I The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 9, 1998 - 78 .IG TENS Lindsay Babbitt. The second was scored by Kelli Gannon with an assist by junior .focelyn LaFace. Michigan goalkeeper Kati Oakes recorded her seventh shutout of the season which tied her for the school record. So, now that the season might be er for the Wolverines, all they can do is wait and look towards next year, when they hope that the loss to the Nittany Lions won't repeat itself for a third straight time. "Each year builds up confidence for us," junior Ashley Reichenbach said. "Now we know what the pressure is like and what the joys are like. "Next year, hopefully, the third e is the charm." NCAA bound? Check out whether the Michigan field hockey team, did indeed receive an NCAA Tournament bid, after the Wolverines' disappointing Big *Ten finals loss. The pairings are released Wednesday night by the NCAA". tournament committee. Look. for coverage in Thursday's Daily. Stickers hope for NCAA bid By Dan Dingerson Daily Sports Writer EAST LANSING - This week, the Michigan field hockey team will play a game that is going to take more than three days to complete, and is going to involve many teams across the country. This game doesn't involve any athletic skill, it doesn't take any great coaching strategies, and there is little it can improve its chances of winning. This game is the waiting game. The Michigan field hockey team is hoping that those mysterious people who hand out at-large bids to NCAA tournaments will think of them this week. Actually, the Wolverines know that they will be thought of, but they just don't know how favorably. They are hoping that the committee will look at their 15-6 record, their No. 10 national ranking, and their tough play against powerhouses Maryland, Boston College and Penn State. They are hoping that the committee will realize how close they were to sharing the regular season Big Ten title. They are hoping that the committee will remem- ber that they rejected the No. 11 Wolverines last year when they shared the Big Ten regular season title. They are hoping that the committee will know how hard they have played, and how much of their heart they put into this season. The committee might see a team that isn't quite strong enough. It might see a team that didn't quite have enough big wins. It might see a team that was- n't quite able to get over the top against its top 10 opponents. They will see a team that once again failed to win the Big Ten tournament. The committee probably won't let the Wolverines dance this year. Maybe if Michigan had a win against Penn State, or if the Wolverines hadn't lost to Iowa last week- end, they would have a good chance. Those things didn't happen, and the Wolverines are left with a slim chance of getting a bid to the NCAA tourna- ment. The team is prepared for disappointment, and it is prepared to deal with it after feeling the same pain last year. Although it is one of the hardest emotions a team has to feel, Michigan does not seem too dis- traught. "We're not in charge of our own destiny anymore. We're kind of left up to the hands of fate," junior Ashley Reichenbach said. "We know what it's like to sit there crossing our fingers and not get in, so ... if we get in, it's an added bonus, but if not, we move on." In three days the team will know whether or not it is time to move on, or if there is still some hock- ey to be played. Moving on past this successful season will be tough for the team, but they look strong for next year. They only lose four players off this team, and return their goalkeeper, leading scorer, and leading defensemen. The team will have two disappointments to build off of, and should be the favorite to win the Big Ten. Don't give up on this team, though. There are always surprises come tournament time, and Michigan could be one of those teams that sneaks in through the back door. "We're on the bubble. If I were to guess, I'd say they aren't going to take us. It depends on what hap- pens with the other teams around the nation," Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "We'll keep our fingers crossed." They still have a chance. The Wolverines are hop- ing that they will have the opportunity to play more than just the waiting game. LOUIS BROWN/Daily The Michigan field hockey team will have to play the waiting game until Wednesday night, when the pairings for the NCAA Tournament are announced. Michigan's chances of a berth are questionable. Michigan soccer must Wait for pamngs, too Making its case The Michigan soccer team built itself a solid case for inclusion in the NCAA tournament. (Rankings are where the oppo- nent was ranked at the time it played Michigan. By Geoff Ga*Mo Daily Sports Writer STATE COLLEGE - The Michigan braved wind, snow, and the best Northwestern team in school histo- ry, in order to remain in control of their *ny in the Big Ten tournament, until Penn State knocked it out in the semifi- nals. Now Michigan's future is up in the air as the team has entrusted its hopes of 4 return to national tournament action to the NCAA selection committee set to announce at-large bids this week. The Wolverines failed to secure an 4utomatic NCAA tournament berth as |hey dropped their Big Ten tournament sh wdown with Penn State on Saturday. nd as the committee ranks the deserving teams, Belkin says she feels that her's will be among the ones given the nod. "We're pretty confident right now that we will be in a good position to $ake the tournament field," Bel kin said. 'We've done some things well and played some tough teams down the stretch." #erhaps the most outstanding of the tp °s recent accomplishments that Belkin is hoping tournament officials will note, was their 1-0 upset of fourth- seeded Northwestern on Friday in the