Blue wins 3-2, recovers from physical weekend

By Jeff Phillips

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan women's soccer team (6-3-1 Big Ten, 9-6-1 overall) entered yesterday's game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee bumped and bruised, and left the 3-2 victory over the Panthers more so.

A day after the Wolverines wrapped up the Big Ten season with a tie against Northwestern, Michigan rested their wounds in preparation for No. 1 Notre Dame. But it got more than it expected from a physically punishing Wisconsin-Milwaukee team.

"We had no idea how physical they were going to be," Michigan coach Debbie Belkin Rademacher said.

Michigan got off to a quick start after Kacy Beitel scored a goal just five minutes into the game.

The Wolverines continued the offensive explosion by scoring two goals within two minutes at the end of the first half.

Marie Spaccarotella knocked in an Erika Kleinholz cross with 18 minutes remaining in the half, and Abby Tompkins finished a Beitel pass for Michigan's third goal.

The Wolverines narrowly missed a fourth goal after Beitel leapt above the Wisconsin-Milwaukee defenders for a powerful header that bounced off the crossbar.

Michigan ended the half with a 3-0 lead, but returned in the second half to an opponent that was ready for battle.

The Panthers and Wolverines kept the referees at attention with constant shoving, grabbing and tripping. Despite the physicality, neither team drew a yellow or a red card. Each team drew about the same amount of penalties, with neither team showing themselves as the aggressor.

Physical play "is a characteristic of weaker teams and college teams in general," Spaccarotella said.

The style of play favored Wisconsin-Milwaukee as the Panthers were able to keep the Michigan at bay while finally earning a genuine scoring chances.

With the game seemingly in hand with 15 minutes left in the game and the Wolverines still ahead by three, Rademacher put in many players who have not had the opportunity to play much of the season.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee took advantage of the inexperienced players and finally notched a goal with just over ten minutes left.

"We had a lot of new faces in and we were just getting used to" (playing together), goalkeeper Carissa Stewart said.

The Panthers continued to pressure the defense and it paid off. With less than two minutes to play, Wisconsin-Milwaukee earned a free kick from just outside the penalty box. The Panthers' Erin Blaedow shot the ball toward the short side of the goal while avoiding the four-man wall and Stewart never had a chance.

In the final minute, the Wolverines' defense stood strong and held on for the win.

On Friday, Michigan hosted Northwestern (2-6-1, 3-10-1) for its final Big Ten game of the season. The Wolverines battled to a 0-0 tie with the Wildcats, despite firing 39 shots.

In the final two minutes of the second overtime period, Michigan's Stephanie Chavez - who leads the team in points - had a chance to win with a breakaway, but her shot sailed high.

"We're very disappointed," Beitel said. "It hurts to dominate a game and not put a goal in."

The tie puts Michigan back into third in the Big Ten, behind Wisconsin and Penn State. Both teams defeated the Wolverines in head-to-head competition.

DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily

The Michigan women's soccer team plays in the Big Ten Tournament in two weeks.