A Michigan women’s soccer player shouted to sophomore Courtney Mercier, “Go forward, Courtney, go forward.” She may have been yelling about field position, but her words became the theme of the night.

An aggressive style paired with better ball movement helped Michigan defeat Oakland 3-0 last night at the Michigan Soccer Complex, a big step for the young team.

“In the past we’ve played more of a defensive game,” junior forward Amanda Bowery said. “But now we’re trying to change that and get attacking, because we’re never going to win a game if we can’t score a goal.”

The Wolverines (4-5) jumped out to an early lead. Just over 10 minutes into the game, junior Jackie Carron was fouled and awarded a free kick within striking distance of the goal. She promptly launched an arching pass into the box right in front of the goalkeeper. Freshman Holly Hein got just enough of her head on the ball to direct it to the back of the net.

“That’s typical of Jackie,” Michigan coach Greg Ryan said. “(She) puts it in the right place. We make the right runs. We’ve got a lot of tall girls, and it’s tough for a goalie when you play a ball in that deep that well.”

After the Wolverines took the early lead, sophomore goaltender Haley Kopmeyer was busy preserving it. She had two nearly identical saves, one in each half. In each case, an Oakland player shot from outside the box, aiming high. Each time, Kopmeyer skied for the ball and extended an arm to barely tip the ball out of its path to the goal.

“That’s been one thing we’ve been working on a lot lately,” Kopmeyer said. “Getting back to our line, then just get yourself into position. Then as they go up, I just kinda jump and pray I get a finger on them.”

Kopmeyer finished the game with seven saves to make her fourth start of the season a memorable one. It was the first shutout for the Wolverines since Oct. 12, 2008 when they blanked Ohio State at home.

With its new attacking mentality, Michigan scored with less than two minutes left in the first half. Hein was deep in Golden Grizzlies territory and slid a pass to redshirt junior Alex Jendrusch who pocketed the ball smoothly right into the net.

Because his team was still tired from last weekend's games in California, Ryan changed formations and made it simpler for his team in the second half.

The Wolverines controlled the ball and maintained possession, but their new strategy only led to one more goal.

In the 61st minute, the Wolverines strung together four touches, and senior quad-captain Amy Klippert notched the game-clinching goal.

Bowery saw the ball movement on the field as a sign of progress.

“We’ve gotten a lot better especially since when (Ryan) came here two years ago,” Bowery said. “Our ball control has gotten so much better, and every day (we're) working on possession and speed of play. You can see it on the field. It’s working a lot better.”