FIELD HOCKEY
The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - October 7, 1996 - 7B
.M' field hocky sticks
Wildcats with 5-1 loss
By Richard Shin
Daily Sports Writer
.For the Michigan field hockey team,
actice and patience turned into goals
against New Hampshire yesterday. The
Wolverines defeated the Wildcats, 5-1,
at Ocker Field.
-,,Michigan (1-2 Big Ten, 5-4 overall)
outshot and outcornered the Wildcats
(2 America East, 1-9 overall), who
could only manage four shots the entire
game.
,Te Wolverines spent most of the
first half in New Hampshire's zone, fir-
irF 12 shots and scoring four goals.
Michigan senior attacker Michelle
Snuiders struck first in the match, tak-
irg a pass across the middle from
Mvredith Franden and tucking it past
the .diving New Hampshire goalie,
Shayne Medico, seven minutes into the
game.
..4Tpday, we passed well in the mid-
Vieid and that gave the forwards a
chance to run," Smulders said. "And
you're open in the circle, you
an) get the ball into the net."
The Wolverines found the net twice
more in the first 20 minutes, including
a second score by Smulders and an
unassisted goal by senior midfielder
Selina Harris.
Junior attacker Aimee Remigio
capped off Michigan's first half of scor-
ing with a shot past Medico on a pass
from Franden with less than two min-
utes left.
New Hampshire struggled offensive-
ly throughout the match and managed
only one shot in the first half.
Medico did all she could to keep the
Wildcats in the game, making strong
saves on three different penalty corners.
Unfortunately, New Hampshire's
offense could not put together a solid
attack until late in the second half.
For Michigan coach Marcia
Pankratz, yesterday's match and last
Wednesday's win against Michigan
State represented the fruition of
Michigan's hard work.
"It does a lot for (the Wolverines')
confidence," Pankratz said. "They were
able to step up and play with aggres-
siveness and really work on some things
that we've been trying to work on in
practice."
The five goals the Wolverines scored
against New Hampshire were the most
Michigan has scored in a single game
this season.
Through their first seven matches,
the Wolverines had offensive struggles
of their own, managing only 12 goals
despite taking 120 shots.
In the last two matches, however, the
Wolverines have capitalized on their
scoring opportunities, tallying nine
goals on 34 shots, which has resulted in
two victories.
"It's great to win two in a row and to
go into (this weekend) on a high win,"
Smulders said. "It's great to know that
we can score goals going into Big Ten
(competition)."
Late in the second period, New
Hampshire sophomore Carey
Bialobrzeski fired a shot past Michigan
goalkeeper Amy Helber to pull the
Wildcats to within a three-goal deficit
with 2:37 left in the game.
The offensive series that led to the
Wildcats' lone goal was the only real
pressure that Helber had faced all day.
Michigan freshman midfielder
Erica Widder finished off the scoring,
taking a pass from attacker Lindsay
Babbitt and shooting it past the goalie
with 1:58 left in the game. The goal
gave Michigan its final margin of vic-
tory.
Pankratz used the four-goal lead as
an opportunity to empty the bench in
the second half.
Every Michigan player got minutes
in the second half except for the red-
shirt freshmen, Kati Oakes and Jocelyn
LaFace, and senior attacker Shelley
Johnson, who is out with an injury.
The big lead gave players who don't
get a chance to play regularly some
quality playing time, Pankratz said.
JOSH BIGGS/Daily
Junior attacker Meredith Weinstein (center) and the Michigan field hockey team defeated New Hampshire, 54, at Ocker Field
yesterday. Senior defender Meredith Franden (left) helped limit the Wildcats to four shots.
1 3 Tough defense boosts Blue
r 5 rgggstickers to impressive victories
By Pranay Reddy and
Richard Shin
Daily Sports Writers
After struggling offensively to start
the season, the Michigan field hockey
team got a helping hand from its
defense in the past two games.
Against Michigan State, the
Wolverines limited the Spartans to 12
shots-on-goal, giving up three scores.
Michigan continued its strong
defensive play against New
Hampshire yesterday, holding the
Wildcats to only four shots.
On New Hampshire's only penalty
corner attempt, the Wolverines pre-
vented the Wildcats from even taking
a shot.
In games earlier this season against
Old Dominion and Penn State,
Michigan gave up a staggering seven
and five goals, respectively.
Despite those two defeats, it looks
as though the Wolverines gained valu-
able playing experience, which
should help them in their next two
matches against Iowa and
Northwestern.
"I think having a tough schedule is
really beneficial," coach Marcia.
Pankratz said. "It helps you prepare
for the Big Ten conference, which is a
really tough conference.
"Playing better teams makes your
team better."
The Wolverines have won two con-
secutive matches to run their record
to 5-4 overall.
ROAD RULES: After completing a
five-game homestand, the Wolverines*
play five of their next six matches on
the road. All five road matches are
conference matchups, while the lone
home match is against Central
Michigan.
