Thursda, September 16, 1999 - The Michigan Daly -19A
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Michigan field hockey players are
relentless in use of term 'relentless'
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By Michael Kern
Daily Sports W%\ier
"Be relentless."
That has been the battle cry of the No. 12
Michigan field hockey team this week as
the Wolverines prepare for Syracuse (3-2).
"Our big focus is; being relentless and
finishing this week because we have had a
lot of trouble with finishing," junior mid-
fielder Courtney Reid said.
After two losses this past weekend in
which the Wolverines (3-3) were outscored
by a combined five goals, the focus all
week has been on being more aggressive
around the net and finishing scoring oppor-
tunities.
Against No. 5 Virginia this past Friday,
Michigan suffered a heartbreaking 3-2
overtime loss, outplaying and outshooting
the Cavaliers 13-6 but failing to capitalize
on a numnber of scoring chances.
"I don't know if v e're not mentally com-
ing out strong eQnough, and we're not men-
tally tough enough, but it takes jolt to get
going and that shouldn't be the case,"
Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "I
would like us to come out stronger, espe-
cially against teams we can intimidate, to
put themn away early.
"It's not that we don't work hard, but it's
knowing when to finish, and we don't fin-
ish well inside the circle. It's knowing that
you have to be relentless in a lot of the play
and not just work hard."
In order to alleviate these problems, the
Wolverines have worked hard all week in
practice, especially on being aggressive
and finishing their scoring chances.
"We have our chances, but it seems like
we're down in their end for the first five
minutes and then the other tean gets it
down once and scores," Reid said. "They
are finishing their shots.
"We've been working on getting the ball
up and being relentless in the circle and
finishing our shots."
Besides giving Michigan a chance to
hone its attack, this weekend's game is
important for Michigan as it tries to build
some momentum for the Big Ten season
starting next week.
"We have Michigan State next week, so
hopefully we can turn it around and get a
good win on Sunday," assistant coach
Tracey Fuchs said. "The Big Ten is going
to be a battle.
"Every team is pretty much even, so we
want to get a jump in the first couple of
games in Big Tens and see if we can get a
couple of early wins."
The Wolverines are anxious to get off to
that quick start in the Big Ten, because the
conference boasts five teams ranked in the
top 20 - more than any other conference
in the nation. Three of those teams are also
ranked in the top 10, including No. 1 Penn
State.
"The Big Ten conference has always
been that difficult," Pankratz said. "It's the
toughest battle of any conference to fight."
Pankratz is glad that the Big Ten has
finally been recognized as an outstanding
conference and hopes that it will lead to
future considerations for the conference -
both in the national polls and for at-large
bids into the NCAA Tournament
In the past, despite the tough play of the
conference, few conference teams received
recognition in the national polls because of
weak records resulting from playing other
Big Ten teams.
Consequently, only the Big Ten tourna-
ment champion has advanced to the NCAA
Tournament each year.
"It was ridiculous compared to how good
the conference is," Pankratz said.
"Hopefully this year, we'll have at least two
or three teams that get an at-large bid to get
in the tournament."
Even though Michigan has No. I1
Michigan State and the start of the Big Ten
season to took look forward next week, it is
not looking past a dangerous Syracuse
team.
"They come from a good conference in
the Big East," Fuchs said. "We're just
going to come at the hard and press from
the very beginning and see if we can get
some goals early."
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P° ,
DANA LINNANE/Daidy
Michigan field hockey team takes on Syracuse this weekend. The Wolverines have worked on finish-
their scoring chances, after struggling against Virginia.
LSU player arrested
for stealing purse
UCLA players plead
A of
no contest
BATON ROUGE,(AP) - Larry
Foster, a captain on LSU's football
team, was arrested Tuesday on a
purse-snatching charge after being
chased down and identified by sever-
Il students.
*he starting wide receiver was
booked into the East Baton Rouge
Parish Jail, LSU Police Capt. Ricky
Adams said. Bail was set at
101000.
Coach Gerry DiNardo said Foster
ould not play in Saturday's game
against Auburn in Tiger Stadium. He
did not elaborate.
"I have tremendous concern for
arry in this situation," DiNardo said
statement Tuesday night. "As a
fball team right now we are mov-
ng on, but as a family we are con-
erned about Larry."
A student said her purse was stolen
Monday as she sat on a campus
bench. Several other students said
they saw the theft and chased Foster
into a bathroom in the music building
about a half-mile from the bench.
Foster was confronted as he left the
bathroom and he identified himself
before walking away, Adams said.
The purse, missing about $20, was
found in the bathroom, he said.
The witnesses identified Foster
from photos.
The senior was expected to be one
of the Tigers' leading receivers this.
year. As a junior, he caught 56 passes
for 722 yards and four touchdowns.
Foster, one of four team captains,
missed last weekend's game against
North Texas with a pulled hamstring.
He returned to practice Monday and
had been expected to play against
Auburn on Saturday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The city
attorney's office maintains that what
Cade McNown's lawyer calls his "exem-
plary life" includes an illegal quarterback
sneak.
While four more defendants in
UCLA's handicapped parking scandal
pleaded no contest Tuesday to a misde-
meanor charge as part of a plea agree-
ment, the case of McNown was put off
until the end of the month,
McNown, the first-team All-America
quarterback as a senior last year, and four
other former or current UCLA players
were charged Monday with illegally pos-
sessing a handicap parking placard.
The five were scheduled for arraign-
ment Tuesday, and all had their cases
continued until Sept. 30.
The city attorneys office has brought
charges against a total of 19 current or
former Bruins alleged to be part of the
a
yesterday
disabled parking scam.
McNown's attorney, Ronald Safer,
refused to say how his client would plead,
but said the Chicago Bears rookie was
"deeply troubled" by the charge and was
legitimately entitled to the placard when
he used it briefly nearly three years ago.
Mark Reynosa and Duval Hicks, who
played for the Bruins last year, and
Durell Price and James Ghezzi, members
of this year's team, entered their no-con-
test pleas before Municipal Judge Sam
Ohta.
Nine of the other current or former..
UCLA players who were charged July 8
entered no-contest pleas three weeks
later.
As was the case with other defendants
who pleaded no contest, Reynosa, Hicks,
Price and Ghezzi were ordered to pay to
pay $1,485 in fines and perform 200
hours of community service.
AP PHOTO
LSU captain Larry Foster isn't going to dive over anyone this Saturday. He was
arrested Tuesday on a purse snatching charge and will not play this weekend.
Ildi
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