I
2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - December 2, 2002
CLUB CPORIsWEEKLY
Goals 'almost' achieved
in nationial title season
Vick-timized
By Megan Kolodgy
Daily Sports Writer
After beating Colorado, 2-1, in the
national championship, going 25-1-1,
winning the state of Michigan, region-
al and conference tournaments and
shutting out the team (Penn State) that
defeated them in the national champi-
onship semi-finals last season, Michi-
gan's women's club soccer team had
just one thing to say.
"This was by far the best season,"
captain Anne Haghgooie said.'
Senior Meghan Harrison agreed.
"The.team achieved almost all of its
goals," Harrison said. "We won the
conference tournament, came together
as a team and beat a couple of teams
that we really wanted to beat"
The tournament started on a sour
note, when one of the team's cap-
tains broke her arm on the first day
of competition. Despite this loss,
Michigan managed to barrel through
its bracket undefeated and trounced
teams such as James Madison, Texas
A&M and Maryland.
The championship game was
played on Nov. 23, in Bakersfield,
Calif. The Wolverines earned their
bid to.the prestigious national tourna-
ment by winning their regional Tour-
nament. The positive attitude that
Michigan was able to maintain
throughout the season served them
well in the tournament.
"We were very confident going into
the championship game," Haghgooie
said. "At that point, it wasn't even
about which team is better. It's all
about heart, and who wants it more."
The game remained scoreless
until the first five minutes of the
second half, when Colorado fired a
shot in the box.
With 20 minutes remaining in the
game, Michigan received a penalty
kick for a Colorado handball in the
box. Junior Bethany Dalby made the
shot. With a mere five minutes left
on the clock, sophomore Gwen
Reyes scored the game-winner for
Michigan, securing the national title
for the Michigan club.
The quest for a national champi-
onship began in late August. The first
activity the Wolverines participated in
as a team was not a standard soccer
practice, but rather a day at a ropes
course building leadership and team-
work, followed by a picnic.
"We have really gotten along well
from the get-go," Harrison explained.
Haghgooie also noticed that the
team gelled unusually quickly.
"The team has the most amazing
chemistry I've ever seen on a soccer
team," Haghgooie said. "There were
so many positives this season, and it
was just a great way to end my soc-
cer career."
There was not room on this team for
a few dominant players; the Wolverines
success did not find success in players
attempting to outshine one another.
"We really didn't have any stars,"
Harrison explained. "We just had a
very solid team, from first to last off
the bench."
The players challenged one anoth-
er's capabilities, and channeled their
competitive spirit into playing as a
unit. They found success with a caring
attitude and a strong sense of unity.
"If people struggled, we didn't look
at it as an opportunity to push our-
selves up," Haghgooie said. "Instead of
pushing them down, the team picked
them back up."
abe fichig% OWN
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Who: Jennifer Smith Sport: Women's basketball
Hometown: Lansing Year: Junior
Position: center
Why: With a career-best 29 points yesterday, Smith led the Wolverines to
a 87-63 victory over Detroit. She also had 20 points in the Wolverines' Fri-
day night win over Massachusetts. Michigan is off to a 4-0 start, its best
since 1999. Smith
6M9SCHEDULE
Tomorrow
M Basketball vs. Central Michigan, 7 p.m.
Thursday. Dec. 5
Volleyball at NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds (Campus Sites)
W Swim/Diving at U.S. Open (Minneapolis)
Friday, Dec. 6
M Swim/Diving at Eastern Michigan Invitational, 3:30 p.m.
W Gymnastics in Intrasquad Meet, 7 p.m.
Hockey at Northern Michigan, 7:05 p.m.
Volleyball at NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds (Campus Sites)
W Swim/Diving at U.S. Open (Minneapolis)
Wrestling at Cliff Keen Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Saturday, Dec. 7
W Basketball vs. Saint Louis at Xavier Invitational, 3 p.m.
M Basketball at Duke, 3:30 p.m.
M Swim/Diving at Eastern Michigan Invitational, 3:30 p.m.
Hockey at Northern Michigan, 7:05 p.m.
Volleyball at NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds (Campus Sites)
W Swim/Diving at U.S. Open (Minneapolis)
Wrestling at Cliff Keen Invitational (Las Vegas, Nev.)
