Wednesday October 1, 2003 www.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com PeaRTiSgat Biv 7 Blue freezes out Oakland By Ellen McGarrity Daily Sports Writer ROCHESTER - The Michigan men's soccer team might as well have been playing in the mid- die of Chicago's Michigan Avenue. Oakland's field certainly felt like the Windy city yesterday when the Wolverines took on the M____GAN ___ Grizzlies. But the chilly fall weather and gushing winds didn't stop the Wolverines' attack. Michigan triumphed 1-0 over No. 17 Oakland, winning its third game ever against a ranked team. "These are the kinds of wins we need to make a name for ourselves," senior defender Kevin Taylor said. "We're the University of Michigan, but since we're young, we don't really get that respect." The Wolverines opened up the game with an impressive first half, keeping possession of the ball and creating many scoring chances. Junior Mychal Turpin, who has had two four-goal games this season, netted the only goal of the game in the 15th minute of play. After junior Dawson Stellberger passed Turpin the ball, the forward outran two Oakland players and kicked the ball past the Grizzlies' goalkeeper. Michigan's goal in the first half marked just the second time this season the Wolverines have scored before the half. Shortly after Turpin's goal, Michigan received a gift from its opponent. An Oakland player was given a red card after intentionally trying to injure Turpin, forcing the Grizzlies to play a man down for the remainder of the game. "It's tough playing a man up, believe it or not, because the psychology favors the team with a man down because they've got nothing to lose," Michi- gan coach Steve Burns said. "The team that's a man up really starts to feel the pressure of, 'Hey, we're a man up, we should be playing better.' " But the Wolverines kept their heads level, as the undermanned Oakland squad proved to be no match for Michigan goalkeeper Peter Dzubay. The Grizzlies managed just nine shots on goal all game, seven fewer than the Wolverines. Ilitch's Tigers and Wings remain polat CHRIS BURKE Goin' to work Let me tell you the story of two professional team owners. The first has continually opened his pocketbook. Every time a player has been injured, left via free agency or has- n't panned out, he's been replaced by a better specimen. The result has been one of the most dominant franchises in sports. This par- ticular owner has been rewarded with three championships in less than a decade; he continued to spend money this offseason in hopes of making it four. Owner No. 2 has proven himself to be the exact opposite. Rarely spending money to improve his team, it has been forced to pick up cheap, unwanted players. When he has spent money, it has been ill-timed and poorly placed, throw- ing money at average athletes when bet- ter ones are available for slightly more money. His prize has been a team that has floundered for a decade at the bottom of the league's barrel, unable to ever improve over the prior season. Now for the kicker. These two owners are actually one person. Specifically, it is Mike Ilitch, the cur- rent owner of both the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. I don't even really need to say any- thing more - anyone who knows any- thing about sports is aware of the opposites difference in success recently between the Red Wings and Tigers. The problem is, and has been for years, the completely different strategies that Ilitch has utilized with his two teams. In hockey, Ilitch has assembled one of the most impressive lineups in hock- ey history. Future Hall of Famers Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull and Dominik Hasek have all made their way to Detroit in recent years. When Hasek retired after the Red Wings' 2002 Stanley Cup champi- onship, Ilitch slapped $8 million a year in front of Curtis Joseph, the best free agent goalie available. In the playoffs last year, the Red Wings struggled on defense. The answer? A multi-million dollar contract for superstar blueliner Derian Hatcher. It's just another move in a long line of decisions to keep the Wings stockpiled with the best talent available. That attitude couldn't be further from what has happened at Tiger Stadium/Comerica Park since Ilitch took over the Tigers in the '90s. While the Red Wings continue to accept handouts from Ilitch, the Tigers have stumbled through year after year with washed-up talent. Detroit hasn't seen a winning baseball team since 1993, and last week, the Tigers had to get hot in order to avoid breaking the record for most losses in a season. The biggest misconception about this entire Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde situation is that Ilitch has never spent money on the Tigers. On the contrary, he put up a large sum of money to help build Com- erica Park, and then he tried to slap a $100-million contract on slugger Juan Gonzalez after the Tigers traded for him. But Gonzalez didn't sign, and the See BURKE, Page 8 RYAN WEINER/Daily Defensive mldflelder Dawson Stellberger adds to Michigan's strong attack against Oakland yesterday. "Playing a man down, they had to drop one of their forwards back into the midfield, so they kind of sacrificed a goal-scorer for a midfield- er." Taylor said. Burns also prepped for this game by pairing junior Matt Niemeyer and Stellberger as his defensive midfielders. Burns didn't have this lux- ury last season. Niemeyer redshirted with a torn ACL. "One of the keys to beating this team, because they play the same shape as us (4-3-3), was to win the central midfield," Burns said. "We didn't want to be outworked. We wanted Niemeyer in there next to Dawson to give us that work rate and that tenacity defensively. With those two players on the field, it allowed our defensive backs to attack a lot more." Burns continues to draw from his deep bench. The coach played freshman Kevin Savitskie for much of the game in the defensive back position next to Taylor. "I love having (Savitskie) next to me because he's such a fighter - he never quits," Taylor said. Michigan may have conquered this in-state rival for now, but the real challenge lies ahead. Michi- gan faces rival Indiana, a team the Wolverines have yet to beat in four tries, at home Sunday on the Varsity Soccer field. Ritt readies for 20th season Backup netminders ready for the worst By Jamie Josephson For the Daily With a veteran head coach in her 20th season at Michigan, the welcoming of a new assistant coach, three returning seniors and three freshmen recruits, the Michigan women's tennis team seems to be brewing a recipe for suc cess.- Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt explained that it hadn't even dawned T s 1S V on her that this milestone year had Michigar arrived. Wolverre "(Coaching at Michigan) been a Tine: great process that I have enjoyed immensely," she said. Matching experience with origi- nality, the coaching tandem of Ritt and newcomer Katy Propstra sets the stage for the 2003-04 season. Previously an assistant coach for the men and women at Northern Arizona (2001-03), Propstra was also a two-time NCAA All-American for Ari- zona State (1995-99). "Having an assistant with her playing creden- tials and coaching experience will make a signifi- cant contribution," Ritt said. "She knows what it takes." The squad's obvious excitement for the newest addition to the coaching staff has made Propstra feel right at home "I'm really excited about being here at Michi- gan," Propstra said. "There is a lot of potential on this team." The Wolverines are looking to improve on their 5-5 Big Ten and 14-10 overall record from last year. Their season came to an end after losing in the second round of the NCAA Regional to No. 1 seed Stanford. The Wolverines will count on junior and two- time All-Big Ten honoree Michelle DaCosta for on-court success. Coming off a record of 18-15 (8- 3 Big Ten) from last season, DaCosta has already made an impressive showing, finishing in the semifinals of the 2003 ITA National Summer tt1 Fn Championships. The ITA currently ranks her No. 67 in singles, and her doubles tandem with junior Leanne Rutherford fills the No. 50 slot. "I'm pretty excited about beingranked," DaCos- ta said. "I just want to try to maintain it and hope- fully improve upon it." Pitt also explained that leadership from seniors - Chrissie Nolan, Kim Plaushines, and Kavitha Tipirneni will all play key EKEND roles in acclimating the freshman stthe newcomers. ltational "I think the freshmen coming in hrgh have the greatest work ethic," Tipir- ; neni said. "All of us are on the same page right from the beginning. I believe we are a bit more experienced this year even with the three new freshmen." Lindsey Goldstein from Highland Park, Ill., is one of the newest additions to Michigan tennis. She explained her excitement in transitioning from high-school tennis: "It's more intense. It's Big Ten. Enough said." Michigan hopes to repeat last season's dominat- ing performance in the Wolverine Invitational. In 2002, the women posted a record of 16-7 for sin- gles and won nine out of 11 doubles matches. "The Wolverine is a good tournament that pre- pares us for our winter season and dual-match sea- son," Plaushines said. Leading this veteran/freshman mix into the Invi- tational is Ritt, adding nearly 20 years of experi- ence. In her 19 years thus far at Michigan, she has been named Coach of the Year in 1994 and 1997. Ritt led the 1981-82 team to a 27-8 overall record, taking the eighth position on the school's all-time single-season win list; she even lead the 1997 squad to a Big Ten championship. Nevertheless, Ritt doesn't evaluate her coaching success solely on these athletic performances. "It's not just about the tennis," Ritt said. "It's the fun that we've had, the relationships we've devel- oped and the past players I keep in touch with ... I would not leave to coach any place else." Michigan's backup goalies better have made the most of the 40 minutes By Sharad Mattu Daily Sports Writer they each played in last Friday's Blue/White intrasquad exhibition. Because if this sea- son is anything like the last, the duo of sophomore Noah t 8oog Ruden and freshman Mike Meyhew will hardly see any time on the ice this year. Sophomore Al Montoya started all 43 games in net last year, while Ruden appeared for less than 60 minutes total. "Being a backup goalie is a tough role," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "I've seen it where they don't get a lot of opportunities to play in a game. And I've seen it where our number-one goalie gets injured, and then suddenly they've got to be our starting goalie for half a year. You never know" Berenson is referring to the 1999- 2000 season, when all three Michigan goaltenders saw significant action. That season, Kevin O'Malley and L.J. Scarpace played well in starter Josh Blackburn's absence, and Michigan managed to win the CCHA title. "If there's an injury or something unexpected happens, they need to be ready," Berenson said. "For example, if we lose Montoya for the World Juniors at Christmas time, who's going to play in the (Great Lakes Invitational)? Who's going to start in the champi- onship game against Michigan State in front of 18,000 people? Who's ready to take that and run with it? "We're in September now, but those are the things that are down the road." Ruden understands his role as the backup, and realizes how vital it is. "It's more difficult I think to get pre- pared the right way when you're the backup," Ruden said. "All week Mike and I get in our work, but then it's not easy to be ready during a game if Al gets hurt, God forbid. "We work hard to show the coaches we're getting better. The coaches pay attention to us and see how hard we work and how prepared we are in case anything happens." ICERS TABBED No. 2 IN POLLS: If the Wolverines perform up to preseason expectations, then fans can expect them to overcome their stumbling block the past three years: the Frozen Four semifinal. Michigan is ranked No. 2 in both the USA Today/American Hockey Maga- zine and U.S. College Hockey Online polls. Two-time defending champion Min- nesota, which eliminated the Wolver- ines in the Frozen Four the past two seasons, is ranked No. 1 in both polls. Three other CCHA teams - Ferris State, Michigan State and Ohio State - appear in both polls. Berenson is glad Michigan is ranked so high, but noted, "We expect to be one of the best teams. That's our goal, and now we need to prove that." DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Michigan senior Kavitha Tipirneni will be a key factor in getting the Wolverines' three freshmen ready to play. the michiganc UP TO $300/HR., male models wanted for amateur photo/video work. Must be in shape and eager to show off. No exp. nec. E-mail models@themalebox.com for information. UPTO $500! WK. processing mail. Get paid for each piece. Ceate your own schedule. (626) 821-4061. WANT TO BE A STAR? Hollywood pro- duction company seeking videos for TV Show. Win $2500! 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