All Blue Issue 2: Non-conference Tune-Ups and Golf Trophies

Like many of the assembled 109,000 or so, I spent much of Saturday glued to the largest screens I have ever seen, the new scoreboards at Michigan Stadium. I have some thoughts about the (mostly!) good and (relatively minimal!) bad of how they're being used, but it's clear they're still working some things out so I'll save them for Week 4 or so.

Of course, there's always a local angle, so I will say how excited I got when I saw the scroll of volleyball and women's soccer (Barbie Day!) and field hockey promotions on the boards. Not like the old boards where they would run those between quarters, but during gameplay, utilizing that huge space to advertise a huge campus. If you're at the Big House Saturday, take a look and make a mental note of a game you want to go to.

Watch Grid

If you are looking for a one-stop-shop to find out the next time some Wolverines play on real TV (or a particularly widely-available streaming service), check the Watch Grid (better name pending). It's at all blue dot fans slash tv, so you can just type it into your phone when sitting on the couch.

Three Previews

Previews go first at All Blue because my main goal is to help you watch sports, and I figure you're more likely to watch something if its above the fold, so to speak.

Women's Soccer @ #11 Notre Dame, Thursday Sep. 7, 7p, ACCNX

Michigan's on a run of four unbeaten, and having stolen a draw at ranked Virginia, who knows what could be in the cards in South Bend. Michigan's won the matches they were supposed to, but could use the type of resume win a non-conference tilt with a rival can provide.

Notre Dame opened its season with three wins and two draws. They needed a late goal to save the draw against (also ranked) Arkansas, and gave up a similarly late goal in East Lansing before holding out for a 2-1 win. Michigan last played the Irish in 2019, a 1-0 loss in Ann Arbor.

Notre Dame has only kept one clean sheet this season, while Michigan has kept three (straight) against a not-significantly-weaker schedule. If Michigan can score early, keeper Stephanie Sparkowski and the rest of Michigan's backline might be able to run out the clock.

This one is on ACCNX, which is available on the ESPN app to ACC Network subscribers.

Volleyball v. North Carolina, Friday Sep. 8, 7p, Crisler Center, B1G+
v. Duke, Saturday Sep. 9, 7p, Cliff Keen Arena, B1G+

Two schools from Tobacco Road will spend their weekend travelling US-127. UNC and Duke will each play once against Michigan and once against Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Last year, with this event held in North Carolina, Michigan beat UNC but lost to Duke, while MSU went 0-2.

North Carolina is 4-1, with its only loss against UC Davis. They've won their last two in straight sets, though those were both at home over meh opponents. Unfortunately, the North Carolina version of me* is currently referring to Michigan as one of those "meh opponents". This is the one they're putting at Crisler, which is likely less about the relative quality of the two opponents and more about the Crisler lot not being available on Saturday.

Duke is 4-2, but is on a four-game win streak. They dropped the opener to now-#20 Purdue, likely the best team they have played so far this season. This one is in the smaller confines of Cliff Keen, and is timed perfectly for you to get bored midway through Davis Warren time and wander over. Your football ticket gets you in free.

Michigan has struggled in the first two weeks of the system. And that's fine, that's par for the course when a program that has consistently seen mid-tier results changes their coach for the first time in 25 years. But a win in one of this weekends games would go a long way for providing proof of concept for the Erin Virtue era.

*I would actually very sincerely like to meet this person, should they exist.

#8 Field Hockey v. #10 St. Joseph's, Sunday Sep. 10, 1p, B1G+

It'll be a top 10 clash at Ocker Field as Michigan hosts the Hawks. While the Wolverines also host Davidson on Friday, the Sunday ranked match is the last tune-up before conference play begins next week. St. Joe's is 3-1, and will likely collect a fourth win in East Lansing before coming to Ann Arbor. (Away teams love to come do the Michigan swing, huh?)

The Hawks are one of the more prolific scoring teams in the country, as their 3.25 goals per game put them juuuust inside the top 10 in scoring average. (There are some weird sample size caveats here, such as a 9-0 UMass Lowell game or Syracuse's scores so far being 6-1, 9-1, and 5-1, which is certainly atypical for field hockey.) Their only player with three or more goals is Manu Ghigliotti with six, though in more "non-con does weird stuff with sample sizes" caveats, she scored four of those goals were scored during a 6-1 drubbing of Yale. (Sorry Mr. Burns.)

