Season Preview: 2023 Michigan Women's Soccer
8/7/2023 11:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Entering her sixth year at the helm of the University of Michigan women's soccer program, head coach Jennifer Klein leads Team 30 into the 2023 season with hopes of regaining a spot in the Big Ten Tournament and NCAA postseason glory.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan returns six starters, 14 letterwinners and welcomes 11 newcomers to the fold. Six Wolverines hail from the states of Michigan and California, and the roster represents 14 states and provinces. Eleven freshmen, nine sophomores, three juniors and four seniors complete a total roster of 27 student-athletes.
• Klein enters her sixth season a the helm at Michigan with an impressive 56-30-11 mark as the leader of the Wolverine program, having won 63 percent of her matches.
• Seniors Sarah Bridenstine (45 games, 31 starts), Kacey Lawrence (50 games, 15 starts), and Sammi Woods (54 games, 30 starts) are the most senior squad members. All three will serve as team captains for the first time in their Wolverine careers.
• Junior Avery Kalitta returns as the anchor of the U-M midfield after starting all 18 matches a season ago. A Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch (2022) and All-Freshman team member (2021), she is the most match-seasoned member of the junior class with 42 games played (27 starts).
• Two of U-M's top scorers from a season ago return in the senior duo of Woods and Lawrence. Woods led the squad with seven goals and one assist (15 points), while Lawrence was second on the team with four helpers and five goals (14 points). Other returning multiple-goal scorers include senior outside back Sarah Bridenstine and sophomore Jenna Lang, each of whom registered a trio of scores on the season.
• After struggling with injuries in her first two seasons on campus, junior Syah Mangat is a match fit and will be considered an option at center-attacking midfield. A current member of the Canadian Youth National Team pool, she possesses great skill on the ball and represents an attacking presence.
• U-M's rising sophomore class will be looked at to fill the void of some key departures, highlighted by Aniyah League, Taylor Brennan and Kali Burrell. League stepped into the starting XI at left back, starting all 15 matches she played in, while missing some time due to injury.
Brennan stepped into the spot with three starts and 14 matches played overall. In 2023, she will transition to more of an outside winger role. Burrell played in 14 matches in an attacking role, registering seven shots, and will take on a starting role.
• Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Sparkowski returns as the lone netminder with collegiate experience after serving as one of U-M's backups a season ago. The East Meadow, N.Y., native saw action in two matches last season versus Toledo and Central Michigan, totaling 135 minutes of match action.
• Klein will welcome back a familiar face to the coaching staff in Holly Hein, who will serve as an assistant coach. Hein previously spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a volunteer assistant following a standpoint playing career for the Wolverines. Additionally, Conner Williams will join the staff as a soccer analyst after serving as a volunteer assistant coach in the spring.
• U-M begins the season with three straight road matches, marking the first time that has occurred since the 2008 season. Home games in the 2008 campaign were contested in Ypsilanti and Canton due to delays in the construction of U-M Soccer Stadium.
Newcomers
Before the start of the season, Klein announced the addition of 11 student-athletes for the 2023-2024 academic year, including one transfer:
• Claire Heddings (New York, N.Y./Oak Meadow)
• Lilley Bosley (Rochester, Mich./Stoney Creek)
• Jasmine Raines (Alpharetta, Ga./Alpharetta)
• Zoey Milton (Newark, Ohio/Newark)
• Campbell Jewell (Eaton, Ohio/Preble Shawnee)
• Christa Hayden (Coto de Caza, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic)
• Gabrielle Prych (Carlsbad, Calif./San Marcos)
• Ella Sims (San Mateo, Calif./Aragon)
• Katie Mallory (Avondale Estates, Ga./Druid Hills)
• Stella Tapia (Montclair, N.J./Montclair)
• Abby Zugay (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer/Illinois)
Zugay, the lone transfer in the group, is a graduate of Ann Arbor's Pioneer High School and spent her freshman year at Illinois.
"We are very excited for our incoming class. Not only are they a talented group of soccer players with great on-field experience, but they are a collection of young women who have demonstrated through the recruiting process the qualities and characteristics we look for in a Michigan Women's Soccer Student-Athlete. They demonstrate a 'we' mentality, are ultra competitive, committed to their fitness and well being, problem solvers and take ownership of their development. We look forward to their time as a Michigan Wolverine and can't wait to see what they accomplish both on the field and in the classroom while they are here in Ann Arbor."
Schedule
U-M's 19-match schedule features eight matches at U-M Soccer Stadium, including a pair of preseason exhibition matches versus Dayton (Aug. 6) and Xavier (Aug. 12). The Wolverines' non-conference slate is ranked No. 7 in the country per WoSo Independent, while its overall schedule is rated No. 17.
The Wolverines' non-conference slate begins with a trip out west, as U-M will open the season against future Big Ten opponent USC (Aug. 17) and conclude the journey against Pepperdine (Aug. 20). Another stiff test comes on Aug. 24, as U-M will travel to Charlottesville, Va., to take the Cavaliers, who made it to the 2022 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, at 8 p.m.
Michigan opens up its home slate with a two-match homestand, welcoming Boston College (Aug. 31) and Cincinnati (Sept. 3) to U-M Soccer Stadium. The Maize and Blue then travels to South Bend, Ind., for another contest versus an NCAA quarterfinalist in Notre Dame on Sept. 7. Non-conference play wraps up on Sept. 10 against Western Michigan at U-M Soccer Stadium.
Big Ten Conference play opens up on Friday, Sept. 15 as the Wolverines host Minnesota before traveling to Northwestern on Sept. 21 and Illinois (Sept. 24).
A crucial three-match home stretch commences on Sept. 28, as U-M will take on Penn State, Maryland (Oct. 1) and Michigan State (Oct. 7), all at the friendly confines of UMSS.
Road matches at Rutgers (Oct. 12) and Indiana (Oct. 15) follow with the final home game of the regular season on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. against Iowa. Regular-season play wraps up on Sunday, Oct. 22 at Ohio State.
Tickets for the 2023 season can be purchased by visiting the MGoBlue.com women's soocer ticket page.
