6B - The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - September 23, 1996
Blue women's soccer ties a pair
By Jacob Wholer
Daily Sports Writer
This weekend, the Michigan women's
soccer team battled to a couple of excit-
ing 2-2 ties against top-ranked teams
California and Kentucky.
But the Wolverines were not terribly
pleased with either result.
"I'm disappointed," coach Debbie
Belkin said. "We played hard, but we had
our opportunities to win."
Friday, California kept coming back
and the Wolverines were unable to slam
the door in the seesaw affair.
Michigan came out strong in the
,beginning.
"We knew they were going to hit hard,
so we had to hit hard in return,' junior
-Ruth Poulin said. .
Freshman Mari Hoff scored to open
the game, but the Golden Bears
answered by halftime. Another fresh-
man, Marie Spaccarotella, put Michigan
ahead in the second half, but California
came back again to send the game into
overtime.
With 30 seconds left in the second 15-
minute overtime, Poulin scored a contro-
versial goal that was taken away.
"There were about five people in the
(penalty) box all going for the ball when
it hit the hands of a California player. For
some reason the sideline referee called
the handball on us," Poulin said.
Many players in the box were signal-
ing for the handball before the goal was
scored. The question was which team
committed the penalty
"We watched the tape later and it con-
firmed that it should have been a goal;'
said Belkin.
The goal would have given the
Wolverines a huge upset victory over the
ranked California squad.
There was little time to rest, or feel
discouraged, however, in preparing for
yesterday's game against No. 16
Kentucky.
Once again, the Wolverines almost
won in the game's closing seconds, but
once again they had to settle for a tie.
With under 10 seconds left in the sec-
ond overtime, freshman Emily Schmitt
took a long shot that hit the crossbar,
leaving Michigan with another tie.
Down 2-0 at halftime in yesterday's
game, the Wolverines showed what a
difference a half can make.
"We were playing pretty nervous in
the first half," Belkin said. "We were
treating the ball like a hot potato."
But with the wind on its side in the
second half, Michigan evened the score
behind tallies from Mari Hoff and
Amber Berendowsky.
But once again, Michigan could not
put the game away.
Belkin pointed to fatigue as a factor in
yesterday's game.
"This was only the second overtime
game of the season for us,"Belkin said.
"All in the course of three days, so we
were tired.'
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Sophomore defender Vanessa Lewis and the Michigan women's soccer team were unable to hold a lead against California on
Friday, settling for a 2-2 tie. On Sunday, the unranked Wolverines came back from a two-goal deficit to tie No. 16 Kentucky.
Attacker Flachs' hat trick powers
'M' field hockey over Ball State
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By Devon Phelan
For the Daily
The failure by some fans to sing "The
Victors" characterized the initial feelings
at Michigan's field hockey game against
Ball State on Saturday.
Not until the last minutes of the game
did spirits start to rise and cheers start to
be heard.
The Wolverines managed to pull the
game off, winning 3-2, but it was a little
too close for comfort for Michigan's
home fans.
Ball State led, 2-0, in the middle of the
second half before the Wolverines
mounted a comeback. The Cardinals'
first goal came with 7:25 left in the first
half, and the next arrived early in the sec-
ond half.
Michigan was not playing up to coach
Marcia Pankratz's standards, and the
large parents' weekend crowd was
noticeably silent.
Pankratz, visibly discouraged, said it
wasn't the score that was bothering her.
"I think more so than the score was
the way we were playing," Pankratz said.
"I wasn't very happy with the way we
were playing in the first half and the start
of the second?'
The players, however, would not let
the deficit discourage them.
"Our team is great, we weren't even
down when they scored the first goal,"
junior attacker Julie Flachs said. "That's
what keeps us together."
It was Flachs who started the ball
rolling, scoring the Wolverines' first goal
of the day.
After the tally, the team became more
aggressive.
"It picked up a little after the first
goal" Pankratz said, "but then we still
weren't quite there."
Some changes were made and then
the playing improved.
"(The players) stepped up hard and
played very aggressive, but they need to
do it all game;' she said.
Flachs said a domino effect hit the
team.
"When one person gets fired up, then
they all get fired up," Flachs said. "We
hate losing on home turf."
With only five minutes left on the
clock, the mood became increasingly
fervent, and the players were more visi-
bly passionate.
Then Flachs scored a second time,
tying the score with two minutes left.
No one broke the stalemate during
regulation time, forcing overtime.
Michigan didn't win the game until only
2:35 remained in the extra session.
And it was Flachs working her magic
again, netting the hat trick and a
Michigan victory.
Flachs' initial shot didn't make it into
the net, hitting a Cardinal player on the
foot.
"She was down (and) ... hurt," Flachs
said, "so I got another chance to make
sure it went in?'
