The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - October 27, 1997 - 3
.Blue nabs No. 2 seed with 3-1 win
'M' soccer overcomes bad weather,
sloppy conditions to defeat Spartans
By Andy Latack
Daily Sports Writer
Mother nature must have known
how important yesterday's game
against Michigan State was to the
Michigan soccer team. And she
decided to make it interesting.
Pelted with freezing rain and bat-
tling icy winds, Michigan (7-1-1 Big
Ten, 15-2-1 overall) overcame a half-
time tie and the inclement weather to
defeat Michigan State, 3-1. In the
process, they secured second place in
the Big Ten and the No. 2 seed in the
conference tournament.
0 With the slippery field forcing
sloppy play by both sides, the
Wolverines were happy to emerge
from the game drenched yet victori-
ous.
"In these conditions, you're always
lucky to win," Michigan coach
Debbie Belkin said. "The weather is
an equalizer in some games, so we
had to fight through that."
It appeared early on as if the condi-
*tions would not affect Michigan's
powerful offense. Forward Kacy
Beitel weaved through the Michigan
State defense and found the net just
more than a minute into the game.
But the scoring abruptly ceased for
most of the half following Beitel's
goal, when the weather wreaked
havoc on both teams' strategies.
"Our game is on-the-ground pass-
ing," Belkin said. "When there are
*puddles all over the field, it definite-
ly takes us out of our game."
The Spartans were equally hin-
dered by the sloppy field. But when
Laura Monticello found a loose ball
in the crease and beat Michigan
goalie Carissa Stewart to tie the score
at one, momentum shifted toward the
side of the green and white
"We were just getting really com-
placent and really casual toward the
end of the first half," Belkin said.
"Michigan State started fighting and
beating us to loose balls, so you could
see that goal coming.
"At halftime, I told the team that
Michigan State was going to come
out fired up, and we don't want to
look back and regret losing this
game."
As it turned out, the Wolverines
would have nothing to regret.
Seven minutes into the second
frame, Michigan forward Jessica
Limauro beat Spartan defender
Melissa Jannetta to the right side and
blasted a shot into the corner of the
net, giving Michigan the 2-1 lead.
Limauro would seal the game for
the Wolverines 15 minutes later.
Driving in - from the right side,
Limauro dribbled around approach-
ing Michigan State goalie Sara.
Kloosterman and tapped the ball in
the empty net for her ninth goal of the
year.
"We were getting beat to the ball at
the end of the first half,' Limauro
said. "But in the second half, we
picked it up.
"We wanted to finish strong and
come out to win."
Limauro, who has four goals and
an assist in Michigan's last two
games, is now fourth on the team in
scoring, with 22 points this season.
Belkin feels that playing in the
harsh conditions prepared the
Wolverines for the Big Ten tourna-
MALLORY S.E. FLOYD/Daly
Michigan soccer midfielder Shannon Poole and her Wolverines teammates defeat-
ed intrastate rivals Michigan State at the Michigan Soccer Field yesterday, 3-1.
ment, played Nov. 7-9 in chilly
Minneapolis.
"The weather in Minneapolis prob-
ably won't be much different than it
was today," Belkin said.
With the loss, Michigan State
drops to 6-8-1 overall, and 3-5 in the
Big Ten. The Spartans have complet-
ed their conference season as well,
and will be one of the three last seeds
at the tournament, depending on a
few final Big Ten games.
Although its conference season is
now complete, Michigan cannot look
ahead to the Big Ten Tournament.
Instead, the Wolverines have per-
haps their toughest test of the season
this week - a Halloween matchup
with No. 2 Notre Dame in South
Bend.
JOHN
LEROI
Out of Bounds
Goss mivhndled search
for new basketball coach
aoquestions. That's what it came down to for Michigan Athletic Director Tom
Goss. The Wolverines' new men's basketball coach had to answer two ques-
tions. If he couldn't? Out the door you go, bring in the next guy. At least that's
what Goss said when he announced that assistant coach Brian Ellerbe, just hired in
June, would take the head coaching job on an interim basis.
