4 Friday October 3, 2003 www.michigandaily.com sports@michigandaily.com P eORTicSigan Btilq 8 4 Bi' Michigan defense will give Iowa fits Blue's Pankratz not forgetting her roots By Naweed Sikora Daily Sports Editor When the Wolverines head into Iowa City tomorrow, it will be a traditional Big Ten brawl - a pound-for-pound battle to see which team can simply "outtough" its opponent. Michigan has run the gauntlet of emotions this season, the most recent being a lethargic 31-17 win over an Indiana team which had no business staying in the game. The Hawkeyes suffered their first defeat of the season at Michi- gan State last week and should be excited to get back in the Big Ten race with Michigan coming to town. Last year, Iowa dropped the ham- mer on Michigan's season, as it handed the Wolverines their worst home defeat since 1967 (34-9). But in 2001, a miraculous one-handed catch by receiver Marquise Walker helped the Wolverines emerge victo- rious from Kinnick Stadium. MICHIGAN PASS OFFENSE VS. IOWA PASS DEFENSE: Although Iowa's defense is heavy up front and built to stop the run, the secondary is smart and stingy, with several upperclassmen among its ranks. Junior free safety Sean Considine and corner Jovon Johnson should both be a factor, as well as strong safety Bob Sanders. "Bob Sanders is, I think, the best strong safety in all of college foot- ball," Lloyd Carr said. Iowa has allowed just over 200 passing yards per game thus far, while the Wolverines are averaging 240 yards per game in the air. After a strong performance against Oregon, Michigan's aerial attack seemed to disappear once again against the Hoosiers. If Michigan's receivers can hang on to the football and Navarre can forget his troubles on the road and make accurate throws, the Wolver- ines shoild have the advantae here. But until then, this is even. ADVANTAGE: PUSH MICHIGAN RUN OFFENSE VS. IOWA RUN DEFENSE: Michigan hasn't had much offense on the ground since beating up on Notre Dame. Chris Perry was completely shut down in Oregon and didn't make much noise against Indiana after fumbling twice early on. Michigan's offensive line has had trouble opening holes, which isn't going to get any easier in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes' defensive front is very experienced and has given up just 84 rushing yards per game. It is a defense centered on stopping the run and not giving up the big play. Run- ning the ball is where the game will be won or lost for Michigan. "The game is going to come down to the offensive line and running the ball," senior lineman Tony Pape said. "It's a great challenge for us." ADVANTAGE: IOWA By Megan Kolodgy Daily Sports Writer Sixteen years ago, the Iowa field hockey program was dominated by one woman. This particular Hawkeye was the school's Female Athlete of the Year, twice. She was the Big Ten Field Hockey Player of the Decade (1982- 1992) and eventually went on to be a two-time member of the U. S. Olympic team. Who is this incredible athlete, you ask? She's none other than Marcia Pankratz. Sound familiar? Pankratz has left her playing days behind her and is now the head coach of Michigan's field hockey team. This week, she and No. 5 Michigan will trek to Iowa City to take on the No. 6 Hawkeyes in a crit- ical Big Ten matchup. Returning to her haunts of youth is something this born-again Wolverine tries to do with relative frequency. "I go to the alumni games," Pankratz said. "When I go back, I put my alumni hat on and try to have a lot of fun with those guys." This is not always an easy task. "It's difficult because we're competi- tors, and we want to win," Pankratz said. Despite conflicting feelings, Pankratz remembers her days at Iowa with fondness. "I learned so much there," she said. "I learned how to be a good teammate. I learned how to work really hard. I learned how to manage my time and how to handle disappointment." Although she picked up valuable life skills in her experiences at Iowa, the coach's approach to leading her team to a championship differs significantly from those who coached her during her college days. "I think a lot of how the program is run is dictated by the coach's personali- ty, and the head coach that I had back then was a lot more rote drill-oriented," Pankratz said, referring to the coach's repetitive use of the same drills intend- ed to help players learn skills in a mechanical manner. She also feels that there have been a number of changes in the sport in the years since she wore the gold and black. "First of all, the players have changed a lot because they begin to play on Astroturf at a younger age, so they're a lot better, they know how to use that type of field a lot better," she said. "Also, now with Title IX, schools have put a lot more money into their field hockey programs. Programs are funded really well, and they can play a lot of teams, and that has brought a lot of par- ity to Division I hockey." The coach looks forward to tomor- row's game against Iowa, but is pleased with her decision to come to Ann Arbor. "Of course I'm glad that I'm a Wolverine," she said. "I wouldn't have any other job." 4 DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily Michigan running back Chris Perry could vault himself back into the Heisman race with a big weekend in Iowa City. MICHIGAN RUN DEFENSE VS. IOWA RUN OFFENSE: The Michigan run defense has been the one con- stant so far this season. After a shaky start against Central Michi- gan, the front seven has put together four strong games in a row, and should be ready to deal with Iowa running back Fred Russell. Speaking of Russell, he has car- ried the load offensively for the Hawkeyes, who use a zone-blocking system that gives Russell the oppor- tunity to see where the hole is and then squeeze through it. His small stature and quickness make him a difficult person to catch. "He really fits well into their sys- tem, and he is a great back," senior Grant Bowman said. Russell is averaging 123 rushing yards per game, but the Michigan defensce shoild he nn to the chal- lenge. ADVANTAGE: PUSH MICHIGAN PASS DEFENSE VS. IOWA PASS OFFENSE: Iowa hasn't had much to work with since its top two receivers, Maurice Brown and Ed Hinkel, went down with injuries. Brown will be sidelined until October, but Carr