13h ago other sports Edit

Women's Soccer Blanks Michigan 1-0 for Seventh Straight Win

Mark Bator • TheKnightReport

Staff Writer

Besides the Knight Report, Mark is a writer with Micromedia Publications/Jersey Shore Online. He currently does freelance work and was formerly with BleacherReport.com and Hat Trick magazine.

One goal is all the 811 fans at the UM Soccer Stadium saw in the match on Thursday night, but it was all that the Scarlet Knights would need as they improved to 4-0 in conference play with a 1-0 shutout against Michigan.

The Scarlet Knights traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan looking to collect a Big Ten Conference road victory as they faced off against the Wolverines.

Coming into the contest the Scarlet Knights, sporting a 7-1-1 record this season, were looking to take the attack to Michigan, who has been languishing this year with a 2-7-1 record.

Defense has been the hallmark of the Scarlet Knights this season, but through the first 45 minutes of the match, it was the sophomore backstop Olivia Bodmer who kept the Wolverines off the board, recording four saves in the half.

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At the end of the first half the game remained level at 0-0, with the Wolverines collecting five shots, while the Scarlet Knights were held to just two.

But that changed quickly in the second half.

RU’s talented sophomore Ashley Baran launched a left-footed rocket from distance into the back of the Michigan net past an outstretched Stephanie Sparkowski, giving the Knights the 1-0 lead just 42 seconds into the second half.

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Having gotten the one-goal advantage the Scarlet Knights cranked up the defense, which was second in the nation coming into the game, with a 0.22 goals against average.

The ball-hawking play of the Knights created offensive chances that kept Michigan bottled up in their own end of the pitch.

However, with less than 20 minutes left to play, the Wolverines’ offense warmed to the task and began getting chances, looking for the equalizer in the match.

Once again it was the RU defense that saved the day, holding the Wolverines to just three shots in the second half as they recorded their seventh straight shutout victory to improve to 8-1-1 on the season.

The Scarlet Knights will continue their tour through the Great Lakes State as they next move on to East Lansing to do battle with Michigan State. The match with the Spartans is set for Sunday, September 29 at noon. The game will be carried on the Big Ten Plus network.