returns home on Sept. 1 to host the Iowa State Cyclones, before hitting the road once again to take on Central Michigan on Sept. 4. Non-conference matches finish with a Sept. 8 contest against Colorado at U-M Soccer Stadium and a road matchup against Toledo on Sept. 11.
Big Ten Conference play opens with a pair of home games against Ohio State (Sept. 22) and follows three days later with a matchup against Nebraska on Sept. 25.
A three-match road swing ensues, beginning with a tilt at Minnesota on (Sept. 29) followed by a trip to Iowa (Oct. 2). The road series concludes as the side travels to Michigan State for a contest against the Spartans on Sunday (Oct. 9).
After two weeks away from Ann Arbor, the Wolverines will come home to host Northwestern on Oct. 13. The final road contest of the regular season will be Oct. 16 at Penn State. The regular season concludes with fixtures against Rutgers (Oct. 20) and Indiana (Oct. 23).
Tickets for the 2022 season can be purchased by visiting the Michigan tickets page.
