RPe -l--i--ig -n -..i.- SPORTFSN4N Sports desk: 647-3336 sportsdesk@umich.edu SECTION B " ". oia r: ,t a 1 ! Taeaway SOCCER: START 'EM UP 'Purple 'god looks out for Washington SEATTLE - Washington got the first gift of the young college football sea- son Saturday. The Huskies should take it and be happy with it. But they shouldn't think they earned it. "It doesn't matter if you are lucky or good as long as one of the two happens," Wash- ington head coach Rick Neuheisel said after the game. It really couldn't be put any better. One of _______ the two did happen - but which one do Neuheisel and his Huskies think hap- pened? Willie Hurst and his teammates were elated after the game, jump- ing around and with Hurst sarcastically PHILLIPS calling Michigan one Ramble the most prestigious On programs in the coun- try. It was a swagger displayed by a team that believed it deserved to win. Sure, the plays they made needed tremen- dous athleticism. A Roc Alexander 77-yard return off an Omare Lowe blocked kick was a spectacular effort. The ball took two hops into the lap of Alexander and he was gone, leaving Hayden Epstein and John Navarre trailing. Two plays later, another touchdown land- ed in the lap of the Huskies when a Navarre screen pass slipped through the hands of Chris Perry and was picked off by Lowe, whose poor coverage paid off with him waltzing into the end zone. "I actually did the wrong thing and I fol- lowed (the screen) and it tipped off (Perry's) hands and it went right into my hands and it was just'a short dash into the end zone," Lowe said. The momentum swing was so great it gave fans of both teams whiplash. It was reminis- cent as Neuheisel's last miracle: The Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook Hail Mary. How could this be? Michigan's defense looked like it had finally gelled by effective- ly shutting down the Washington offense. It held the Huskies to just nine offensive points. The Wolverines' offense was moving the ball effectively up and down the field on the touted Washington defense. Was it the aura of Husky Stadium that turned the tables? Don't put it past Neuheisel. "Husky Stadium has a way of having those things happen for the home team," Neuheisel said. Husby Stadium 1, Michigan 0? Probably not. All-American Larry Tripplett - who fin- ished the game with one sack and another assisted tackle - believes that it was the aura of the team that earned the win. "They came here and we're the Dawgs, so See PHILLIPS, Page 4B ABOY -RSNAM/Dily Michigan allowed four goals going 1-1. Blue shut out against Penn State By Brian Steere Daily Sports Writer After giving up only one goal in its first three games of the season, the Michigan men's soccer team experienced a rude awakening yes- terday as Penn State shut out the Wolverines 4-0 at State College. The Wolverines (0-1 Big Ten, 3-1 overall) were off to their best start in team history after they beat Cleveland State 1-0 Friday night. But Penn State showed Michigan just how tough it is to win on the road in the Big Ten. "This was a good learning experi- ence for us to open the Big Ten sea- son on the road," Michigan coach Steve Burns said. After clinging to a precarious 1-0 lead for most of the game, Penn State earned some breathing room in the 63rd minute when senior defender Chris Stout redirected a corner kick past Wolverine redshirt freshman goalkeeper Joe Zawacki. See LIONS, Page 8B AP PHOTO Washington cornerback Omare Lowe darts into the endzone after picking off John Navarre's fourth quarter pass. Lowe also blocked Michigan kicker Hayden Epstein's kick 51 seconds earlier, giving the Huskies two touchdowns In under a minute - and a win that looked like it was going to Michigan. Varsity loses composu'e, game in fourth By Jon Schwartz Daily Sports Editor SEATTLE - If Michigan could erase one minute from its game on Saturday, the team could have conceivably escaped Husky Stadium with a hard-fought win. After all, the fifteenth-ranked Wolverines played 59 minutes of exemplary football, good enough for an 21-9 victory. But as the Wolverines learned, all 60 minutes are taken into account when the final score is tal-- lied. And because of that, Michigan suffered a 23-18 loss to No. 10 Washington. From late in the first half until the middle of the fourth quarter, Michigan appeared to have developed control of the game. But a blocked field goal that Washington's Roc Alexander returned 77 yards for a touchdown, and an inter- ception return for a touchdown three plays later shifted control-and the lead - to the Huskies. The whole swing took 51 seconds. "I'm tremendously disappointed because we expected to win and we could have won but we didn't," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. One dominating factor in the game were the small breaks that the Huskies got in several key points. At the end of the first quarter, Michigan's Marquise Walker blocked Derek McLaughlin's punt from the 15-yard line. But, as Carr pointed out, Walker may have blocked the kick a bit too well. The ball bounced out of the back of the endzone for a Michigan safety. The two points that the team received could have just as easily been seven, critical in a game that ended with a five point difference in score. "Whether we got the six points or the two points probably would have made a difference there at the end," Walker said. Also, with Washington driving late, clinging to a 20-12 lead, the Wolverines made the stop around midfield. Salvaging the situation as best possible, Michigan was going to receive the punt with about five minutes left. But safety Cato June was called for a question- able roughing the passer penalty on the play, giv- ing the Huskies 15 yards, and a few plays later, an insurance field goal, the third on the day by Washington's kicker John Anderson. See HUSKIES, Page 5B Michigan's defense and rainy condi- tions were too much for Dayton. soccer splits two ahome. Allison Topp Daily Sports Writer Ortmeyer named' hockey captain By J. Brady McCollough" Daily Sports Writer Groninger finds his I touch vs 'His Airness' 'M' guard also stars on Big Ten Touring Team Michigan forward Jed Ortmeyer spent the second half of last season sidelined with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. This season, he'll lead the Wolverines onto the ice as the team's captain. "I can't wait to get back on the ice," Ortmeyer said. "I've been waiting since February of last season to get back out there and be a part of the team again. You can try to be a part of the team, but if you're not suiting up every game with them it's tough." Watching the Wolverines while he was sidelined gave him plenty of time to evaluate his team and learn what it will take to successfully lead it this year as a junior. "I think when you're sitting out, you can see some things that happened behind the play that you won't see when <>..rnra~a rn 11nrtmo ;ar u ..i Tharnn mn . By Joe Smith Daily Sports Editor If Gavin Groninger decides to have kids, he will definitely tell them about this moment. Working as a counselor and referee at one of Michael Jordan's basketball camps in Amherst, Ill. this summer, the Michigan junior guard actually had the unenviable task of guarding His Airness - one-on-one. Groninger and Jordan matched up on both sides of the floor. It was just a counselors' game up to seven, but Jor- dan always nlavs for keens. And in this "He can still play." But Groninger had the last laugh - draining the game-winning shot against Jordan. Later on in the summer, Groninger continued to find his scoring touch as a member of the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Foreign Touring Team, which made a 10-day trip to Ire- land and England to play other interna- tional squads. Groninger was second on the team in scoring with 13 points per game as the Big Ten swept through the tourna- ment. The team went 6-0 and won by an average of 26 points - making it Two times this weekend, with dif- ferent results, the Michigan women's soccer team got out to an early 1-0 lead. While the Wolverines were able to pull out a victory over Dayton yester- day, on Friday, Kentucky came back to win 2-1. After the loss to Kentucky, yester- day's game was the Wolverines'. chance for redemption. The match against Dayton was a challenge due to weather conditions. The pounding rain made visibility tough for almost five to ten minutes before the game was sus- pended due to lightning with just over 22 minutes remaining in the contest. The adverse weather conditions did- n't keep Michigan from winning its ALYSSA WOOD/Daily Jed Ortmeyer is fully recovered from last season's ACL tear. A0) mnna witan mih1 0tief reshman on the roster It will I s