After clearing the cobwebs in a loss to Dayton, the Michigan women’s soccer team looked to step up its play and end its preseason 1-1. To beat Pittsburgh, the Wolverines had to come out of the gates fleet-footed, but instead hobbled on their backfoot.
With an early penalty giving the Panthers the lead in the third minute, Michigan hunkered down, looking to stem the bleeding defensively in the first half. Rallying in the second, the Wolverines found their footing, but couldn’t convert any offensive opportunities into goals, ultimately losing the friendly, 1-0.
Following Pitt’s lone goal, Michigan managed to contain the Panther’s offense. With four set pieces in the half, three corners and one free kick, the Wolverines defense remained composed, clearing the first three before graduate goalie Allison Karpovich saved the fourth. While not the most suffocating defense, Michigan made its way through the half without giving up a second goal.
“Obviously, getting a penalty kick called against us in the first five minutes of the game was tough, and that kind of took away a little bit of momentum from us,” senior midfielder Jenna Lang said. “But ultimately, we tried to uphold consistency throughout the first half into the second half, and that’s really just something we’ve been working on.”
Though the Wolverines had a few shots in the first half, their pace ramped up immediately in the second. From the kickoff, Michigan adjusted to Pitt’s high offensive scheme. Instead of relying on a concentrated attack in the middle, the Wolverines pivoted to spreading the field on both axes. Stringing together more passes in this widened and lengthened field, the Wolverines penetrated the Panthers’ defense, resulting in the first of many quality opportunities with a shot in the 52nd minute.
“Sometimes we get a little bit stubborn in what we want the game to look like, and we have to play the game that’s in front of us,” Coach Jennifer Klein said. “…Once (we) realized, ‘Okay, this is what it is,’ we can go around them, we can go over them — possess higher up the field, and once we’re there, then we can lock them in and play.”
After a quick hydration break in the 65th minute, Michigan again came out quick. Building from the back, the Wolverines one-timed the ball through the defense before finding freshman striker Elle Ervin alone up top. Wasting no time, Ervin slotted it left and low, but a great stretch from Pitt’s goalie knocked it out of bounds for a corner.
The increased aggression from Michigan forced the Panthers to collapse in their own half. This limited the Panthers to only one shot in the entire second half, six fewer than the Wolverines. However, even with seven shots, off-kilter attempts and well-timed closeouts kept Michigan scoreless through the game.
The Wolverines have the talent to create quality offensive opportunities, however converting is a different story. If they are able to find that extra moment of clarity, whether that’s taking the shot earlier or finding a player on a cut, their offensive production will skyrocket. But if not, Michigan risks repeating the past year — a season where the Wolverines ended at the bottom of the Big Ten offensively.
With a statistical edge in shots, shots on goal, fouls and corner kicks, Michigan demonstrated that it was the superior team down the stretch. However, if the Wolverines intend to win in the regular season, it needs to demonstrate its prowess early in the match, not just at the 45 minute mark and beyond.
