16A - The Michigan Daily - SportsTuesday - September 7, 2004
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Late-game heroics save 'M'
By Matt Singer
Daily Sports Writer
With less than 15 minutes left to play, the Michigan women's
soccer team had to wonder what more it could do to put the ball
in the net.
The team was relentless on the attack with a seemingly end-
less stream of corner kicks and scoring opportunities. But the
scoreboard doesn't lie, and with time winding down, Ohio's 1-0
lead seemed increasingly secure. With their backs to the wall,
the Wolverines didn't panic and rattled off three goals in less
than three minutes to hand the Bobcats a 3-1 loss Sunday at the
Varsity Soccer Field.
"We were going to fight to the end if that's what it took,"
junior Therese Heaton said. "I had confidence in our team.
We're a very hardworking team and we weren't going to let this
one get away from us."
Despite dominating play throughout the game, the Wolverines
(2-2) couldn't strike first. The Bobcats (0-4) were outshot 10-1 in the
first half, but Ohio keeper Michelle Meglaughlin was a brick wall,
using her 5-foot-11 frame to deny Michigan's attempts.
"The keeper was doing a great job," Heaton said. "We just had
to slip one by her."
But the Bobcats finally broke through at Michigan's end in the
57th minute. Ohio's Lindsey Price took Meglaughlin's mammoth
goal kick and beat two Michigan defenders before sneaking the ball
just over Michigan keeper Megan'Thura's outstretched fingertips.
"I just think the longer (Ohio) stayed in it, they got momentum,'
Michigan coach Debbie Rademacher said. "We don't blow teams
away, that's not our tendency."
Michigan didn't slow down in response to the setback, as its
offensive onslaught continued. To apply even more pressure, the
Wolverines unveiled a more aggressive, riskier formation to put
Ohio back on its heels.
"It was a little scary because they had three forwards, and we
matched up three (defenders) in the back without having any cover,"
Rademacher said.
The Wolverines tickled the twine soon enough. With just 10:54
remaining, Heaton popped a rebound over Meglaughlin's head for
the equalizer, and the dam was broken.
"We knew that once we could get the first one in it would just
open the floodgates and more would come," Heaton said.
Just 24 seconds later, senior Kate Morgan gave Michigan the
lead off of a pinpoint pass from freshman Melissa Dobbyn. Within
two minutes, Dobbyn rebounded her own free kick and drilled the
ball into the top-right corner of the net, sealing the victory. In a sport
not known for bursts of scoring, Michigan had turned a one-goal
deficit into a two-goal lead in just two minutes and 18 seconds.
"We only did that one time before," Rademacher said. "Against
U-Mass two years ago, we got four goals in 10 minutes."
Friday's game against Kentucky (0-4) was similarly gut-wrench-
ing. Michigan again controlled the tempo from the outset, only to
watch Kentucky's Kristen Moyer score late in the first half Midway
through the second half, Heaton put in the equalizer, setting up a
thrilling overtime period.
"It was do or die in the second half,"Rademacher said. "You can't
just go out and dominate and let in one goal. I think they responded
to the challenge."
The Wildcats had a breakaway opportunity five minutes into the
overtime period, forcing Tuura to make a spectacular game-saving
stop. The Wolverines followed with a charge down the field, where
senior Laura Tanchon found Dobbyn near the net. A strong header
into the left corner of the net gave Michigan the victory, sparking a
raucous on-field celebration.
"We just needed that to prove to ourselves that we can come back
from a goal down," sophomore Katelin Spencer said.
Each of Michigan's wins came with a price. In Friday's
matchup with Kentucky, sophomore defender Lindsey Cot-
trell went down with a leg injury. On Sunday, Spencer collided
with Ohio defender Crystal Reed, sustaining a facial injury that
would require stitches.
"That's a big bummer right now," Rademacher said. "We're
missing two starters."
But injuries are inevitable in soccer, especially with Michigan's
hard-charging playing style.
"We play a physical game," Spencer said. "We're in the Big Ten,
we make it that way."
C H RISTI[NE STA FFOR D/Daily
Dan Murray led the Michigan team with an 18th-place finish with a time of 26:56.
M raystraining
f uels brez~akout grace
By James V. Dowd
Daily Sports Writer
Only four days after a breakout 10-mile
run at Michigan's training camp, junior
Dan Murray finally saw his years of hard
work pay off on the race course Saturday
at Ann Arbor's Buhr Park.
At the Eastern Michigan Invitational,
Murray led three Michigan finishers,
placing 18th out of 61 cross country
runners. Four additional Michigan run-
ners, including captain Nate Brannen,
ran unattached.
Michigan coach Ron Warhurst was
pleased with Murray's performance, and
credits his hard work of this past summer.
"(Murray) just did his homework this
summer," Warhurst said. "He ran 90 to
95 miles a week. He has struggled the last
two years, but sometimes it takes guys lon-
ger to do certain things. I just hope that he
maintains the fire that he's got right now
through the season."