In their most recent homestand, the
Wolverines finished with a 3-2
record, with two victories over Big
Ten foes. So far this season, the
Wolverines are 4-3 at home and 1-1
on the road.
Michigan ends the regular season
with a pair of conference matches at
home and travels to Evanston for the
Big Ten tournament in November.
YOUNG GUNs: Three Wolverines
have found the net for the first time in
their collegiate careers this season.
Against Penn State, sophomore
attacker Lindsay Babbitt tallied her
first goal in the losing cause.
In Michigan's 4-3 win over
Michigan State, fellow sophomore
attacker Amy Philbrook scored the
Wolverines' only goal in the first half.
Yesterday against New Hampshire,
junior attacker Aimee Remigio
scored in the first half en route to
Michigan's 5-1 victory.
On the season, the three players
have accounted for five goals and two
assists in nine games.
JOSH BIGGS/ Daily
Michigan junior attacker Aimee Remigio (left) prepares to receive a pass from sophomore attacker Lindsay Babbitt (right). In
the first half, Remigio scored her first career collegiate goal to give the Wolverines a 4-0 lead against New Hampshire yester-
day. Babbitt assisted on a goal in the second half as Michigan defeated the Wildcats, 5-1, in the second meeting between the
two schools. In the two schools only other meeting, New Hampshire defeated the Wolverines, 6-.
Mental game biggest challenge
for Helber against the Wildcats
U
/1
INTRAMURAL
SPORTS
PRO GRAM
Pranay Reddy
I Sports Writer
.must have been a relief for
lhigan goalkeeper Amy Helber to
ace hapless New Hampshire yester-
day at Ocker Field.
After facing 52 shots in her past
-three starts, Helber had to have been
;Ostatic with the 1-8 Wildcats com-
,ng to Ann Arbor.
Surprisingly, Helber's reaction to
the New Hampshire squad was quite
thed ppposite, even following the
Wolverines' dominating 5-1 victory.
* '~hese are actually the hardest
games a goalie has to face," Helber
said,' because you can stand there
for 50 minutes and then see 10 min-
utes of action at the end."
And that's exactly what happened.
Michigan's attack was so overpow-
ering in the first half that the
Wildcats weren't able to muster a
single shot at the motionless Helber.
.I fact, the only moving Helber
In the first half came on her jog
Sfor introductions.
',Zevertheless, Helber insists it's
ni wthat easy being just a cheer-
"There are games where you really
have to stay mentally strong versus
physically strong, and sometimes
that's a lot harder," she said.
That was a problem New
Hampshire goalkeeper Shayne
dico probably would have loved
o'deal with.
Medico was all over her goal
4gainst the Wolverines, blocking
shots with her feet, stick and all
poins between.
Jowever, Medico would have
anchor for the Michigan defense so
far this year, stopping 72 shots in
nine games.
And despite New Hampshire's ini-
tial lack of offense, Helber stayed
within herself when the Wildcats
were finally able to apply some pres-
sure of their own in the second half.
Helber's bid for a shutout was
ended late in the second half, howev-
er, when Carey Bialobrzeski put New
Hampshire on the scoreboard, 4-1.
Midway through the first half, the
Wolverines found themselves in a
position they weren't in all year -
ahead with a comfortable lead.
Helber explained what was impor-
tant about this new-found success.
"We all came in with a tough men-
tality and really wanted to get the
victory today to bring us into next
weekend against huge Big Ten com-
petition (against Iowa and
Northwestern)," Helber said.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
TEAM TENNIS Entries Taken: until Thurs 10/10 4:30pm IMSB (Maein Ofc)
r'
There are games where you really
have to stay mentally strong versus
physically strong, and sometimes
that's a lot harder."
- Amy Helber
Michigan field hockey goalie
Entry Fee: $25.00 per team
Manager's Meeting (Mandatory): Thurs 10/10 6pm IMSB
Tounament Dates: Sat & Sun 10/12 & 13(Palmer Courts @ CCRB)
Entries Taken: until Weds 10/9 4:30pm IMSB (Main ofc)
Entry Fee: $15.00 per team (excluding Course Fee - $18)
Tee Times: 8:00am - 2:00pm [NOTE: 72 team limit]
GOLF
(2-person scramble)
rS
Tournament Date:
Sun 10/13 (U of M Golf Course on Stadium Boulevard)
WALLYBALL Instant Scheduling: Tues 10/15 11am - 5:30pm IMSB
Entry Fee: $35.00 per team
Manager's Meeting (Mandatory): Weds 10/16 6pm IMSB
Play Begins: Thursday 10/17 at IMSB (Hoover Street)
CROSS Entries Taken: until Weds 10/16 4:30pm IMSB (Main Ofc)
COUNTRY RUN Entry Fee: $5 for individuals/$25 for teams
Course Length and Location: 3.1 m/5k @ Mitchell/Gallup
Race Date and Time: Thursday 10/17 @ 5:00pm
The deadline for the PRE-SEASON FLAG FOOTBALL Tournament is
Thursdav 10/17
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