Michigan struck first less than two minutes into the first quarter, but Denver quickly fired back to make it 2-1 just two minutes later. Then came a barrage of Wolverine goals as Michigan jumped out to a 6-3 lead by the half.
Both offenses slowed in the second half. Goalkeeper Erin O’Grady was key to preventing a Denver comeback, posting seven saves in the first half alone. Nielsen said O’Grady had a “career day” and credited the defense around her for forcing weak shots.
As the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter, Dyer said her teammates had one big goal.
“Everybody could not wait to hug Erin O’Grady,” Dyer said. “She really kept us in that game — made a bunch of big stops, the defense in general forced a ton of tough shots. It was exciting. We all ran and dog piled. It was just a huge win.”
The win came on the heels of a busy first week for Michigan that featured road trips to Jacksonville and Cincinnati in the span of four days before the team returned home to play Denver. It also came amid a busy time for school. Dyer had four exams this week.
Nielsen said she was happy about her team’s fitness level coming out of the three-game stretch, especially after playing many of her starters for 60 minutes against Denver. Among Nielsen’s biggest takeaways from the first few matchups: the Wolverines’ resilience and will to win.
She also walked away from the Denver game with a few ideas of what to work on — including how to shift from the mindset of an underdog to the No. 8 team in the country.
Dyer said Michigan likes being the underdog because it can claw its way up. For now, her focus is on building confidence ahead of Big Ten games and ensuring her teammates know that those big wins are possible.
Confidence is an emphasis for Nielsen, too.
“What we need now is to have the belief that we are a team to beat,” Nielsen said. “Playing with a lead is something that’s new to us. … We know who we are and what we can achieve. That’s certainly new for us in the history that I’ve been here. The girls understand that [the Denver win] was fun, but they have to get better from [that] performance to the next one.”