The Michigan women’s soccer team has never won an NCAA title.
The closest the Wolverines came to a championship was under Debbie Rademacher in 2002, when they made a run to the Elite Eight before losing to Santa Clara. After taking his team to the Sweet 16 last year, Michigan coach Greg Ryan is confident that this year could be “very special.”
Saturday, the third-seeded Wolverines (9-1-1 Big Ten, 15-3-1 overall) will host Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This weekend’s winner will move on to face the victor of Louisville and Illinois State.
The Panthers (6-1 Horizon, 10-8-1) are coming into their 11th NCAA Tournament as conference champions. In Sunday’s Horizon League championship game, forward Kelly Lewers scored with 23 seconds left to lift her team to its sixth straight tournament title. She is second on her team with nine goals and was named both tournament MVP and Horizon League Player of the Year.
But of the five NCAA Tournament teams it has faced this season, Wisconsin-Milwaukee has only one victory. Of those four losses, one was at the hands of Michigan in the season opener. The game ended in a 3-0 shutout victory for the Wolverines.
“We played them early in the year, and both teams were just getting started,” Ryan said. “However, both teams have improved tremendously since then.”
In last week’s Big Ten Tournament, old scoring struggles returned to force a first-round Michigan exit. Still, Ryan feels that the early elimination actually gave his team a huge advantage. With 11 days off, the team had the opportunity to physically and mentally recover before hitting the field once again.
“These are possibly our best days of training all year,” Ryan said. “The reason is we were able to rest. It’s amazing what it does for the legs, the mind and the spirit.”
Added senior defender Holly Hein: “We’ve been working on the fundamentals, like making sure our back line is sound, getting to the goal and making sure everyone is committed to scoring and working collectively.”
If the Wolverines are going to score, they will need to do it early. In the games when it scores first, Michigan is 13-0. To continue this trend, Ryan has made his team play pickup games that end when the first goal is scored, emphasizing the importance of getting ahead in the game.
“The key for us is not just being content to have the ball but to do something with it,” Ryan said. “We have to recognize that whether we score first or not, we have to continue to battle away.”
Saturday, Michigan will have home-field advantage as it hosts a first-round game for the second consecutive year. In fact, the Wolverines are undefeated (7-0) in NCAA Tournament games in Ann Arbor.
The last time Michigan was at U-M Soccer Stadium was in its last regular-season game against Ohio State on Nov. 2. The chance to play at home again is especially meaningful for the seniors.
“It wasn’t guaranteed that we’d get another game here,” Hein said. “It’s really nice to have at least one more here, and we’re really happy about it.”
Added Ryan: “Once the NCAA Tournament starts, you have to throw everything out. What’s on paper doesn’t matter anymore. It’s what’s in your heart, what’s in your mind and what’s in your body. It’s how much you’re willing to bring to each and every game because every one is going to be a battle.”