16A - The Michigan Daily - SportsTuesday - September 7, 2004 - 11 1111111F1111esh m an........ 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. 4 CeRY/1',vlykt;144mncy c"6,5;a~m 6ffen,'11"fir(Vly/veK% 4/s'eA Se'f / CA~ f( +4e Ycler ke fn 'EbtdEr, A u'r AfiA 2)o66erIei ,.. J d i ''forye / yon/./ 1?tnk yon/el//vyore 6s4 ~i~we~/b ~r4 ?~em~ t\i Buy used and save Buying used textbooks saves you 25% off the price of new. Rush to the bookstore for the best selection of used books. Pierpont Commons Bookstore Pierpont Commons l Airr... ('m r c- . \ 4 &.1is li