Nov. 2, 2006

Final Stats | Tournament Central

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 5 Michigan will make its fourth-straight semifinal appearance in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after once again turning up its postseason intensity for an upset of No. 4 Indiana. In a wacky first-half that saw both teams get on the board with own goals, Lindsey MacDonald netted her first goal of the season in the 29th minute to give Michigan a 2-1 lead that proved enough to hold on for the win.

In the 2005 postseason event, the Wolverines entered as the eighth seed and upset Penn State - then the nation's top team - in a shootout before advancing to the championship game. Seemingly improbable runners-up a year ago, the Wolverines responded to an early 1-0 deficit with two unanswered goals, earning another postseason meeting with the Nittany Lions. The teams collide in the second semifinal contest on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Although Michigan controlled the ball early in the first half, Indiana's Lindsay McCarthy had the Hoosiers' best scoring chance when she punched a shot toward the Michigan goal at the 29th minute. In the six-yard box, McCarthy sent a shot sailing toward the far post, but the ball trickled along the crossbar and then ricocheted off the post too far for Indiana's Carrie DeFreece attempted to chase down the rebound.

Indiana would post a score first in the 16th minute on an own goal. Michigan's Amy Klippert was working inside the Michigan box to clear a shot ball, but the ball took an awkward turn on her header, blooping just out of the reach of goalkeeper Megan Tuura in the right corner of the net.

The Wolverines countered at 19:26 with another own goal. Indiana's Lauren Lamping hunted down a Michigan shot to clear it from the Hoosiers' box. But the senior defender mis-hit the ball beyond teammate Stacey Van Boxmeer between the posts to level the score at 1-1.

Michigan scored the go-ahead goal on a kick situation in the 29th minute. Judy Coffmann delivered the kick, and Jessica Boots' header redirected it to Lindsey MacDonald. Unchallenged at farside of box, MacDonald launched a shot across the goal into the corner of the next beyond Van Boxmeer's reach. 

The Hoosiers looked poised to send the game into extras late with a couple of excellent scoring opportunities around the 75th minute. But the Wolverines and Tuura deflected shots from rookie Liz Holby and Christie Kotynski to keep the lead alive.