The Falcons' Michael Vick had 173 yards passing and 173 yards rushing in
Atlanta's 30-24 overtime win against Minnesota yesterday.
V Sunday. Dec. 8
W Basketball vs. Central Connecticut or Xavier at Xavier Invitational, 1 or 3 p.m.
Volleyball at NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds (Campus Sites)
IFS
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SPORTS
Sutter and assistants firedby
Sharks due to 'tere start'
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - The San Jose Sharks fired , x
coach Darryl Sutter and assistants Lorne Molleken and t
Rich Preston on Sunday in a dramatic shakeup of a slump-x
ing team.
Doug Wilson, the Sharks' director of pro development,Y
and scout Cap Raeder will coach the team until a new head
coach is named.
With San Jose off to a terrible 8-12-2-2 start, general
manager Dean Lombardi decided to replace Sutter, who had
led the Sharks to five consecutive seasons of improved point
totals while helping to transform them from a laughingstock
into a Stanley Cup contender.
San Jose became a consistent winner in Sutter's tenure,
but he couldn't do anything this season with an under-
achieving club that's been one of the NHL's most surprising
disappointments.
"Darryl was an integral part of the growth of this team the
past five seasons," Lombardi said. "This was not an easy
decision to make."
Following Saturday night's 3-2 home loss to Phoenix, the AP PHOTO
Sharks are mired in last place in the Pacific Division, which San Jose Sharks head coach Daryll Sutter was fired
they won last season. yesterday by the team, after starting the season 812-2-2.
Packers finallyC cinch division e
Russia overcomes
deficit to win Cup
PARIS (AP) - No deficit was too
daunting for Russia or Mikhail Youzh-
ny in the Davis Cup final.
Marat Safin's win over Sebastien
Grosjean kept Russia alive.
Russia became the first finalist in 38
years to overcome a 2-1 deficit, beat-
ing defending champion France to
claim its first title when Youzhny
fought off a two-set hole in the last
match yesterday.
Youzhny, a ball boy the last time
Russia played in a Davis Cup final,
stunned Paul-Henri Mathieu 3-6, 2-6,
6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to give Russia a 3-2 edge
in the best-of-five series.
"When I was down two sets to love,
I told myself: 'I have to play my
game, I have to do my best,"' said
Youzhny, at 20 the same age as his
opponent. "I won this match because
I'm in top form. And even though I'm
young, I already have experience in
big matches."
Russia is just'the sixth team to win a
Davis Cup final after trailing 2-I. The
last was Australia against the United
States in 1964.
After the last point - Mathieu hit a
service return long - the Russian
team rushed onto the clay court, lifted
Youzhny above their heads and began
throwing him repeatedly into the air.
LeBron shoots lights
out in season opener
AKRON, Ohio (AP) - LeBron
James can shoot the lights out -
but not with the lights out.
James, widely acknowledged as
the best high school basketball play-
er in the country, and his Akron St.
Vincent-St. Mary teammates had
their season opener cut short by a
power outage Saturday night.
The Division II Fighting Irish
were up 45-10 over Wellston, a
Division III school from southern
Ohio, with 47 seconds left in the
first half when the lights went out.
"It's very disappointing," coach
Dru Joyce said when the game was
suspended after a 45-minute wait.
"I honestly want to finish. I'm will-
ing to sit here two or three hours to do
so, but the power company said some-
thing about a five-hour wait."
James had 11 points in the game.
DAMY SCOREBOARD
NBA STANDINGS
NHL STANDINGS
NFL STANDINGS
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
Philadelphia
Boston
New Jersey
Orlando
Washington
New York
Miami
Central Division
Indiana
Detroit
New Orleans
Milwaukee
Atlanta
Toronto
Chicago
Cleveland
3
7
1
7
9
9
W L
14 4
10 5
11 6
10 7
6 10
4 10
4 12
W L
13 2
12 5
11 5
8 8
8 9
5 10
4 12
2 16
W L
15 1
11 7
9 6
9 8
9 8
5 11
2 14
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - The
Green Bay Packers won their first divi-
sion title in five years by forcing five
turnovers and getting an outstanding
performance by rookie running back
Tony Fisher in a 30-20 victory over the
Chicago Bears yesterday.
Fisher, an undrafted free agent from
Notre Dame, replaced Ahman Green,
who hurt his left knee in the third quar-
ter. Fisher ran 17 times for 91 yards and
a touchdown.
