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October 29, 2001 - Image 11

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The Michigan Daily, 2001-10-29

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The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 29, 2001 - 3B

RAPHAEL
GOOD STEIN

Wolverines wilt under the Florida heat

Walker's catch the start
of something special.

IOWA CITY - Every legitimate
Heisman contender needs to
play for a national title-caliber
team and put up great stats. But
more importantly, he needs to make
one play that voters remember. One
play that ESPN shows dozens of
times. One play that legitimizes his
candidacy.
Desmond Howard's diving touch-
down catch on fourth-and-one
against Notre Dame, and his punt
return for a touchdown against
Ohio State legitimized Howard's
candidacy.
Charles Woodson's one-handed
pick against Michigan State while
staying inbounds did the same for
Woodson's chances.
Marquise Walker
became a legitimate
Heisman contender Sat- Marq
urday. Not because of Wal
his six catches or 72 becai
yards, but because of his legiti
touchdown catch on a Heisma
pass that nobody tend
thought was catchable. Satu
By now you've seen because
the catch, and you touch
remember this catch catc
more than any of Walk-
er's other 48 catches on
the season. Whether they admit it
or not, Heisman voters are the same
way. They remember certain'plays
more than other plays.
Voters don't watch every game.
They watch the big ones, and then
watch SportsCenter for everything
else.
Needless to say, Walker's catch
made SportsCenter. And needless to
say, every reporter in Kinnick Sta-
dium was talking about the catch.
The game was also a 3:30 broad-
casted on ABC.
But as important as the highlight
is, it's also important that he's been
good enough so far this year to be a
known name nationally. Maybe not
as much of a name as Nebraska's
Eric Crouch, or Ken Dorsey of
Miami (Fla.), but enough of a name
that people will now watch for him
to continue to make big plays.
This play came at a perfect time
for Walker. He was huge in No. 6
Michigan's lone loss this year,
catching 15 passes for 159 yards
and two touchdowns. He was

d
r+
c

Michigan's only offensive threat
and has quietly played very well
ever since then well enough to
make a name for himself. Now, as
the season is starting to reach its
peak, he made his statement.
It's important that Walker played
well in Michigan's only loss,
because nobody can say he didn't
step up when he needed to. Walk-
er's play absolves him from blame
in Michigan's sole loss.
Walker and Michigan will need
to continue to win if he's to remain
a candidate - Michigan only lost
one regular-season game combined
the years Howard and Woodson
won the Heisman.
UCLA's 38-28 loss severely ham-
pers DeShauin Foster's
hopes, just as Florida's
uSer loss to Auburn two weeks
ker ago ended Rex Gross-
ne a man's hopes. Much like
nate the polls, a loss late in
'n COn- the season is much more
ler damaging than a loss
day early in the year.
of his Michigan should win its
down last four games. Michigan
h State, Minnesota, Wiscon-
sin and Ohio State are all
winnable, and will all be
televised. ESPN's College Gameday
will likely broadcast from Michigan
Stadium for the Ohio State game,
making the spotlight that much
brighter.
Walker might need a little help if
he's to win the trophy. Many
schools go out of their way to pro-
mote candidates. Oregon paid for a
billboard of quarterback Joey Har-
rington as a promotional stunt.
This isn't Michigan's style. Nei-
ther Howard nor Woodson - nor
some of the candidates who didn't
win it: David Terrell, Tyrone
Wheatley, Anthony Carter - were
promoted by the University.
Consenuently, those candidates
went out of their way to talk about
their candidacy. This isn't Walker's
style. "That's for (the media) to talk
about," he says.
After Saturday's catch, the media
is talking.
Raphael Goodstein can he reached at
raphaelg tuniich.edu.

By Rohit Bhave
Daily Sports Writer
Looking to recharge in the warm Florida
weather this weekend, the Michigan men's soccer
team (2-3 Big Ten, 8-6-1 overall) sought to com-
pete well against the No. 15 Furman Palladins
(11-4 overall) yesterday and the Florida Interna-
tional Panthers (7-6-1) on Friday. Unfortunately
for the Wolverines, bad breaks and poor finishing
hurt them in both games, causing a 4-0 loss to
Furman, and 2-I loss to Florida International.
Yesterday, stiff winds severely affected Michi-
gan coach Steve Burns' strategy against the Pal-
ladins. Choosing to have the wind at his team's
back in the second half, Burns counted on the
Wolverines to hold off Furman until they could
have more favorable attacking conditions.
"Any time there is a strong wind in the game of
soccer, the team against the wind struggles,"
Burns said.
This approach backfired. After giving up an
own-goal 14 minutes into the contest, bad luck
bit the Wolverines even harder in the form of a
critical red card.
With just two minutes left in the first half,
Michigan goalkeeper Joe Zawacki attacked a
jump ball just inside the penalty box. As he
attempted to punch the ball out with both hands,
Zawacki was whistled for a flagrant elbow foul.

