4B- The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - September 8, 1997 Wolverines happy to see 'the best player in the nation' leave town By Tracy Sandler Daily Sports Writer When the Michigan field hockey team stepped onto Ocker Field Saturday afternoon, it had every intention of stopping North Carolina's Cindy Werley. The Wolverines found that the defending Honda Award receipient for best player in the nation, not to mention a former Olympic athlete, is basically unstop- pable. With just more than 11 minutes played in the first period, Werley scored her first goal of the day. At 2:46 left in the first, she had achieved a hat trick, on her way to scoring four goals in just 35 minutes and leading the top-ranked Tar Heels to a 6-3 vic- tory over the Wolverines. "You can't really stop Cindy," Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "You've got to let her have her goals, and hopefully, we can outscore them. ... She's certainly, by far, the best player. She's polished, and she's not going to make mistakes." The players knew that their coach was right. The only way to stop a player like Werley is to be on top of your game. "She's not going to mess up, so you've got to make her," defender Sandra Cabrera said. "She's got the skills. She's a very skilled player. All you have to do is worry about your own skills. If you do that right, I think you can get her." Although playing against someone as talented as Werley could cause frustration for opponents, Michigan also sees it as an opportunity. In order to become the best, the Wolverines know that they have to beat the best. "She's definitely, I would say, the best collegiate player in the nation," goalkeeper Amy Helber said. "When I look at a hat trick being scored by anyone against me, I guess I'd have to choose Cindy Werley to do it." As much as the Wolverines respect Werley's talent, no one appreciates her value as much as the Tar Heels themselves. The players surrounding Werley are not too bad, either. "Cindy's doing a wonderful job," North Carolina coach Karen Shelton said. "All three of our forwards together combined to kind of create some of Cindy's goals. She just hap- pened to be the end pass. Kate Barber, Nancy Pelligreen and our -midfield worked together to set it up. "But Cindy, certainly, she had a wonderful game (Saturday)... She cer- tainly is establishing herself as a scor- ing threat. She was player of the year last year, and there's no question she's a strong candidate for player of the year this year." Shelton is not the only one who realizes the importance of teamwork. Werley sees her teammates as one of the main reasons for her personal suc- cess. "I don't know that I necessarily dominate," Werley said. "I think my teammates make me look good. I think we make each other look good. At least three of my goals, if not all four, were totally perfectly set up. I didn't have to do anything but just put the ball in an empty net. I give all the credit to Nancy and Kate. They played excellent. Sometimes it's bet- ter to have a good assist than a goal." As with all team leaders, Werle* brings more than just physical domi- nance to the Tar Heels. She makes the people around her play better through her attitude and her example. "She brings up everybody's level of play by her intensity," Shelton said. "To have a person out there that plays with that kind of a presence, that brings up the people around her." Sandra Cabrera and the Michigan field hockey team lost to North Carolina, 6-3, this weekend, but hopes to rebound Friday against Kent State. Aeoalt. V Strike up a friendly conversation with an absolute stranger in a few seconds? V Maintain a polite attitude when listening to difficult people? V Read out loud? V Talk on the telephone? V Follow instructions? V Cash a paycheck? COTSONIKA Continued from Page lB belong where he is. If Carr was to be the man, he should have been named head coach quickly. If not, they should have found someone else. Period. One gut-check failed, more to come. (Too many sea- son-ticket requests? Hey, screw the students instead of standing up for them. It's the easy, lucrative way out.) Then, there is basketball. Roberson has been ready to defend coach Steve Fisher, but a hush-hush policy has been cast over the entire episode. The only strong stance taken has been a firm resistence to share information and little initiative to aid openly in any investigation. No one has been truly honest, even if they haven't lied. So it goes with nearly everything at Michigan when it comes to athletics. The department hides from the pub- lic. There is a code of silence on trivial matters and important matters both, as if no one there can tell the difference. Can't ask about the quarterbacks, can't ask about NCAA violations, can't ask anything. Practices are closed. Players are unavailable. (Someone might have a stubbed toe. They call that, as they do with liga- ment tears, being "banged up.") The media is frustrated and therefore more curious than ever. Just two days ago, reporters from some of the highest-regarded newspapers in the nation vented in the Notre Dame press box about how rude and unaccomo- dating Michigan is to the media. If Goss has the guts, he has the opportunity to change all that. He's a Michigan man, but being from California, he's enough of an outsider to have new ideas: He's got a business background. He's black, fitting a profile no Michigan athletic director has ever had, in a mostly white establishment. He was the first choice of a search committee, not a hand-picked presidential puppet like Roberson. Goss seems a perfect person -- solid and practical but not entirely of the old mold - to bring freshness to a grand tradition that has grown a bit musty. But he's also Michigan's fourth athletic director in nine years (five men served from 1898-1988). There have been several sudden changes at Michigan lately and too few quality responses to them. Goss needs to be willing to take a stand. We'll see how solid Goss is when we - and he - least expect it. The ball isn't in Goss's hands now. It's o the turf, squibbling away, and Goss will have to make th recovery, fumble after fumble. He's on defense for Michigan once again, but this time, more is at stake than there was in 1968. It's gut-check time. - Nicholas J. Cotsonika can be reached via e-mail at cotsonik@umich.edu. V Choose to work full or part-time? V Set your own schedule and stick to it? V Choose to work evenings and/or weekends? V Consume free coffee, tea or hot chocolate even as late as midnight? V Pump up your resume? V Earn $6 - $9.50 per hour? V Wear whatever you want to work? Fill out a job application? (You can be working in 10 days or less.) Every "yes" directs you toward a telephone research or interview position with DataStat. NO SALES. EVER!' Make your next progressive step toward DataStat. Volunteers ages 18 years and up, who have athlete's foot, are needed for a research study at the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology. Drop by and see us soon. Or, call 994-4199 We are located at 3975 Research Park for taped information. Drive, Ann Arbor. cal 994-4199? Eligible participants will be compensated for their time and effort. For more information, please call: (313) 936-4070 Monday-Friday, 8:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. University of Michigan Medical Center Stop reading the * Daily. Start writing the Daily. (OK, you don't have to stop reading it.) ULTIMATE FRISBEE Clinic &. Info Sessions Mon. 9/8,6 & 8 PM Mon. 9/22,6 & 8 PM Elbel Field Traveling teams and 1~intramurals1 --------ultimate T-SHIRT PRINTING LOWEST PRICESI ® HIGHEST QUALITYI FASTEST SERVICEI { ® 1002 PONTIAC TR. ® 994-1367 . 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