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.No. 4 Michigan
powers past
Buck stickers
By Benjamin Singer
Daily Sports Writer
Frustration turned into elation with 55 seconds left on the
clock in the Michigan field hockey team's 2-1 victory over
Ohio State, yesterday.
The fourth-ranked Wolverines controlled the tempo the
entire game but didn't have the goals to show for it. In the final
minute, freshman April Fronzoni's goal on a 2-on-1 breakaway
completed Michigan's come-from-behind victory over its Big
Ten rival.
"It was all just a reaction" Fronzoni said. "Right before that,
ooked at the clock and I said we have 1:12, what am I going
do if the ball comes down? Next thing I knew, I had the
ball."
In one of the rare second half moments where Ohio State
had possession of the ball, junior Courtney Reid broke up the
Buckeye's play to switch back to the more familiar scene of
Michigan on the attack.
The long pass from junior Ashley Thomas to Fronzoni set-
up the golden opportunity as sophomore Molly Powers was on
the other side of the field in case Fronzoni needed help.
"I was ready for the rebound, the pass, whatever," Powers
said. "That goal was going in, that's all I know."
Fronzoni saw Powers in the corner, but still went for the shot
erself.
"I knew if it didn't go in, (Powers) would tap it in," Fronzoni
said.
See FIELD HOCKEY, Page 6B
Henson
to
te
rescue
ALEX WALK/ Daily
Steve Huber (5) uses his head Friday against Penn State.
Kickers om
close i OT loss
By David Moss.
Daily Sports Writer
Off on
right foot,
QB leads
comeback
By Chris Duprey
Daily Sports Editor
CHAMPAIGN -- Dr. Ed Wojtys,
your privacy has been restored. Drew
Henson has finally returned as Michi-
gan's quarterback - your time in the
media spotlight has gracefully come to a
close.
Wojtys, the physician directing Hen-
son's recuperation from a broken right
foot, gave Carr the go-ahead to insert
the junior for approximately half of the
game Saturday night. Henson entered
with 1:38 remaining in the second quar-
ter, the offense unable to move without
him, and led Michigan to an electrifying
35-31 comeback victory at Illinois.
"I've coached a long time and I've
never been prouder of a group of kids"
coach Lloyd Carr said. "I would have
said that had we lost the game."
It was a conquest that did nothing to
tone down Henson's reputation as a leg-
end-in-the-making at Michigan. Of the
six drives Henson led, four ended in
touchdowns.
"I wondered how (Henson) would
react" to being thrown in the mix, Carr
said. "I should have known."
The Henson-to-David Terrell connec-
tion was an integral part of the Michi-
gan attack in the second half. Running
back Anthony Thomas was the Wolver-
ines' most precious asset throughout all
four quarters, racking up 228 yards on
35 carries and two touchdowns.
Three times in the second half, the
Wolverines faced 10- or 14-point
deficits and responded with touchdowns
to bring themselves within one score.
Down 31-28 with 3:43 left in the fourth
quarter, a fumble forced by Victor Hob-
son at the Illinois 26 provided the best
opportunity for the Wolverines to steal a
road victory.
Henson didn't even need to throw on
the game-winning drive. Thomas ran for
six and 17 yards before punching it in
on a three-yarder with 2:30 to play, lift-
ing the Wolverines into the lead for the
first time since a 7-0 advantage in the
second quarter.
Down 35-31 and needing a touch-
down, Illinois had its own chance to
laugh last. But a second fumble in under
two minutes of game time ended any
potential rally. At the end of a 16-yard
passing gain, Todd Howard stripped the
ball from Illinois' Jameel Cook. Larry
Foote fell on the loose ball, and Michi-
gan was able to kill the remaining 1:59
without incident.
Car gave the offense its due for an
impeccable second-half performance,
while making special mention of anoth-
er group -his defense.
"That defense has been decimated,"
said Carr, referring to the losses of
starters Eric Wilson, Jake Frysinger and
Cato June (out all season). "That's a
gutty group of kids."
As well as the offense was playing,
the Wolverines needed a break on the
defensive end to have a chance. Three
of Illinois' first four drives of the half,
leading up to Hobson's fumble recovery,
had resulted in points. Michigan was
running out of time and couldn't afford
to trade scores anymore.