In high school, Murray was one of Mich-
igan's elite cross country runners, placing
eighth in the 2001 Michigan state meet.
Since arriving at Michigan he has battled
injury, but his teammates and Warhurst feel
that this could be a breakout year.
On Saturday, Murray stuck with two of
his teammates, junior Andrew Bauer and
senior Sean Moore, for most of the race.
All three looked strong, but Murray was
able to break away from them at the end.
"He had a kick today," Warhurst said.
"He's never had a kick. I said, 'You're
JEFF LEHNERT/Daily going to have those things, because you're
fit, you're ready to go.' "
The race marked the Michigan debut
of several runners, including graduate
student Jonathon Kieliszak, a transfer
from Princeton, and freshmen Victor
Gras and Seth Thibodeau. Kieliszak,
who has one season of cross country
eligibility remaining after graduating
from Princeton with an electrical engi-
neering degree, placed 10th overall with
a time of 26:24.
Warhurst used the race as a workout
more than an all-out race. In addition to
fulfilling NCAA compliance, it brought
closure to an intense week of training.
"The plan was to make this a workout,"
Warhurst said. "It's an obligation we have
to have a meet after 21 days of practice.
The plan was for everyone to run togeth-
er at about 5:30 pace and stay way in the
back. We ran over here three miles, ran
five miles, and ran three miles back."
Other than a minor ankle injury to junior
Andrew Ellerton, Warhurst is pleased to
get out of training camp and the first race
without losing anyone. In order to prevent
injury on the uneven ground of Buhr Park,
none of Michigan's runners were allowed
to wear racing spikes.
"The ground is really hard and uneven,"
Warhurst said. "We've been running on
solid surface and hard roads, so this is real-
ly uneven. I didn't let anyone wear spikes, I
knew they wouldn't be able to walk tomor-
row if they had spikes on because this
ground is so hard."
The Wolverines will now take a two-
week break from racing before they travel
to East Lansing for the Spartan Invitational'
on Sept. 17..
Freshman
breaks out
in harriers
opener
By James V. Dowd
Daily Sports Writer
Unlike high school, intercol-
legiate cross country meets have
no junior varsity races for devel-
oping runners to improve. Michi-
gan coach Mike McGuire used
Saturday's non scoring Eastern
Michigan Invitational to rest up
his established stars and to give
up-and-coming runners such as
redshirt freshman Laura Glynn
a chance to test the conditioning
that she and other younger harri-
ers recently developed in training
camp. The difficult course and
muggy weather at Ann Arbor's
Buhr Park was a fitting test for
developing athletes who hope to
compete at the next level.
The up-and-coming runners fin-
ished strong - each of Michigan's
five starters finished in the top 12,
led by redshirt freshman Laura
Glynn in fifth place. Three Michi-
gan athletes also ran unattached,
including the race winner, fresh-
man Lisa Canty.
Canty showed great poise, using
a steep uphill stretch to pull away
from the lead pack, and erase any
doubts that she is ready for colle-
giate racing.
"She kind of stayed with the
other two until she crested the
hill," McGuire said. "She then put
a good move in, and that pretty
much decided things from there.
She wasn't really pressed for the
last half of the race."
Whether Canty will redshirt this
season is still in question. With
such a talented squad returning,
McGuire is reluctant to sacrifice a
year of eligibility if Canty will end
up watching from the sidelines.
"We're a very deep team, and
she's a good athlete," McGuire
said. "I want to feel confident
that I'm giving her a really good
chance to compete on the varsity
at the end of the season. She didn't
sacrifice any eligibility by running
unattached, and I'll have a much
clearer picture with her and every-
one else in a couple of weeks."
Glynn's race - her first cross
country race at any level - was
just as impressive as Canty's, even
though she was more than a min-
ute slower. Although she ran track
in high school, her love for tennis
kept her from competing in cross
country.
"I went to one of (McGuire's
cross country) camps with my
friend when I was a junior and I
just kind of did it. Then I decided to
do tennis again because I did ten-
nis all four years (in high school)
and I missed it. I would see all my
friends at the tennis courts while I
was running and I just missed it."
Glynn, an 800-meter runner in
track, found the 5k cross country
race a pleasant change, giving her a
chance to find a rhythm that is hard
to find in the two-minute sprints
she is used to. Knowing that it is
easy to give up in the longer race,
Glynn credits her teammates with
helping her through her debut.
"We push each other - it's way
easier," Glynn said. "I wouldn't be
able to run without them because
you don't push yourself as hard
when you're by yourself."
Glynn ran in a close pack with
freshman Kalli Williams and
sophomore Jentry Soule before
breaking away at the end. Williams
finished sixth and Soule crossed
the line eighth.
The Wolverines will compete
next weekend in Terre Haute,I nd.,
at the Indiana State Invitational.
McGuire is also considering enter-
ing several unattached runners
in a meet at Cass-Benton Park in
Northville.
Junior Therese Heaton (left) celebrates her equalizer goal in Michigan's 3-1. win over Ohio on Sunday.
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