The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - September 20, 2004 -7B 'D' propels Stickers By Matt Venegoni Daily Sports Writer Some say that the best defense is a good offense. For the Michigan field hockey team, it's actually the oppo- site that's true. With a swarming defense attack- ing the ball, Michigan downed No. 8 Northeastern 3-0, yesterday. The scoring started early for the Wolver- ines as sophomore Jill Civic hit the back of the net just 21 seconds into the game. Sophomore Mary Fox took the initial shot, but it rebounded off Huskie goalkeeper Diana Nelson to the front of the cage. Civic pulled the loose ball out of the scrum in front of the cage and flung it past Nelson. That early goal set the tone as the defense kept the Huskies on their heels all day. "I was very happy with our per- formance, not just with the win, but the effort," Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "Everyone was cover- ing each other and playing hard for 70 minutes." Northeastern (7-2) had double the number of penalty corners as Michigan (5-3), but it could not take advantage of those opportunities. Michigan was consistently able to clear the ball and get the action back into the Huskies' half of the field. "Everything starts from the back, all the way to (goalkeeper) Beth (Riley)," senior Jessica Blake said. "The play is set and we can break from the back and, with a couple good passes, we get going." That is exactly how Michigan scored its second goal, as the defense cleared the ball and the offense took advantage. Blake proceeded to score the goal, her fifth of the two-game weekend. "It's always fun to score goals, that's why I play forward," Blake said. "But the team effort is why I score, the team set up a lot of good . , past Nor opportunities." The second half was much of the same for the Wolverines, as they continued to keep the pressure on and were able to dictate much of the flow of the game. The Huskies had a few scoring opportunities, but were kept away by the Michigan defense, which was led by senior tri-captain Katy Moyneur. "Moyneur is just being a great foundation as the sweeper," Pankratz said. "She went to the ball really well and changed the momentum with her clearing of the ball." That clearing led to the final goal of the game, as Michigan put the game out of reach with a goal by Fox at the 60:41 mark. "We stuck to the game plan, and everyone paid attention to the tac- tics," Pankratz said. "I'm really pleased with the shutout, especially coming against a team like North- eastern." theastern The Northeastern game capped off a successful weekend for the Wolverines as they blanked Cen- tral Michigan 11-0 on Friday. Blake scored four goals in the game. "It helps us to stay confident with the offense scoring and also allows us to get some young people into the games," Pankratz said. The offense is starting to produce for Michigan much better than ear- lier in the season, and Blake thinks that production has been a product of the defense. "The defense has helped us a lot in practice because they step up and are really tough on us," Blake said. "It carries over into the game when they make us work so much." After struggling to score in its three losses, the offense is starting to come around at the right time - with Big Ten play beginning next weekend. The Wolverines travel south to take on Indiana and Ball State on Friday and Sunday. Sophomore Jill Civic scored the first goal in Michigan's 3-0 win yesterday. Early goal sinks Illinois By Max Kardon Daily Sports Writer The Wolverine squad opened up Big Ten conference play this weekend by kicking off its eight-game stretch against con- ference rivals Northwestern on Friday. Coming off a rousing 3-0 victory Sept. 12 over No. 22 Boston University, Michigan rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats on Friday. The team looked to build upon its success and it conjured a 1-0 upset over No. 11 Illinois when they met yesterday. The lone goal came off a free kick by sophomore defender Brenna Mulholland. Mulholland's ball was deflected into the air by junior forward Therese Heaton and popped off freshman forward Melissa Dobbyn's outstretched head. It soared into the right side of the net over a crowd of leaping defenders. The Wolverines successfully avenged a crushing loss to the Illini in last year's Big Ten Championships. From the opening kickoff, both teams displayed an energetic tenacity and a penchant for hockey-style contact. A speedy trio of Illinois attackers, led by wily senior Tara Hurless, kept the Wolverine defense occupied throughout the game. Wolverine defenders, led by Mulholland, sophomore Katelin Spencer and senior captain Rachel Rothenbach, once again proved adept at containing and dispatching the ball. "We were really organized on 'D'," Mulholland said. "We always knew who was stepping in and who was covering, so they never had much time in the open." The Wolverine offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half as it cut through the Illinois defense with precision passing and gritty hustle. But it was an uphill battle to get the ball past Illinois goalkeeper Leisha Alcia. The Wolver- ines damaged her image of invincibility 12 minutes into the game, as Melissa Dobbyn discovered the antidote to Alcia's pison in the form of a looping header. : The game took on the atmosphere of a prize fight in the second half, but the Wolverines managed to parry the fre- quent Illinois blows as they went for a knockout punch in he form of a second goal. The Illini almost tied the game with Blue posts second straight win By Amanda Shapin For the Daily RYAN WEINER/Daily Brenna Mulholland's free kick led to Michigan's only goal yesterday, in its 1-0 victory over Illinois. 39 minutes left, but their effort was erased due to an offsides call. Michigan matched the Illinois attack's pugilistic inten- sity on both sides of the ball to pull out the upset. "I'm proud of the defense for maintaining the lead," beamed Michigan coach Debbie Rademacher. "They kept their backs to the goal, and never let up. This was a big win against a Big Ten rival, and I'm really proud that we were able to shut them out." Michigan improved its record to 5-2-1 (2-0 Big Ten), and is poised for a big jump in the national rankings. Senior forward Kate Morgan looked past the victory, showing the sobering wisdom of a veteran as her team enters the full swing of Big Ten play. "Every win feels great, but you have to take it one game at a time," Morgan said. "We have to look to next week and keep working hard. It's too early to celebrate because we still have a long way to go." Michigan hits the road this weekend, as it faces off against conference rivals in Minnesota on Friday and Iowa on Sunday. Building on its season's spotless record, the Michigan women's golf team added its second straight victory with a first-place finish in the Mary Fossum Invitational Tourna- ment, held at Michigan State this weekend. Four athletes traveled to East Lansing to represent Mich- igan - sophomore Brianna Broderick, freshman Isabelle Gendreau, senior captain Laura Olin and sophomore Ali Stinson. The Wolverines led by three strokes after 36 holes of play on day one. Despite increasing winds on day two, the team remained in control and upped its lead to six strokes, holding off the other 14 schools competing for the title. Michigan State came in second, followed by Northwest- ern and Wisconsin. Not only did the Wolverines take the trophy, Broderick finished first overall with a two-day total of 219. Broder- ick opened the tournament with back-to-back even-par 72s each, only one stroke over her all time best round of 71 which she shot at the Lady Northern Invitational in Ann Arbor last weekend. "I felt good after the first day because I had been playing very consistently," Broderick said. "I've never felt that way in a tournament before and it was a great feeling." Broderick wasn't the only one feeling good about the Wolverines performance. "The course was in optimal playing condition and I felt very good about how everyone was competing," Michigan coach Kathy Teichert said. "Although we have a few things to work on, I have been enjoying where we are with our 2-0 record so far. It has been a very good start to the season." Olin finished fourth with 227. Stinson and Molly Spald- ing, who played unattached as an individual, tied for ninth, with 231s. The Wolverines look to continue their winning streak Oct. 4 and 5 at the Women's Collegiate Shootout in Franklin, Ind. Sophomore Brianna Broderick shot a personal-best 71 this weekend for coach Kathy Teichert and the Wolverines. THE BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP ... M 5 S :5g BCG invites you to our Information Session All majors encouraged to attend. Undergraduate and Masters Students, non-MBA Tuesday, September 21, 2004 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Michigan Union, Pendleton Room