A win only takes one goal.
In the first 10 minutes of the Michigan women’s soccer game against No. 23 Penn State, junior midfielder Sarah Stratigakis passed the ball to fellow midfielder sophomore Meredith Haakenson. Haakenson capitalized on the opportunity and fired a shot into the upper right corner of the goal — scoring the only point of the game as the Wolverines won, 1-0.
In the 11th minute of the Michigan men’s soccer team’s match against Oakland, spectators saw graduate transfer forward Nebojsa Popovic fire a shot at Golden Grizzlies goalkeeper Sullivan Lauderdale. They saw senior forward Jack Hallahan bury the rebound in the back of the net and run off celebrating.
But the most important part of the play came before that. Faced with a charging defender along the sideline, junior winger Umar Farouk Osman made a quick stutter-step that put his opponent on skates, creating space for a cross to Popovic to set up the goal.
The Wolverines’ (3-2-1) ability to maintain possession under pressure was vital to their success against Oakland (3-2-1) at the U-M Soccer Stadium on Tuesday.
Belief. It’s a word Michigan men’s soccer coach Chaka Daley used a lot after the Wolverines' (3-2-1) 2-0 victory over Oakland University (3-2-1) on Tuesday night. More specifically, Daley wanted to take that belief away from the Golden Grizzlies. His squad had plenty of their own. In the 11th minute, the Wolverines were able to force more shots on target and finally capitalize. Hallahan found the ball at his feet after a shot by graduate transfer forward Nebosja Popovic was deflected by Oakland goalkeeper Sullivan Lauderdale, and he finally broke the drought. But when asked about what he did best tonight, Hallahan was quick to acknowledge his achievements on the other side of the ball.
Eight minutes in, disaster struck for the Wolverines. They’d fight. They’d keep their composure. But they’d never recover.
Being a goalkeeper is one of the most high-pressure jobs in sports. Nothing between the player and the net – just a pair of gloves between the player and a soccer ball hurtling forward, often at upwards of 50 miles an hour. An intimidating task, to say the least.
The Wolverines’ only slip up came in the 51st minute of play, when a defensive breakdown led to Washington’s Kasey French receiving a pass in the right side of the box. He put a perfectly placed shot in the top of the net, past the outstretched arms of senior goalkeeper Andrew Verdi, to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
Shortly after her team snapped a 327 minute scoreless streak en route to a 2-0 victory, Michigan coach Jennifer Klein stood on the pitch explaining what it took for the team to finally find the back of the net.
It wasn’t that the link-up play was sloppy or that the team couldn’t march their way towards their opponent’s 18-yard box. The offense’s lack of production boiled down to the failure to adhere to one simple phrase.
“If you wanna score goals,” Klein said “you gotta shoot the ball.”
Ultimately, it’s all about finishing.
The Michigan men’s soccer team learned that lesson Sunday evening in its 1-0 loss to No. 13 Washington. Despite plenty of close calls and solid scoring opportunities, the Wolverines were unable to break through when it mattered.
Michigan started off confidently and maintained control of play for most of the first half. The Wolverines’ defense consistently frustrated Washington’s attack and recovered the ball when they needed to.
After 327 minutes, Michigan finally ended its scoring drought when sophomore Raleigh Loughman ripped a shot into the upper corner 80 minutes into Sunday’s game. The play started when sophomore Meredith Haakenson received the ball from the corner, took a touch, turned and sent the ball towards the goal. The goalie dove and blocked the ball with an outstretched arm, but it rebounded right into Loughman’s path. A second later, the ball found the back of the net.
In the 86th minute of the Michigan women’s soccer team’s match against Notre Dame, junior midfielder Sarah Stratigakis received a strong cross from the wing and fired a header on goal. The shot was the Wolverines’ best and final chance to go ahead, but Fighting Irish goalkeeper Mattie Interian denied it with a diving stop.
Seconds later, Michigan's fortunes shifted drastically. Instead of celebrating a dramatic, game-winning goal, the Wolverines found themselves chasing Notre Dame forward Kiki Van Zanten as she charged through the Michigan back line and buried a header on a flawless cross. Instead of walking away with a solid non-conference win, the Wolverines left the field with a 1-0 loss.