Mary Wandolowski
|
|
#16 Panthers Head To Notre Dame For NCAA First Round
Milwaukee takes on Michigan State in search of third second-round berth in four seasons
THIS WEEK IN PANTHER SOCCER
Michigan State v. #16 Milwaukee
(NCAA Game 2: Toledo @ #1 Notre Dame)
Game #23: Friday, Nov. 14 • 4 p.m. • South Bend, Ind.
Gameday Media: Gametracker
NCAA Tournament Second Round
Game #22: Sunday, Nov. 16 • Noon • South Bend, Ind.
Gameday Media: Gametracker
• NCAA Tournament Information Packet in PDF Format 
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Nov. 12, 2008) - The 16th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team heads to South Bend, Ind., this weekend to take on Michigan State in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Panthers and Spartans face off Friday with the winner advancing to Sunday's second round contest against the winner of Notre Dame and Toledo.
Freshman Firepower
Friday's game will feature two of the more prolific freshman goal-scorers in the nation in Milwaukee's Sarah Hagen and Michigan State's Laura Heyboer. Hagen leads the nation with 24 goals and is second with 54 points. Heyboer is fourth with 19 goals scored and tied for fifth in points (47). The pair have been near or at the top of the national scoring charts for much of the season.
As Of Late
Milwaukee enters the NCAA Tournament on a nine-game winning streak and sitting at 18-2-2 on the season. The Panthers have been flat-out dominant since suffering their second loss of the season Oct. 3. Since then, UWM has scored 37 goals in the nine games, while yielding just four scores on defense. Milwaukee's last contest was a 6-2 win over Loyola in the league championship game last Sunday.
The "Silver" Anniversary
The Panthers are playing their 25th season as a varsity sport. The team will be celebrating the occasion all season long, recognizing outstanding achievements and moments in UWM women's soccer history. The squad will also be wearing special patches commemorating the season.
Getting Noticed
The Panthers are a school-record 16th in the NSCAA national poll, marking the seventh-straight week they have been nationally ranked. They have also held strong in both the Soccer America and Soccer Buzz national polls at No. 17. In the region, Milwaukee remained entrenched in its No. 2 ranking in the NSCAA Great Lakes Poll behind national No. 1 Notre Dame.
Fun With The RPI
The NCAA released its third and final RPI of the season Nov. 4, with Milwaukee making a five-spot jump to No. 21 in the nation. The Panthers were No. 34 in the first RPI released Oct. 7 and rose to No. 26 Oct. 21. UWM has gained its standing thanks in part to nine non-league top-100 opponents, which they boast a 6-1-2 record against. In fact, of the team's 11 non-league opponents, just one in the bottom half of the 318-team rating system and the average place of the 11 teams is 85.
A Look At The Opposition - Michigan State
The Spartans earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament after finishing fourth in the Big Ten with a 5-4-1 record. Michigan State has struggled as of late, though, going 0-3-3 over its last six games, but still boasting a 13-6-3 overall record. Laura Heyboer is among the national leaders in goals scored with a team-high 19 and in points with 47. She was named the conference's offensive player of the year and newcomer of the year. Lauren Hill has also topped the 30-point mark for MSU, with 12 goals and nine assists (33 points). In goal, Jill Fiestra has started the last four games and is 0-1-3 with a 0.60 goals against average and one shutout.
A Look At The Rest Of The Pod
Notre Dame (21-0-0)
The Irish are the No. 1 team in the nation and, at 21-0, with good reason. Notre Dame is second in the nation in scoring with 3.43 goals per game and fourth nationally with a 0.348 goals against average. Kerri Hanks leads the team with 18 goals and 10 assists for 46 points. Melissa Henderson has added 16 goals and an assist for 33 points.