The Packers (9-3), who were coming
off two straight losses, clinched the
NFC North. They also remained the
only team without a loss at home (6-0).
On a cold, windy day at Lambeau
Field, Brett Favre threw two second-
half touchdown passes and improved
to 33-0 at home in temperatures of 34
or below. He beat the Bears for the
18th time in 22 tries.
The Packers (9-3) trailed 14-6 at half-
time and appeared on their way to
another defeat until Rod Walker recov-
ered Jim Miller's fumbled snap at the
Green Bay 1 early in the third quarter.
It came one play after Marty Book-
er's apparent touchdown catch was
called an incompletion, and the Bears
lost a challenge.
The Packers then drove 90 yards -
with Fisher accounting for half of them
- and went ahead for the first time on
Ryan Longwell's 27-yard field goal that
made it 16-14.
Fisher was third on the depth chart
until fellow rookie Najeh Davenport
was lost for the season two weeks ago
with a fractured left eye socket.
The Bears (3-9) also lost their start-
ing running back, Anthony Thomas,
who broke his right index finger in the
first half. He was replaced by Leon
Johnson.
Green hurt his left knee when he was
tackled by Mike Brown at the end of a
29-yard run early in the third quarter.
The Bears took a 14-6 halftime lead
on tight end Dustin Lyman's first two
career touchdowns, one of which he
scored on a fake field goal.
Playing on grass for the first time all
season, the Bears went ahead 7-0 when
Paul Edinger lined up for a 30-yard
field goal in the first quarter and holder
Brad Maynard pitched the ball to
Lyman instead.
The TD was set up by defensive end
Alex Brown's recovery of Favre's fum-
ble at the Green Bay 18.
Miller's 8-yard touchdown toss to
Lyman made it 14-3, and Longwell's
31-yarder made it 14-6.
Then came a wild final minute
before halftime.
Johnson fumbled at midfield with 21
seconds left, and Na'il Diggs recovered
for Green Bay. On the final play of the
half, Favre's pass was intercepted at the
Bears five by Damon Moore, who
raced down the sideline but fumbled at
midfield.
Packers lineman Mike Flanagan
recovered but tossed the ball into the air.
Chicago cornerback Roosevelt
Williams grabbed the gift and was on
his way to another Bears touchdown
when Packers receiver Javon Walker
chased him down 15 yards shy of the
end zone._
Pct
.778
.667
.647
.588
.375
.286
.250
Pct
.867
.706
.688
.500
.471
.333
.250
.111
Pct
.938
.611
.600
.529
.529
.313
.125
Pct
.722
.533
.529
.467
.353
.353
.353
7y
8
9
GB
2
2.5
5.5
6
8
9.5
12.5
GB
5
5.5
6.5-
Northeast Division
Boston
Ottawa
Montreal
Toronto
Buffalo
W
16
13
10
11
4
L
3
6
9
11
14
L
7
7
8
12
14
Southeast Division
W
Carolina 11
Tampa Bay 12
Florida 7
Washington 10
Atlanta 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
GB ~WL
GB New Jersey 13 E
- Philadelphia 11
2.5 Pittsburgh 11 E
2.5 N.Y. Rangers 10 1:
3.5 N.Y. Islanders 8 1
L
6
6
12
13
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Midwest Division
Dallas
San Antonio
Houston
Minnesota
Utah
Denver
Memphis
Pacific Division
Sacramento
Phoenix
Seattle
Portland
Golden State
L.A. Clippers
L.A. Lakers
NBA GAMES
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Central Division
W L
St. Louis 13 7
Detroit 12 7
Chicago 10 10
Columbus 9 11
Nashville 4 11
Pts
28
28
28
24
19
Pts
36
29
25
24
13
Pts
29
28
24
22
14
Pts
29
28
23
22
16
Pts
34
31
27
27
18
Pts
36
27
25
21
20
West
W I
San Diego 8
Oakland 7
Denver 7 '
Kansas City 6 C
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Miami
New England
N.Y.Jets
Buffalo
South
Indianapolis
Tennessee
Jacksonville
Houston
North
Pittsburgh
Baltimore
Cleveland
Cincinnati
W
7
7
6
6
W
7
5
3
W
7
6
6
1
PF
287
303
235
315
PF
257
275
256.