In addition to Zawacki's game ejection and two-
game suspension, Michigan had to play one man
down the rest of the game.
"It's tough for our team to rebound from adver-
sity - unfortunately it was adversity that came at
the wrong time," Burns said.
The tough situation was compounded when the
Palladins were awarded a penalty kick as a result
of the play. Furman's Anthony Esquivel converted
to score against freshman goalie Bryan Lau.
Down two goals and one man the rest of the game
against a nationally ranked team, the Wolverines
had an impossible hill to climb.
Despite having the wind in the second half and
three one-on-one breakaways against Furman
goalkeeper Scott Blount, the Wolverines were
unable to come back, eventually succumbing on
the road.
Friday night against Florida International,
Michigan played a much more competitive game
against the speedy Panthers, but still lost.
"It was a real good learning experience, play-
ing against small quick guys that are good with
the ball at their feet." Burns said.
Down 1-0 in the in the first half, Michigan
responded just five minutes later. With 16 min-
utes left, forward Mychal Turpin buried a header
from five feet out after an excellent cross from
midfielder Knox Cameron, tying the game at one.
The second half became an aggressive free-for-

all, with 27 fouls. Constantly attacking the Pan-
thers' forwards with its three-forward look,
Michigan appeared to have control in the second
half.
The Wolverines squandered their offensive
opportunities with poor finishing. Given the
aggressive nature of Michigan's 3-4-3 alignment,
the entire team is vulnerable to counterattack
when goals are not scored.
"It puts a lot of pressure on everybody when
chances aren't being finished," Burns said.
Whj1e the Wolverines were shut out in the sec-
ond half, Florida International capitalized on its
sole offensive chance.
From a cross by John Pulido, Conor Collins
notched his second goal of the day from five feet
out, beating Zawacki to the upper right corner of
the net.
Afterwards, Burns expressed his regret over the
lost opportunities.
The loss to Florida International was "a game
that was ours to win," Burns said. "We had FIU
on their heels the last 30 minutes of the game.'"
While losing certainly hurts the young Wolver-
ines' morale, being swept this weekend may help
Michigan focus better in preparation for its Friday
night game at Ohio State, No. 5 in the Big Ten.
This weekend's losses "help serve as motiva-
tion, in terms of doing more of the little things
right in practice," Burns said.

Women s soccer improves
play against ranked teams

,

By Allison Topp
Daily Sports Writer

SOUTH BEND - Coach Debbie Rademacher
reached a milestone last Friday night, earning her
100th career win at the Michigan in a 2-1 win over
Michigan State.
But the total stayed at 100 as the Wolverines lost a
hard fought game against No. 8 Notre Dame yester-
day, 2-1. The loss in South Bend yesterday was an
improvement for the team, considering the results it
had against ranked opponents earlier in the season.
"We have played top teams earlier in the season
when we weren't really sharp," Michigan head coach
Debbie Rademacher said. "I feel like we've faced
every condition and every type of team we could face
if we went to the NCAA Tournament. We're pre-
pared."
The Fighting Irish had confidence that translated
into composure on the field. Notre Dame often car-
ried the ball up the field and gave its forwards ample
time to make a run up the flanks or into the middle.
This style of play allowed the Fighting Irish to pos-
sess the ball for most of the game and keep compo-
sure when an error was made.
"The chemistry of our team has always allowed the
girls to play together very well," Notre Dame coach
Randy Waldrum said. "We have so many young play-
ers that part of that composure has come through
experience in the second half of the season. We're
starting to play together as a group and do the things

we need to do as a team."
The first goal came with 25:13 minutes left in the
first half. Notre Dame sophomore Randi Scheller
shot a high arching ball 30 yards away from the
mouth of the goal.
Michigan goalie Bre Bennett jumped up to knock
the shot away, but hit it up against the crossbar for
Notre Dame's first goal.
Ten minutes later, Michigan forward Abby Crump-
ton answered with a goal to tie the game. Despite the
physical play from both teams in the last 15 minutes,
the game was taken into overtime.
Both teams had their opportunities in overtime, but
Notre Dame forward Amanda Guerten was the first to
capitalize in sudden death leading her team to victory.
The game-winning goal extended Guerten's four-
game scoring streak to five.
On Friday afternoon, Michigan beat in-state rival
Michigan State 2-1.
Like Notre Dame yesterday, Michigan went down
by a goal early in the second half. Spartan Kristi
Arrington scored the first goal with 39:18 minutes
left in the game. Michigan had hoped to use the wind
to its advantage in the first half, but it was in the sec-
ond half with the wind against them that the Wolver-
ines finally came to life. .
Michigan forward Abby Crumpton used her speed
to rally her teammates and score a goal with 25:37
minutes left in the game. Freshmen Kate Morgan and
Theresa Dwyer assisted on the goal.
Crumpton scored the game-winning goal with 8:41