Toledo (16-4-1)
Toledo is 16-4-1 on the season and is in the NCAA Tournament on the strength of a third-straight MAC Championship. The Rockets enter the tournament with an 11-game unbeaten streak (10-0-1) with seven shutouts and seven one-goal wins in that time. Four players have topped 10 points for UT, including Melissa Cornwell and her team-high seven goals and five assists (19 points)
Series History
Milwaukee and Michigan State have not played since 1993. The Spartans won meetings in each season from 1988-93, after the Panthers won their first meeting in 1986.
On the other side of the bracket, UWM last played Notre Dame in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, falling 1-0 in a tight contest. The Irish hold a 4-1 series advantage over Milwaukee. Lastly, the Panthers have won their only regular season meeting with Toledo while also scoring a 3-0 win in an exhibition match earlier this season.
NOT Looking Ahead, But...
Whatever team emerges from South Bend at the end of the weekend will face the last team standing in Minneapolis, Minn. Host Minnesota is playing Marquette, while No. 4 seed Colorado is taking on South Dakota State.
First Place In The Big Ten
Milwaukee's win over Northwestern Sept. 24 pushed the Panthers' record against Big Ten opponents this season to 3-0 and extended their unbeaten streak against the conference to seven (5-0-2). Milwaukee is the only non-Big Ten team in the nation with three wins against the conference and is one of five to have played three games against Big Ten foes.
NCAA History
UWM is making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend. Overall, the Panthers are 0-5-2 in tourney play, including trips to the second round in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, Milwaukee was assigned to the Notre Dame regional and got past Michigan in the first round in a penalty kick shootout. The Panthers then went on to play the No. 1 Irish, falling 1-0 in a close match. UWM has also made NCAA trips in 1997, 2001 and 2002.
Eerie Similiarities
Since 2000, 20 Milwaukee teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. In addition to the 2006 women's soccer team, the 2001 baseball team was also sent to a Notre Dame regional. In 2003, the men's basketball team drew UND in the first round and the men's soccer tournament pitted UWM against the Irish in the second round. As for Michigan State, the women's soccer team is not the first to face the Spartans in the tournament. Women's basketball faced MSU in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and volleyball played the Spartans in the 2000 tourney.
We Are The Champions
The Panthers captured their fifth Horizon League tournament championship over the weekend with an emphatic 6-2 over Loyola Sunday. The win clinched the team's berth into the NCAA Tournament, its fifth automatic bid. UWM also has one at-large berth in its team history, getting the nod in 2006.
Last Week In Review
Friday - Milwaukee 2, Wright State 1
Senior Sarah Teegarden headed home the game-winning goal with 1:48 remaining in regulation to propel Milwaukee to a 2-1 win over Wright State Friday night in the Horizon League Semifinals at Loyola Soccer Park.
Sunday - Milwaukee 6, Loyola 2
Freshman Sarah Hagen tallied her first collegiate hat trick and three more Panthers scored as UWM rolled over Loyola, 6-2, in the 2008 Horizon League Championship game Sunday afternoon at Loyola Soccer Park. The Panthers, who won for the ninth-straight time, claimed their fifth league tournament title and their first since 2005.
She Doesn't Normally Wear A Hat
Sarah Hagen tallied her first career hat trick last Sunday with three goals in the league championship game. It was also Milwaukee's first hat trick since Oct. 12, 1997. Overall, four players have accounted for 12 hat tricks in school history. Lisa Krzykowski holds the school record with five hat tricks, including one of four school-record four-goal games in school history. The multi-goal outburst was her school record sixth of the season, while her seven points (one assist) are the fifth-most in a game in school history.
M-V-P ... M-V-P ... M-V-P
Sarah Hagen was named the Horizon League Tournament MVP Sunday after her seven-point outburst led the Panthers to a tourney title. She is UWM's fifth league tournament MVP after senior Erin Kane in 2005, Lisa Bengtsson in 2002, Erin Blaedow in 2001 and Lisa Krzykowski in 1995. Hagen was joined on the all-tournament team by Kane, senior Sarah Teegarden, junior Kate Megna and freshman Mary Wandolowski. Milwaukee has had an MVP at every tournament they competed in this season that handed out post-tournament awards. Megna was the offensive MVP of the Minnesota Gold Classic and Hagen was the MVP of the season-opening Milwaukee Cup. Hagen, Megna and Teegarden have each been named to all three all-tournament, while Wandolowski has been named to two. Junior Erin Kreuser and freshman Keara Thompson were also named to the Milwaukee Cup team.