Michigan opens the Big Ten schedule against Ohio State next week. As we've mentioned, there are tons of opportunities in the Big Ten season to pick up ranked wins. But a win against St. Joe's and they go 2-2 v. ranked opponents in non-con, a solid start before the relentless Big Ten stretch.

Three Recaps

Men's Soccer

v. #9 Akron, 1-1 T
@ Bowling Green, 2-1 L

Not unlike the women before them, the Michigan men's soccer team has picked up possibly its most important result of the season and it wasn't a win, but a draw against a top 10 team. Michigan had control of this match throughout much of the first half, though I can't really prove that to you with the box score. First half shots were an even 4-4, and possession stats are not available for college soccer (yet). But I watched much of this match and they had solid possession, which was rewarded late in the first with a penalty kick. A Zip got Joao Paulo Ramos' leg instead of the ball, and Quin Rogers put the PK home for the 1-0 lead.

While Akron clearly took the momentum in the second half, Michigan was holding on until Will Baker picked up his second yellow in the 62nd minute. With Michigan down a man, the field was tilted in Akron's favor. Less than ten minutes later, a misplay by keeper Hayden Evans was picked up by Akron's Jason Shokalook in the box, allowing him an open goal. Despite a couple more Akron chances, Michigan was able to play out the half and pick up a draw that will look great on a selection committee team sheet.

The only thing I really want to talk about in the Bowling Green game is Michigan's goal. The goal was scored on a solo run by junior Michael Leon, his first of the season. But the headline to me is the assist, a perfectly weighted pass from Hayden Evans. It is the first assist recorded by a Michigan keeper in just over ten years, and I really mean just over. Evans' recorded his on 9/1/2023, the last keeper assist before that is Adam Grinwis on 8/30/2013 in a 5-2 win over Loyola-Chicago. This one was helpfully on Youtube, so this link will take you to the right spot in the match.

Men's Golf

Island Resort Intercollegiate, 1st place

Men's golf opened its season by traveling to Bark River, Michigan, a town of less than 2,000, just west of Escanaba in the beautiful Upper Peninsula. It wasn't exactly home turf, technically it was hosted by South Dakota State but they went out there and won the dang thing. It is the third event the Wolverines have won under fifth year head coach Zach Barlow, putting him just two behind his predecessor in about half the time.

Michigan was paced by Hunter Thompson, who hit 65 and 66 in rounds two and three to take second overall in the individual standings. Just behind him was Ben Hoagland, whose second-round 64 tied for the low round at the tournament. Jack O'Donnel hit one under par over three rounds, and Yugi Liu's 216 put him right on the number. Michigan will head to suburban Chicago next weekend for the Chicago Highlands Collegiate, which will include ranked teams Virginia and Wake Forest.

#8 Field Hockey

v. #18 Old Dominion, 1-0 W (OT)

Field Hockey had already grabbed their first win in an easy 5-1 contest over UC Davis, and faced a big home test against ODU. Michigan dominated on the stat sheet, with ODU only forcing two saves all match, and both in the first half. Michigan meanwhile got off 8 shots on goal during regulation. Despite Michigan's possession advantage, at the final whistle the score remained 0-0, and they went to overtime.

It didn't last long. Just over three minutes into overtime, Natalie Millman had the ball near the corner of the circle, made the cross to Alana Richardson right in front of the net, and Richardson sent it home. It was Millman's third assist on the season, a team-high for a true freshman.

What Else Is Blue?

• Michigan cross country opened its season by hosting the annual Michigan Open. The expected results held as Kayla Windmuller won for the women and Tom Brady won for the men. The women will travel to Michigan's first event with team scoring, the Badger Open, this weekend.
• Michigan softball fall ball schedule announced. September 29, October 8, October 13 at home with free admission.
• It was already known that Michigan would host an NCAA Women's Gynmastics Regional, it has now been announced that that regional will follow the Thursday/Friday/Sunday schedule the weekend of April 4-7, 2024.
• If you've made it this far I just want to throw out there that I remembered they're hosting the College Bowling National Championships in Allen Park in April, I'll probably try to check that out.