Well, none of the 30-some candidates' answers were enough to satisfy Goss, so he
turned to Ellerb. Goss will have to conduct a brand-new national search in the spring.
Under the circumstances, Ellerbe is a logical choice, and moreover, it makes sense
to appoint somebody on an interim basis. But that doesn't excuse Goss from han-
dling this situation poorly.
It is perfectly clear, though Goss would never admit it, that he had banked on
California coach Ben Braun to fill the vacancy. And when Braun said "no thanks"
and inked a contract extension with Cal, Goss was stuck.
Apparently, Goss had no idea what he was getting into.
The two questions Goss asked each candidate:
How will your departure from your current program impact it? r
How will your absence impact the student-athletes you recruited to play this year?
And according to Goss, though most of the candidates could answer the first
question to his satisfaction, nobody could convince him that their incoming fresh-
men wouldn't suffer.
To Goss, that was unacceptable.
But what did he expect? How could he think when he started his search that
somebody would be able to answer that question? It's commendable that Goss wvants
to hold the University to high standards of morality, but then why conduct a search
in the first place? Name Ellerbe the interim coach 10 days ago and all of this specu-
lation could have been avoided. Instead, Goss underwent a costly search that was
only detrimental to the student-athletes.
Understandably, Goss had little to work with. Firing Steve Fisher before he
received the report from a Kansas City law firm detailing the basketball program's
troubles would have looked like a hasty decision. So Goss waited, and waited, and
waited until the 28-page report was in his hands. Two days later, Fisher was out.
That left Goss, Athletic Director for more than a month, almost no time to find a
new coach. Up to that point, Goss was playing with the handhe was dealt. Then he
got greedy and bet the farm.
Braun said the timing wasn't right. But Goss thought there would be plenty, of
qualified candidates clamoring for the Michigan job.
But Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson, George Washington's Mike Jarvis, Southwest
Missouri's Steve Alford and North Carolina assistant Phil Ford all said they weren't
interested. Forget the two questions, these guys didn't even want to be interviewed.
This year's team should be fine with Ellerbe and long-time assistant coach Brian
Dutcher leading the Wolverines. But when Maceo Baston, Travis Conlan and Jerod
Ward graduate and Robert Traylor makes his expected jump to the NBA, what will
be left?
Goss and Ellerbe admit it will be difficult to attract blue-chip recruits without
knowing who the next long-term head coach will be. Goss said they will have to
"sell them on Michigan," but if he can't get a top-notch coach with that pitch, how
does he expect to use it on players?
Moreover, Goss even hinted that the media may shoulder some of the blame for
Braun's decision to stay in Berkeley, claiming that newspaper articles about Braun
were written days before he even contacted Cal's coach.
But that seems like Goss' mistake. If Braun was really Goss' first choice, he
should have had him on the phone the second after the press conference, annannc-
ing that Fisher had been terminated. Instead, he waited days. Goss was free toter-
cise his judgment in approaching Braun, but it is irresponsible to say the media may
have kept Braun from Ann Arbor - especially when Goss waited so long to contact
him.
And Goss made it clear that he didn't want anybody else questioning his ethics
like Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski did last week. So he opted to try an approach he
seemed to ignore for the first eight days of his search.
"If I'm to set a standard with my values, I can't talk out of both sides of my
mouth' Goss said.
It seems he already has.
-John Leroi can be reached over e-mail atjrleroi@umich.edu.
Crew fights off Buckeyes on Belleville Lake
By Peter Romurvlodman
'For the Daily
The Michigan crew team started two traditions this
Sunday when it hosted Ohio State at the Michigan
Classic on Belleville Lake. The first was beating Ohio
State. The second? Racing in the dead of winter ... in
October.
Because the Wolverines have a new home course at
Belleville Lake, they hope to make a tradition out of the
Wolverine Classic.
"It's the first home regatta on our new course,"
Michigan captain Lisa Labadie said. "This weekend is
about making new traditions."