Gonna Need More Than One Shelf
After her championship game hat trick Sarah Hagen was named to the Soccer America National Team of the Week for the second time this season. Overall, it was her fourth national team of the week honor to go with three Horizon League Player of the Week awards. Hagen was named to the Soccer Buzz National Elite Team of the Week Sept. 1 and Sept. 8. She pulled double-duty Sept. 8, also appearing on Soccer America's team for the first time.
League Awards
Milwaukee placed a school-record five players on the all-league first team when the league announced its post-season awards at the end of the regular season. Seniors Erin Kane and Sarah Teegarden were each honored for the fourth time in their careers, making them the first teammates in league history to do so. Juniors Kate Megna and Erin Kreuser also made the first team, as did freshman Sarah Hagen. Hagen, who has a league-record 24 goals, was also named the 2008 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year. She is the third Panther to win the award, following Ginny Graczyk in 2003 and Lisa Bengtsson in 2000. She was then joined on the all-newcomer team by freshmen Mary Wandolowski and Keara Thompson.
Coach Of The Year
Head coach Michael Moynihan was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year for the second-straight season and the sixth time in his career. Under his leadership, the Panthers claimed a ninth-straight league regular season championship and have been nationally ranked for much of the season. He also surpassed the school record for wins by a soccer coach, eclipsing the 136 wins Louis Bennett posted with the men's team from 1996-05. Moynihan's career win total is now up to an even 150.
Panther Of The Week
For the final three weeks of the regular season, a Panther was the recipient of the league's player of the week award. Sarah Hagen was the final honoree, as she was Oct. 13. Senior Sarah Teegarden was was the player of the week in the week in between Oct. 20. Hagen now has three weekly awards, while junior Kate Megna also has one honor (Sept. 22), giving Milwaukee five on the year.
Winning Is Contagious
As you would imagine, 18 wins is some sort of record. The Panthers broke the school record for wins in a season, which had been their 16 wins in 2006. Milwaukee's current .864 win percentage is almost 90 points better than what the 2006 team finished at to establish a school record (.773). The Panthers are currently tied for fourth in the nation in wins and tied for ninth in win percentage.
Way To Rebound
When UWM lost to Loyola, 1-0 Oct. 3, it marked the first time this season the Panthers had been shut out. In fact, the scoreless outing was their first since a 0-0 draw with Iowa Oct. 5. In that time, Milwaukee put together a school-record streak of 21-straight games without being shut out. The Panthers have rebounded with 37 goals in their last eight games, an average of 4.1 per game. For the season, UWM has a school-record 64 goals, which puts the team fifth in the nation for goals scored. The team is averaging 2.91 goals per game, which is seventh nationally.
C'mon, Everybody's Doing It...
Despite one player's numbers jumping off the stat page (24 goals... 54 points), a host of Panthers are getting in the scoring habit. Eight players have reached double-figures in points, including Kate Megna's 22 points. UWM now has two players with 20-plus points for the first time since 1997. The eight 10-point scorers are a school record, surpassing the five Milwaukee had in 1993.
Miss Automatic
Sarah Hagen has scored a point in a school-record nine games, including her second school-record seven-game goal-scoring streak of the season. In the league semifinals, she tallied an assist, but was held without a goal for the first time since Oct. 3. Then, in the championship game, she exploded for a three goals and an assist. Despite being just a freshman, Hagen is the only player in school history with a goal in more than four-straight games. For the season, she has scored goals in 17-of-22 games and tallied at least a point in 19.