157
PF
303
224
262
204
PF
263
328
295
370
PF
320
202
166
219
PF
247
316
322
158
PF
325
238
215
278
PF
285
235
190
244
PA
228
251
243
338
PA
206
287
231
288
PA
269
250
243
335
PA
265
238
266
312
PA
187
217
214
280
PA
126
211
281
221
PA
250
300
331
332
PA
259
242
313
280
*I
E
6.5 Northwest Division
10 W
13 Vancouver 15
Minnesota 13
Edmonton 11
Colorado 8
GB Calgary 6
W
13
8
9
7
6
6
6
L
5
7
8
8
11
11
11
3.5
3.5
4.5
6.5
6.5
6.5
L
5
7
8
6
12
L
6
7
7
12
12
East
Philadelphia
N.Y. Giants
Dallas
Washington
South
Tampa Bay
Atlanta
New Orleans
Carolina
North
x-Green Bay
Chicago
Detroit
Minnesota
W
9
6
5
5
W
9
8
7
4
W
9
3
3
3
Pacific Division
Dallas
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Phoenix
San Jose
0,
W
15
10
8
8
8
NHL GAMES
Yesterday's games
Indiana 92, L.A. CLIPPERS 87
Toronto 92, MEMPHIS 87
New Orleans at BOsToN, inc.
Houston at SACRAMENTO, inc.
New Jersey at SEATTLE, inc.
Minnesota at L.A. LAKERS, inc.
The Most Important Exam You'll Ever Take At U of M
Yesterday's games
N.Y. RANGERS 4, Tampa Bay 3
ATLANTA 5, Washington 4
Calgary at DETROIT, inc.
Chicago at ANAHEIM, inc.
Today's games
New Jersey at PHILADELPHIA, 7 p.m.
Tomorrow's games
St. Louis at BOSTON, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at N.Y. ISLANDERS, 7 p.m.
Columbus at N.Y. RANGERS, 7 p.m.
Anaheim at DETROIT, 7:30 p.m.
Washington at PITTSBURGH, 7:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at TORONTO, 7:30 p.m.
Carolina at NASHVILLE, 8 p.m.
Calgary at COLORADO, 9 p.m.
San Jose at PHOENIX, 9 p.m.
Minnesota at EDMONTON, 9 p.m.
Wednesday's games
Anaheim at BUFFALO, 7 p.m.
Vancouver at NEW JERSEY, 7:30 p.m.
Carolina at FLORIDA, 7:30 p.m.
Ottawa at CHICAGO, 8:30 p.m.
Montreal at DALLAS, 8:30 p.m.
Thursday's games
Atlanta at BosToN, 7 p.m.
Edmonton at TAMPA BAY, 7 p.m.
NY Rangers at PHILADELPHIA, 8 p.m.
Ottawa at ST. Louis, 8 p.m.
Detroit at PHOENIX, 8 p.m.
Minnesota at CALGARY, 9 p.m.
Nashville at Los ANG9LES, 10:30 p.m.
Last Thursday's games
New England 20, DETROIT 12
Dallas 27, Washington 20
Yesterday's games '
TENNESSEE 32, NY Giants 29,
ATLANTA 30, Minnesota 24
Pittsburgh 25, JACKSONVILLE 23
KANSAS CITY 49 , Arizona 0
BALTIMORE 27, Cincinnati 23
GREEN BAY 30, Chicago 20
BUFFALO 38, Miami 21
CAROLINA 13, Cleveland 6
INDIANAPOLIS 19, Houston 3
San Diego 30, Denver 27
Philadelphia 10, St. Louis 3
San Francisco 31, Seattle 24
NEW ORLEANS 0, TAMPA BAY 0
Today's game
NY Jets at Oakland 9 p.m.
Next Sunday's games
Houston at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
San Francisco at Dallas, 1 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Washington, 1 p.m.
Buffalo at New England, 1 p.m.
St. Louis at Kansas City, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Cincinnati at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Cleveland at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Detroit at Arizona, 4:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.
New Orleans at Baltimore, 4:05 p.m.
Denver at N.Y. Jets, 4:15 p.m.
Oakland at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.
Minnesota at Green Bay, 8:30 p.m.
West
W
San Francisco 8
St. Louis 5
Arizona 4
Seattle 4
x-clinched division
NFL GAMES
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