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May 9, 2007
Event: Women's Lacrosse Site: Denver, Colorado (Dick's Sporting Goods Facility) Score: #5 Michigan 12, #12 Pittsburgh 6 Record: U-M (16-5) Next U-M Game: vs. Colorado State - May 10, 1:00pm MST - Denver, Colorado (Dick's Sporting Goods Facility) Michigan Doubles Up Pitt 12-6 in Tourney Opener Denver, Colorado - The University of Michigan women's lacrosse team opened the USL-WDIA National Championship Tournament with a 12-6 victory over the 12th seeded Pittsburgh Panthers on Wednesday (May 9) in Denver, Colorado at Dicks Sporting Goods Facility. Michigan jumped out to a 8-3 half-time lead and held on down the stretch for the opening round win. Sophomore Rachel Lary got the Wolverines on the board early, scoring just two minutes in on a feed from freshman Maggie Preketes. Preketes dished out another assist on Michigan's second goal, a tally from sophomore Alexis Pavle, before adding her own at 22:31 for the 3-0 lead. U-M added two more before Pitt got on the board at 16:31. Freshman Sarah Smith notched a goal and added an assist in the first half as the Wolverines took a 8-3 lead into the half. The Panthers scored the first goals of the second half to cut the lead to 8-5, but the Wolverines rallied, scoring four unanswered goals including two from Pavle and two from freshman Amy Johnson. Pitt added one goal in the final minutes, but it obviously wasn't enough as Michigan walked away with the 12-6 win. Michigan will take the field tomorrow afternoon at 1:00pm MST when they battle Colorado State in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. NOTES ● Alexis Pavle and Rachel Lary paced the team with three goals a piece. ● Maggie Preketes led the team in total points with 2-2-4. ● Senior captain Noelle Frazier posted a team-high five groundballs, while Pavle notched three draw controls. ● Freshman Liz Mennen was stellar with 12 saves in the contest while only allowing six goals. QUOTES Head Coach Mary Ann Meltzer On the game itself: "I thought we came out pretty strong. Liz was big for us, Taylor was solid, and Natalie really shut down their top player. The attack was doing a nice job on the ride as well." On not getting down after Pitt got back in the game: "We've talked about not getting too down after goals. We can't panic and just need to shake it off. We need to go to the draw and let it go." On playing CSU: "My understanding is that they have a strong freshman class and their goalie from last year is back. Everybody is ready to play come tournament time so we need to head into the game fully ready for a tough test." Freshman Goaltender Liz Mennen On the game: "You could tell the intensity was definitely amplified. The mental focus really picked up a notch though . We knew we had a challenge and a lot to prove and I think we came out and did that. I was very happy with the way we played as a team." On her performance: "Obviously I'm never going to be successful without the rest of the team, but it was nice to get this under my belt. Knowing we can play like this should give us something to build off of tomorrow." Senior Defender Marie Wolbert On getting the first game out of the way: "I think the new players really stepped it up. We've got so much depth on this team. I think the team understands how big this is." On how the win last year vs. CSU affects this year: "Yeah, they've got some new players, but we've got a lot of new players as well so I'm not sure how much last year's win matters. We just need to concentrate on our game." On not getting too down after Pitt got back in the game: "We've talked about that a lot, especially after Cal-Poly. We just need to stay in the now, and every draw control is another opportunity to get possession and get another goal, regardless of who got the last one. We just need to shake things off when they don't go our way." Contact: Joe Hennessy - jjhennes@umich.edu - 734-276-8493 |
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