Record-Breaker
With 24 goals in a season, records are bound to get broken. Hagen topped the school record for freshman goals with her 13th goal Oct. 13. She broke the school single-season goal-scoring mark Oct. 17 against Butler with numbers 17 and 18 and used a goal and two assists to push her point total to 40 break the points record (38) Oct. 24 against Detroit. Then, she tied the league freshman record with her 20th goal against Valparaiso Oct. 26. Nov. 2, she tallied No. 21 to tie the league record for goals in a season. That record was then shattered last Sunday in the league title game. Her 54 points are also just one shy of the league record set by Loyola's Cynthia Morote-Ariza this season.
Freshman Doing Big Things
Hagen leads the nation by three with her 24 goals and is second with 54 points, just one back of the top spot and four ahead of No. 3. In per-game averages, which the NCAA bases its rankings on, she first in goals per game (1.09) and third in points per game (2.45). It goes without saying, but Hagen leads the league in goals, while she is one back in points. She is looking to become the first freshman to lead the league in both categories since Detroit's Cindy Fix in 1993.
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Of Milwaukee's 18 wins this season, six have been decided by one of Sarah Hagen's goals. Her six game-winners are a school record, breaking the previous mark of five. Senior Sarah Teegarden was one of four Panthers that had tallied five in a season, doing so in 2006.
Helping Hands... Er... Feet
Junior Kate Megna has tied a school record with 12 assists this season. Meanwhile, junior Erin Kreuser and sophomore Nicole Sperl are each two back with 10 assists (tied for fourth in school history). Both Megna and Kreuser entered the season with eight career assists and are now in the top five in school history in career helpers. Megna now has 20, which is fourth, and Kreuser has 18, which is fifth. Both players are key members of the offense, as Megna is second on the team with 22 points, which would have been the most by a Panther since 2002 if it were not for Sarah Hagen. Kreuser tallied her first goal of the season to go with her nine assists Oct. 26. She then followed that up goals in the league quarterfinals and semifinals.
Everybody's Helping Out
Led by Megna, Kreuser and Sperl, the team has already accumulated a school-record 70 assists this season. The record had been 50, set by the 1997 team. Also, this season marks the first time UWM has featured three players with at least seven assists, much less 10.
Doing It On Defense, Too
UWM's last loss Oct. 3 not only jump-started the offense, it sparked the defense into shut-down mode. Before surrendering a goal Oct. 26, the Panthers had five-straight shutouts. The five-game shutout streak was Milwaukee's first since it tied a school record with six-straight toward the end of the 2006 season. Over the last nine games, the Panthers have outshot their opponents by an average of 19.9-5.4 and allowed just the four goal goals. The long stretch gave the team some eye-popping league numbers this season. In eight games, UWM allowed just two goals and an average of 5.5 shots per game, while gaining five more corners per game, as well (6.6-1.5).
She Loves League Play
During the team's recent shutout streak, senior Erin Kane had a personal shutout streak of 508:18, the fourth-longest in school history. She owns the four longest streaks and is the only keeper in school history to carry a streak over 500 minutes. But, Kane's success against league teams comes as no surprise. This season, she went 6-1 with a 0.29 GAA. In her career, her numbers look something like this: 0.32 GAA, 25-1-2 record and 17 shutouts in 29 career league matches. She has also shared three shutouts in that time and never allowed more than one goal in a league contest.
Home, Sweet Home
The Panthers posted their best home record in school history, going a national-best 11-0 at home this season. They are also riding a 22-match home unbeaten streak (19-0-3) and have a streak of 35-straight regular season home games without a loss (30-0-5) that remained in tact for another season. And, if you include post-season contests, the team is still an impressive 34-1-6 at home over its last 41 home matches. Milwaukee is also unbeaten in its last 32 league home matches (31-0-1), dating back to Oct. 11, 1998.