Indeed, the crew team continued a longtime
Michigan tradition of displaying an intense competitive
spirit.
But it was the strident weather of a Michigan fall,
resembling the middle of February more than October,
that defined the Michigan Classic.
The new tradition is frozen limbs and red noses.
With tremendous fan support, Michigan dominated
Ohio State, finishing first in the Open-8 race. Michigan
had beaten Ohio State twice before this season, at the
Head of the Ohio as well as at the Head of the Charles
Regatta in Boston, the world's largest two-day regatta.
Although high winds, rain and hail almost forced
Michigan coach Mark Rothstein to cancel the race,
Michigan rowed its way to a strong victory without any
signs of difficulty or fatigue.
The rowers, parents and coaches were ecstatic about
the first home race of the two-year-old program.
"We're excited to have a race at home so our parents
and friends can see what we do "junior rower Michelle
Wolbert said.
About 100 spectators attended the race, including
dozens of exuberant parents, watching their daughters
row for the first time. They donned maize and blue,
flashing wide smiles as if they were were about to row
themselves.
"It's great," parent Gail Stilson said. "Despite the
weather, we have a really good crowd. We were lucky
because our daughter (Jaime Stilson) came in as a
freshman. It's been very good for her. We're big time
Michigan fans. It's been nice watching the program
develop."
Rothstein said the weather could not have been any
worse. The waves were crashing two to three feet high,
climbing over the boats and onto the rowers.
"Conditions are tough," Rothstein said. "It's a chaot-
ic environment. It's interesting to see how athletes react
to adversity. Because of the wind, the water is really
rough. It affects the rowers and the racing."
Seconds after the finish of the race, rowers scurried
to the team vans, heading back to Ann Arbor. As they
left, the Michigan rowers conveyed a sense of pride and
determination to improve.
"I'm happy with where we are," Rothstein said.
"We've showed improvement. Now, we've put our-
selves in a position in the middle of the pack of the top
teams in the country. Going from a good program to a
great program is the last jump.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us."
Although Ohio State has now lost to Michigan three
times this fall, its Open-8 A team only lost by 12 sec-
onds to Michigan's A team.
"Michigan is a very good program!' Ohio State
coach Andy Teitelbaum said. "We have a lot of respect
for them. You know you'll face a well-coached team."
But the best coaching in the world might not have
prepared Ohio State for October in Michigan.
Leighann Renstrom, an Ohio State rower, said it was
hard for her team to compete in harsh, unfamiliar con-
ditions.
"It's cold, and the water was really rough," Renstrom
said. "We don't get to practice in weather like this. It's
very different."
But as a number of rowers said after the race, this is
what fall racing is about - freezing temperatures and
tempestuous weather.
"I think, given the weather, we did a great job;"
Michigan rower Tina Stutzman said.
Women's
swinmmg
beats State
Frm Staff Reports
it was a busy weekend for the
Michigan women's swimming team,
which kicked off its regular season
Saturday in East Lansing. Despite the
cold morning temperatures at the IM
#West outdoor pool, the Wolverines
turned in a hot performance, torching an
experienced Michigan State team 129-
74.
Michigan began its quest for a 12th
,straight Big Ten title by winning all but
two events in their victory over the
Spartans. TIhe 11-event meet featured
only the 400-yard medley and 400-yard
freestyle relays, and did not include div-
ing.
* Michigan's dominance of the freestyle
events was the deciding factor, giving the
Spartans little hope of a rally at any point
during the meet.
Sophomore Shannon Shakespeare
easily clinched both the 100- and 200-
yard freestyle, while senior co-captain
Kim Johnson touched out teammate Jen
Crisman for a one-two punch in the 50.
Any doubt about Michigan's strength
n the distance events was put to rest as
*well Saturday, when senior Talor Bendel
won the 400- and 800-yard freestyle in
convincing fashion.
Michigan freshman Kasey Harris was
also impressive, winning the individual
medley and giving up a close touch to
Michigan State's Anne Ilgen in the 200-
yard butterfly.
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