expects Hinkel to be back in the lineup tomorrow. The Hawkeyes will focus on run- ning the football with Russell, but they have the potential to do damage in the air. Six-foot-7, 259-pound quarterback Nate Chandler will present another challenge for the Wolverines, as they are not used to seeing tall quarter- backs. But Marlin Jackson is coming off the best game of his season, and with Larry Stevens and Ernest Shazor back in the lineup (both did not play last week due to injuries), the Wolverines should control the pass. Advantage: Michigan INTANGIBLES: Both teams have something to prove, and both are still contenders for the Big Ten title. Kin- nick Stadium will be loud, but Michi- gan's seniors have been there before and won. Just like last year, this game will come down to toughness - who can out-muscle who? ADVANTAGE: PUSH 1 I Golfers disappointed with start of season High-speed wireless Internet access. Now being served at Starbucks. per-fast Internet service provided by T-Mobile HotSpot, is now available at select Starbucks locations including 3801 Washtenaw Ave., 222 S. State Street, 1214 South University Ave., and 803 Ann Arbor Trail. Check it out. And better yet, make your connection easy with an HP 1PAQ Pocket PC or notebook computer-. For more information, service agreement details and other participating Starbucks locations, visit Starbucks.com/hotspot. MICHIGAN 21, IOWA 17 FOR STAFF PicKS WITH ANN ARBOR CELEBRITY JOE KRAIM FROM CAMPUS CORNER, VISIT WWW.MICHIGAN L DAILY. COM EDITING 1 st HOUR FREE * Engishi 'sage( * Organizing * Siortening * 15 years Experence 734.717.2546 danstein@umich.edu What do Howard Dean, Democratic Presidential hopeful, and embattled California Governor Gray Davis have in common? Visit www.xialumns.org/deandavis.htm to find out! A PA RT ME NT H OM E S A ffordlable! 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartment Homes By Gabe Edelson For the Daily After sixth- and seventh-place finish- es in the first two tournaments of its young season, the Michigan women's golf team has not played as well as many people had expected. Don't let the players or their coach know about it, though. "I think the team has come together quite nicely," coach Kathy Teichert said. "I'm seeing tremendous work ethic and determination. It's simply a matter of the players feeling confident about their games and staying positive ... we need to turn rounds of 77 or 79 into rounds have gained valuable experience. "My game has become more consis- tent, and hopefully I can carry that over to future tournaments," said Stinson. "I was a little nervous before the first tournament, but I've gotten used to playing every week." Broderick has found the transition to the college game to be quite a smooth one. "I'm used to playing the distances, and I know that if I play a bad round, I have the team to back me up," she said. This weekend presents a fresh oppor- tunity for the team, when Michigan hosts the Wolverine Invitational tomor- row and Sunday. of 73 or 75." Junior Laura Olin, who led the squad with an over- all score of 228 (good for 16th overall) at last week- end's Lady Northern Inter- collegiate in Columbus, remains equally optimistic. "Our team has the poten- tial to win tournaments," THIS WEEKEND Wolverine Invitational Tie: 8:30 a.m. Satur- day, 9am. Sunday Michigan Golf Course "The course plays very tough, but it's a home tournament," said Olin. "We know the course and what to expect." Schmucker agrees that playing at home presents a major advantage. "It's not as nerve-rack- she said. "We all just have to play well on the same day." But not everybody can deal with adversity so calmly. "It's not that I'm disappointed, it's just that I had very high expectations (for myself)," sophomore Amy Schmucker said. "I haven't fulfilled any of those expectations. This is a team sport, and nobody has really gotten low (scores consistently) to lead the team." Schmucker believes she can be the one to step up her game, but it is a slow and often painful route. "I'm trying to channel all my nega- tive energy into the next shot, trying to realize that I can recover from bad shots," she said. "It's a tough learning process." On the positive side, talented fresh- men Brianna Broderick and Ali Stinson ing, since we know where we need to place the ball," she said. Teichert expects the team to build on its improvement from the first tourna- ment to the second. "We have been much better in bunker play and putting, but we still need to work on some basics (like up- and-down percentage)," Teichert said. "If each player improves on weakness- es, the team (improves)." The coach is excited for the team's chances this weekend. "All of our players have an opportu- nity for family and friends to come out and support them," Teichert said. Just because the team has struggled early doesn't mean Olin can't make a prediction. "I expect our team to win, hands down," she said. ,1 s " 0 Resident Activity Center Washer & Dryer Carwash Center Nature Trail 1100 Rabbit Run Circle Ann Arb~or, MI 48103 Phone (734) 998-1000 Fax (734) 998-0000 www.ced-concord.com Resort to the Lifestyle Yau Deserve.-!. Would you like to start a fraternity? We have got a great opportunity for you! -------------- Local/national scholarship programs Immediate leadership positions 145 years on campus 500+ alumni Nn hazinn Women's soccer scoring burst puts team in mix By Melanie Kebler Daily Sports Writer The Michigan women's soccer team improved enough offensively last week- end to take home two Big Ten wins against Wisconsin and Minnesota. Junior Kate Morgan scored once in both contests, and now leads the team with three goals on the season. Sopho- more Katie Kramer, who got her first career start against the Badgers, scored her first career goal just 57 seconds into the match. Michigan freshman goalkeeper Megan Tuura has been named one of the Big Ten co-Defensive Players of the Week. She has a 0.52 goals against average this season and has had just four goals scored on her in almost 700 minutes in net. "For a freshman she is really com- posed. She communicates and organiz- es well and comes up big when we need her to,"Rademacher said. Last Friday, Tuura stopped four shots to hold Wisconsin scoreless and record her second shutout of the season. Aj