JokL
:tis

DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
Junior Abby Crumpton scored Michigan's only goal
against No. 6 Notre Dame this weekend.
minutes left after being assisted by Erica Kleinholz.
"I told them going into the second half it was do
or die because we didn't hAve the wind advantage
anymore," Rademacher said. "Sometimes the wind
isn't such an advantage when it's so strong. We
were still able come back and win the game in the
second half"

'M' stickers roll through Northwestern

By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor

Crew finishes fall i"n
search of best lineup

By Melanie Kebler
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan rowing team
wrapped up its fall season at the
Head of the Elk last weekend, bat-
tling rough conditions in Elkhart,
Ind.
The team entered four boats in
the varsity eight race as it continues
to test out lineups and search for
team chemistry.
"The lineups in the fall are pretty
tentative," Michigan assistant coach
Emily Ford said. "They were select-
ed by the coaches for this race but
we didn't put a lot of emphasis on
the selection."
Despite the randomness of the
lineups, the team still placed well,
finishing with boats in second, third,
ninth and 14th place. Michigan
State took first place. High winds
and choppy water made the course
difficult to navigate, but the Wolver-
ines managed to finish their fall
season on a good note.
"I think we should we have a pret-
ty deep team," senior captain

Christina Meyer said.
In what may be called a rebuild-
ing year, the team has already
shown progress this fall with an
excellent performance at the Head
of the Charles regatta earlier this
month.
"We definitely have a lot of first
year varsity members and. freshmen
and it's encouraging that they are
doing well," Meyer said. "They have
added a lot of strength to the team
already."
Changing lineups during practice
and at competitions has helped the
team discover who works well
together and who doesn't. This is
extremely important, as chemistry
between rowers in a boat can make
or break a team.
"The boat depends on all eight
people, and how they work togeth-
er," Meyer said.
After some successful fall races,
.the Wolverines will continue to train
in preparation for the spring season.
By the time the spring season starts
in March, the rowing team should
be ready to compete.

EVANSTON -- One could see the
frustration in their eyes.
The Wildcats were exhausted, men-
tally and physically, after the No. 5
Michigan field hockey team dominat-
ed the second half, constantly on the
attack in Northwestern's defensive
zone.
All of the confidence Northwestern
(1-5 Big Ten, 2-12 overall) gained
from Michigan's sluggish start went
by the wayside as the Wolverines (4-
2, 13-4) pulled away late in the sec-
ond half to beat the conference
cellar-dwellers, 2-0, on the windy
shores of Lake Michigan.
But Northwestern will have its
chance at revenge when it has a
rematch with Michigan in the first
round of the Big Ten Tournament on
Friday on the same field.
Michigan's Kristi Gannon netted
both goals on corners, including the
nail in Northwestern's coffin with just
38 seconds left in the game. But
Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said
Gannon's first goal that put Michigan
on the board was vital because it
changed the momentum of the match
and kept a hungry Northwestern team
down.

"It was huge," Pankratz said. "I
think it's really important, especially
when you're the hunted because the
longer you keep the other team in it
and they think they can win, the more
they gain confidence while our team
can get tight."
According to Gannon, the play
worked just like the coaches drew it
up.
"When we get in the circle, we
either want to get a shot off or force a
corner and make something out of the
play," Gannon said. "So I think the
girls did a great job in forcing the
corners and I got the shot off fast
since the field was nice and slick."
Ali Balmer and Catherine Foreman
assisted on both goals, with Foreman
setting. the school record for assists
(58) - breaking Courtney Reid's old
mark of 56 that was set from 1997 to
2000.
Michigan's potency in the corners
continued throughout the match, as
the Wolverines hit the post once with
seven minutes remaining, and had a
goal disallowed just a few minutes
prior -- which created an animated
argument between Pankratz and the
referee that carried on through the
final seconds.
The apparent goal was deflected
through the pack of Northwestern

defenders and hit over 18 inches
above the board inside the net -
which according to international rules
nullifies the shot.
"In hockey, when the ball crosses
the line on a corner strike, because of
safety they want to keep the ball at
the level of the board - that's the
rule," Pankratz stated. "Her shot was
a little bit of a banana shot, it came
off and we felt it came back down
before it went in -but they didn't
think so. It's a judgment call, and it's
a really hard one at that speed to
make.
"But we just had to deal with it,"
she added with a smile.
To deal with a possible letdown
against Northwestern (with the Big
Ten Tournament just a week away,)
the Wolverines made several adjust-

ments at halftime to help propel
them to victory. These changes
mostly had to do with the field con-
ditions and Michigan's style of play,
including improved their on the slip-
pery field,'more intensity and more
ball speed.
But adapting to these conditions
served another purpose for Michi-
gan, as it will have to return to the
same field when the Wolverines
attempt to defend their conference
tournament crown next weekend
against the Wildcats on their home
turf.
"We haven't played here in two
yearsNo for us to get back over here
and play on the surface was impor-
tant," Pankratz said. "It's a fast sur-
face, so it's nice and it plays to our
style really well."

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