"We felt on the sideline that if they
(defense) could get one stop, or two at
the most, we could win," Henson said.
The Wolverines needed both fumbles
- the first to take the lead, the second
0. but Thomas proves he ' team MVP
It was to be nothing more than a learning experience. A les-
son on how to play the game. But someone forgot to tell the
Michigan men's soccer team, who Saturday at Elbel Field, took
the nation's second ranked team, Penn State, to the brink before
finally succumbing.
With a roster comprised of freshman and former club play-
ers, the Wolverines, in their first ever Big Ten conference
game, played the Nittany Lions evenly for 90 minutes only to
lose in overtime, 2-1.
' The loss dropped the Wolverines to 3-3 on the season but at
e same time proved Michigan belongs on the same field with
any team in the country.
It was Pete Shellenberger who got Penn State on the board.
30 minutes into the game the Nittany Lions were awarded a
throw-in near the touchline, which they sent into the box. A
wild scramble ensued as Michigan failed to clear, and the ball
squirted out to Shellenberger, who fired from the edge of the
box past Geldres.
As the half drew to a close, Michigan did have one opportu-
nity. Following a corner kick, freshman fullback Kevin Taylor
soared through the air and connected on a header forcing a
*e by Penn State goalkeeper Ryan Sickman.
In the second half the Wolverines came out of their defen-
sive shell and pushed forward towards a tying goal.
The pressure paid off in the 67th minute when Kevin Robin-
son scored a goal remarkably similar to Shellenberger's tally.
Picking up a loose ball in the box, Robinson placed a shot past
the outstretched hands of Sickman.
With the score tied at one and heavy rain falling at Elbel
field, the Wolverines returned to their familiar counterattacking
and very nearly took the lead. A perfect pass from Hirschfield
d reserve forward Robert Turpin, who broke free of the
ense but lost his footing and was unable to get off a shot.
As the game continued on into sudden death overtime, the
intensity picked up and the pressure began to grow as any mis-
take could prove costly.
Eventually Michigan was the first to blink. A perfect cross
from the left side from Oldfield found fellow midfielder Derek
Potteiger who connected on a header for the winning goal, giv-
CHAMPAIGN -Thank God Anthony
Thomas returned for one last season.
Rather, thank his mother.
Last season, I remember wanting to do
exactly that while sitting in a press conference
when the A-Train declared he would return to
Michigan for his senior year.
He smiled at his mother, then shined his
sheepish grin at the media. A soft-spoken guy,
Thomas simply said he
would return to Michi-
gan because he had
promised his mother and
his wife he would get his
degree.
He also didn't forget
to mention that he want-
ed to rack up a few yards sTEANE
along the way. And as he
tells his teammates on OFFEN
the sidelines, he didn't Off the
come back to this team Record
to lose games.
"I came back to win
and help this team as much as possible,"
Thomas said.
A questionable call - or lack thereof- at
the end of Saturday's 35-31 victory didn't tar-
nish Thomas' performance one bit. He proved
to be the Wolverines' most consistent and
important performer this season - both on and
off the field.
The senior ran for 228 yards against Illinois.
Michigan averaged 100 yards fewer than that
on the ground for the entire 1999 season. And
the last player to run for over 200 yards wearing
a Michigan uniform? Tshimunga Biakabatuka
who left the team after his junior season in
Photos by NORMAN NG and ALEX WOLD/Daily
TOP: Drew Henson proved his foot was fine, as he ran for 11 yards on a scamper In the sec-
ond quarter. ABOVE: Anthony Thomas rushed for a career-high 228 yards on 35 carries.
provided Michigan with big plays when none
of the other Wolverines could.
And that has been the case for this entire sea-
son. Unlike many of his teammates, Thomas
has been a standout in all four games.
Saturday, Thomas' touchdown and 79 yards
in the first quarter gave the Wolverines confi-
dence, while a shaky Navarre could complete
only three of seven passes.
for the quarter. Those first downs were able to
keep the ball away from the Illinois offense
long enough for the Wolverines to go into the
lockerroom at halftime only down by seven.
His strength and ability to find the holes in
the defense worked to perfection as he contin-
ued to easily run up the middle - with help
from a much-improved offensive line.
And the sign of a true team leader is his
I