Iron Women
As four-year starters, seniors Sarah Teegarden and Erin Kane were bound to play in their fair share of matches. In fact, Teegarden will break the school record for career games played when she takes the field Friday. The game will be the 86th of her career, while her 85 career starts are another school record. Kane, meanwhile, started career game No. 84 last Sunday. As a goalkeeper, Kane's feat appears even more impressive. She long passed the school record for career minutes played and, last weekend, she broke the league record for career goalkeeper minutes. In fact, according to the most recent NCAA record book, Kane's 7766:42 played is eight all-time and could go to fifth with 90 minutes played Friday. Just four keepers have played 8,000 minutes.
League Run
The Panthers had their league-record 31-game league unbeaten streak (29-0-2) snapped Oct. 3 at Loyola. That streak became a league record during the 2006 season. The previous record also belonged to Milwaukee, a 21-game (20-0-1) stretch that immediately preceded the current streak. Since the turn of the century, the Panthers are 55-2-3 in league play.
State Champs
UWM went undefeated against the other three Division I schools in Wisconsin for the second time in three seasons and pushed its unbeaten streak against state schools to nine games (9-0-1) with regular season and league tournament wins over Green Bay this season. The Panthers have not lost to one of the three other Division I schools in the state since 2005. They went 3-0 in 2006 and last season boasted a 2-0-1 record. UWM owns three-straight wins over UW and six-straight over Green Bay. And, finally, Milwaukee has defeated Marquette in 2006 and 2008, with the two teams tying in 2007.
Milwaukee Cup Stays Home
Earlier this season, the Panthers claimed their second-straight Milwauee Cup title. They defeated Ohio State 4-3 on Aug. 27 and Samford 4-2 on Aug. 29 to claim the title. For the third-straight year, co-hosts UWM and Marquette each went 2-0, but this is the second in a row the Panthers claimed the title on the goals scored tiebreaker.
A Few Extra Notes
Milwaukee scored a season-high seven goals at Cleveland State Oct. 10, doing so on just 16 shots. Its 43.8 percent shooting for the game was the team's best since scoring on 2-of-3 shots (66.7%) in a 2-2 tie against Mississippi State Sept. 5, 2004 ... in that game, UWM scored four goals over a 5:28 span early in the second half, setting a school record for the fastest four goals scored in school history. The previous mark was 6:29 and came in the Panthers' 16-0 win over Western Illinois Sept. 5, 1997 ... Erin Kane picked up shutout No. 40 Sept. 19 against Boston University. She is the only player in school and league history to crack the 30-shutout mark and reached 40 in just 71 games ... The Panthers tied Bradley's men's team for an NCAA record with a 24-game unbeaten streak in overtime matches (10-0-14). The streak reached 24 with a tie at New Mexico Sept. 12 and ended in OT two days later against UNLV ... After Ohio State knotted the game at 3-3 on Aug. 27, Nicole Sperl converted the go-ahead goal just 18 seconds later on a penalty kick. It was the third-fastest response goal in school history ... Sarah Hagen was the third Panther freshman to score two goals in her collegiate debut, following Louise Vraney in 2006 and Katie Waltenberger in 1997. This season also marked the third-straight season-opener in which a freshman scored, including Sarah Talbert's first career goal last season ... Vraney has scored on the opening day of each of her three seasons, including Aug. 22 against Wisconsin. No other player in team history has scored on an opening day more than once.
Megna's Memoirs Part Deux
Junior Kate Megna is once again providing her take on the Panthers' season as it goes on, via an online blog at uwmpanthers.com. At the start of every week, Megna looks back on the weekend of action and shares the inside story of the Milwaukee women's soccer team. Visit uwmpanthers.com for the latest installment, which is posted on Monday afternoons. Fans can also follow along with all of UWM's sports at the Verizon Wireless Panther Blogzone. The Blogzone is the perfect place to get a little extra information on your favorite Panther teams.
Next Up
The Panthers are focused on the weekend they have ahead of them at Notre Dame. But, should Milwaukee emerge from South Bend, they would go on to the Sweet 16 Nov. 21 at a site yet to be determined. The victor of Notre Dame's pod will take on the winner of Colorado's pod, which is at Minnesota. That pod included the Buffaloes, host Gophers, Marquette and South Dakota State.
|