After the score,- the overjoyed
Wolverines rushed the fieki, smothering
Flachs and celebrating Michigan' win.
Although the Wolverines did pull off
an impressive comeback, Pankratz
believes her charges need to play all 70
minutes of each game the way they
played the last 10 of the win.
"A win like this really shows that if we
stick with the game plan ... and have
that killer instinct, at the end good things
will happen," she said.
With the non-conference part of the
schedule past them, the Wolverines now
focus their attention on the Big Ten.
Michigan begins its conference cam-
paign Oct. 27, hosting Ohio State.-
U
'
INTRAMURAL
SPORTS
PRO GRAM
stulff
L.Roerblade. RUNNING
adidasRUNNING
Frosh make
debut for
men s tennis,
By Andy Latack
For the Daily
The Michigan men's tennis team
expects its promising recruiting class to
contribute this year. Last weekend, the
freshmen took a big step toward proving
they can do just that.
John Long, Brad McFarlane and
Matt Wright each turned in a solid pe
formance at the Tom Fallon Invitation
in South Bend, Ind. Their success
helped answer some important ques-
tions about the upcoming season as the
Wolverines attempt to defend their Big
Ten title.
"The freshmen will be a crucial part
of this team;' said assistant coach Dan
Goldberg, who accompanied the play-
ers to South Bend. "They will be asked
to carry their weight, and I fully expect
them to do so.".
All three Wolverines cruised to easy
first round victories.
McFarlane, after struggling early, di-
patched of Baylor's Previn Waas 4-6, 6-
3, 6-0. Wright defeated Dave Abelson,
Miami of Ohio's top player, in straight
sets, 6-3, 6-2. Long dropped the first set
to Greg Anderson of Butler University
before winning handily, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.
The second round would prove to
more difficult for the Wolverine .
McFarlane's opponent, senior Rya
Simmie of Notre Dame, was the set-
ond-seeded player in the tournamev
and the Irish's No. 2 player last yea
McFarlane played well and test
Simmie in the second set before lostn
Wright also found himself up apaisS
a formidable Irish opponent in his s
ond match. Brian Patterson, the No. 4
player on last year's team, was ranked
the top five in the nation coming out or
high school.
In what Goldberg called "the best
match in the tournament," Wright and
Patterson battled to a split after two sets.
Wright jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the
third set, but could not pull out a victo-
ry, falling 6-3,6-7,6-4. Wright said he
is anxious for another shot at the Notre
Dame sophomore. -
"I'd like to play him again Wrig4
said, "because I think I could have and
should have won. I had my chances, but
I couldn't close out the match.?
Long had less difficulty advancing to
Saturday's third round, posting a 7-5, 6-
2 victory over Western Michigan's Kyle
Gernhofer. Long was one game away
from the semifinals of the tournament
before succumbing to Nebraska's Todd
Nicholl 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
The invitational also gave Wright ang
McFarlane a chance to play doubles
together, which Goldberg said is likely
during the upcoming season. In the first
match, the tandem destroyed the Iowa
duo of Ulf Jentler and Ryan Johnstone,
8-0. They again had trouble advancing
to the third round, though, and lost 9-7
to Colorado's Martel Bufford and Dony
Papadia.
"They have the potential to develop
iito an outstanding doubles team*
Goldberg said. "Their styles and per-
sonalities match very well."
The Wolverines' impressive showing
in the invitational was not due to subpar
competition. The tournament was orga-
nized into four flights of A, B, C, and D,
and McFarlane and Wrioht naved in the
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
ICE HOCKEY
TRACK &
FIELD MEET
SOFTBALL
TENNIS
Entries Taken: Weds 10/23 11am - 4:30pm IMSB (Main+
Entry Fee: $130.00 per team
Manager's Meeting (Mandatory): Thurs 10/24 6pm IMi
Play Begins: Sunday 10/27 at Yost Ice Arena (state street)
Ofc
SB
r
CL ERTS
T
Entries Taken: until Tues 10/1 4:30pm IMSB (Main Office)
Entry Fee: $5 for individuals/$25 for teams
Manager's Meeting (Mandatory): Tues 10/1 6pm IMSB
Meet Date/Time/Location: Thurs 10/3 4:45pm UM Track
Entries Taken: until Weds 10/2 4:30pm IMSB (Main Ofc)
Entry Fee: $45.00 per team
Manager's Meeting (Mandatory): Weds 10/2 6pm IMSB
Play Begins: Friday 10/4 at Mitchell Field (Fuller Road)
Entries Taken: until Thurs 10/3 4:30pm IMSB"(MainOf c)
Entry Fee: $5 for Singles/$9 for Doubles
Tournament Format: Double Elimination (depending on # of teams)
Tournament Dates: Sat & Sun 10/5 & 10/6 (Palmer Courts @ CCRB)
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