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The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 25, 1998 - 15
.Field hockey needs extra
stanza to stick it to Spartans
Gannon's overtime goal gives Michigan solid Big Ten start
Jon Zemke
Daily Sports Writer
The defending Big Ten champs
usually have a common problem.
Every team jealous of the success is
gunning in order to get it. The
Michigan women's field hockey
team - defending Big Ten champs
- is faced with this problem.
"I think that now each team is
going to play their 'A' game or try to
bring their 'A' game, and we're going
have to be up for everybody,"
coach Marcia Pankratz said.
Michigan opened the Big Ten sea-
son with a 2-1 overtime win against
in-state-rival Michigan State. The
eighth-ranked Wolverines hosted the
game at Ocker Field. Michigan put
its 6-2 record on the line against
unranked (2-4) but inspired
Spartans.
* "It doesn't matter what the records
are, Pankratz said. "The teams real-
ly come to play. Michigan State is a
very excitable team. They're emo-
tional, especially when they play a
game like that they're supposed to be
right in it. So it doesn't matter what
Linksters
prep for
Hawkeye
Michael Shafrir
For the Daily
* Michigan men's golf coach Jim
Carras finds himself in a predicament.
His problem? How to be successful with
a precocious bunch of underclassmen
bouyed by superstar junior Michael
Harris.
As the Wolverines prepare for this
weekend's Hawkeye Intercollegiate in
Iowa City, Carras is continuing his line-
up shuffle that he expects to continue
throughout the season.
The only constant has been Harris,
Qho has shown the kind of game that
makes people whisper about "the next
level' He won the prestigious Northeast
Amateur in Rumford, R.I., this summer
against a top flight field of amateurs.
Carras expects nothing less than at
least a repeat of Harris' all-Big Ten sta-
tus of a year ago. He is also pleased with
the leadership role Harris has taken on.
"Mike has been exceptional this sea-
*n. He works with the team, he's done
everything I've asked and he's really
earned the respect of every player on the
team," Carras said. "But we have to
guard against players sitting back and
expecting Mike to do everything, both
on and off the course."
it is on paper. It's always a battle. I
think it'll be indicative of the Big
Ten conference. Every game is going
to be nip and tuck."
The Wolverines started out strong
by scoring early in the first half on a
Loveita Wilkinson goal. Wilkinson, a
senior, scored on a corner shot that
went right in.
This was one of many opportuni-
ties for the Wolverines, who con-
trolled the ball for a majority of the
game. Michigan couldn't cash in on
all of the opportunities as the score
remained 1-0 with 14 minutes left in
the second half.
"If we are struggling in scoring
like we were today then it's going to
be a long season," Pankratz said.
"Where we'll have to fight and
scrape each match to win it."
Michigan State came back with a
goal of its own by freshman Marleen
Tuip. Michigan returned with more
ball control to finish out the game,
but kept missing numerous break-
away and corner shots.
The game went into overtime tied
and neither team was able to sustain
constant pressure on their oppo-
nent's goal. Then sophomore Kelli
Ganno.n scored for the Wolverines
with 3:40 to go in the sudden-death
overtime.
Michigan State is "very emotion-
al," Pankratz said. "So they come to
always try and knock us off as we do
them. Whoever can get the edge on
that given day is probably going to
win it."
The Michigan defense again
played to its usual standards, holding
its opponent to under two goals - as
it has all season. Pankratz compli-
mented juniors Erica Widder and
Ashley Reichenbach on great games,
but had a few choice words for her
offense.
"We struggled today with (the
offense)," Pankratz said. "Our execu-
tion was not good, and so conse-
quently it was a 2-1 game."
Michigan takes on Louisville at
Ocker Field on Sunday.
"It'll be a good game and hopeful-
ly give our younger players some
opportunities to get some experi-
ence," Pankratz said.
-:.
:.
:. :.::
Michigan opened
its Big Ten sea-
son with a 21
overtime victory
over Michigan
State.
FILE PHOTO
Tourney to preview Big Tens
By Geoff Gagnon
For the Daily
After a one-week break in tournament
action, the Michigan women's golf team
will head to Purdue this weekend to take
part in the Lady Northern
Intercollegiate. The event will serve as a
fall preview of the Big Ten
Championships to be held at the same
site this spring.
"I'm really excited about the Lady
Northern," coach Cathy Teichert said, "it
will be used to seed the teams for the Big
Ten, so I'm hopeful that we can play
well."
Teichert's squad is coming off a tie for
fifth place among the 12 teams that com-
peted two weeks ago in the Mary
Fossum/Spartan Invitational.
"I wasn't exactly displeased with the
way that we played at the Spartan. but I
wasn't happy either"' Teichert said. "I
just think that we need to put some
things together. We've put new people in
new spots and that will hopefully give us
the combination we're looking for."
That shuffling has included the addi-
tion of two freshmen, Stephanie Bezilla
and Misia Lemanski, to the line-up set to
compete today. The two join freshmen Le
Anna Wicks and Bess Bowers on the
squad.
"I'm happy for some of our younger
players who are now getting a chance to
see some action," Teichert said of the
young roster. "I hope we can continue to
see consistency out of Bess Bowers and
Le Anna Wicks."
If the early performance of Bowers
and Wicks is any indication of what can
be expected from fellow classmates
Lemanski and Bezilla, Coach Teichert
and her staff have little to worry about.
"Wicks and Bowers are already play-
ing well,' Teichert said. "I've seen a
tremendous amount of improvement just
over the summer and so far this fall."
With such attention being placed on
the younger members of the squad,
Teichert is thankful to have Park - the
team's lone senior - in a position to
provide leadership as well as competitive
scoring. "I'm really expecting Sharon to
be a leader this season," Teichert said.
Aside from taking a more defined
leadership role off the course, Park, who
finished seventh in the Big Ten
Championship last spring, also will be
expected to provide the type of numbers
to lead the squad on it.
"She is going to be probably our best
player, so along with that I'll need her to
help the younger members of the team
adapt and adjust," Teichert said. "I'm
looking just looking for her to step up
her confidence level and post some good
numbers."
Despite the hope of developing some
of the squad's younger talent, coach
Teichert insists that the team's primary
focus is contending for the Big Ten title.
"We're putting things in place for the
future with our younger players, but
we're doing the best we can to contend
now," Teichert said.
ANDREW YOUNG/Daly
Junior Mike Harris and the Michigan Golf squad will continue their lineup shuffles
this weekend in Iowa City at the Hawkeye Intercollegiate.
This weekend also marks the debut of
Brian Seipke a freshman from Traverse
City.
"There's not a lot you can do to pre-
pare (Seipke) for this. He's ready to go
and has been playing better and better,"
Carras said.
a Seipke is replacing junior Mike
Affledt in the lineup after Affledt's tie for
59th last weekend. This shuffling is all
part of Carras' plan.
"I'm trying to find a lineup that works
and if that means leaving (Affledt) home
this weekend, then so be it." Carras said.
Carras emphasized that his rotation is
far from set in stone and that only Harris
is a constant.
Sophomore Scott Hayes has been
thrust into the lineup after only one year
of varsity experience.
"He's been responding well to the
pressure,' Carras said. "He needs to
learn how to go low and keep it low"
The brightest surprise of the season
has been the play of freshman Andy
Matthews who finished tied for 20th in
his first glimpse of varsity action.
Carras admitted that he needs more
time to truly evaluate Matthews' play, "It
was a pleasant surprise but one tourna-
ment does not make a kid a player. He's
going to get a lot of time this year."
The final Wolverine travelling to Iowa
City is freshman Kyle Kilcherman who
happens to be Seipke's cousin.
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