14A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 14, 2004 0 Irish avenge NCAA loss in 3-0 Michigan shutout Tuura is key to solid Wolverine defense By Jamie Josephson Daily Sports Writer Ever since the "luck of the Irish" ran out for Notre Dame in last year's NCAA men's mi soccer tournament against Michi- gan, the Fighting Irish have been ** hungry for revenge. After the com- pletion of yesterday's rematch, the Irish went home with fuller stomachs than on Thanksgiving night. No. 12 Notre Dame (0-1 Big East, 10-2-1 overall) handed No. 22 Michigan (5-1, 7-3-2) a 3-0 loss in South Bend yesterday night. But Michigan coach Steve Burns hardly revealed any disappointment. "I was real pleased," Bums said. "We had chances to grab the game by the throat and take it our way early. We didn't get the breaks, unfortunately. But for our team to be able to create seven great scoring chances, I'm pleased with that." The Wolverines had defeated the Irish in a stunning victory in the second round of last year's NCAA tourna- ment in order to advance to the quarterfinals. The game stalemated in a 1-1 tie, but Michigan defeated Notre Dame in penalty kicks, 4-3. This year, the Irish were ready, and they didn't waste much time. In the 14th minute of play, Notre Dame's Justin McGeeney beat Michigan's fifth-year senior goalkeeper Joe Zawacki from five yards out to give the Irish an early one-goal lead. At 17:41, Notre Dame added to its lead when Luke Boughen gave the Irish a 2-0 cushion after taking a drop pass from his teammate 15 yards away from Michigan's goal. "They were able to connect," Zawacki said. "They were able to finish their chances today. They executed." Michigan had several scoring opportunities, especially in the game's initial 15 minutes. In that first critical stretch of the game, one of those chanc- es came when junior Adam Bruh sent a shot at the Notre Dame net that was redirected by junior Trai Blanks. But Blanks's attempt was deflected off the far post. "We came out flying in the first part of the game," Zawacki said. "We had about three or four really good opportunities. If those would've gone in, it would've been a completely different game:" Besides the two goals allowed, Zawacki had made three saves to keep the Wolverines within reach of the Irish. But to start the second half, Burns tried to mix things up by substituting junior Peter Dzubay for Zawacki at goalkeeper. "It's an opportunity to see where we are with our goal- keeping position," Burns said. "I told both goalkeepers we are going to evaluate them in practice. They are very close in terms of what they both bring to the table, which is a positive for us - not a negative." Dzubay managed two saves, but couldn't stop the scor- ing attack of the Irish. Adding insult to injury in the last five minutes of the game, Notre Dame made sure Michi- gan wouldn't be pulling out any luck of its own. Irish for- ward Nate Norman received a pass within the goal box and shot it passed Dzubay, putting the game out of reach for the Wolverines. Compared to Notre Dame's potent offense, Michigan's attacking game was silenced. The Wolverines were com- pletely out-shot by the Irish throughout the game. Michi- gan tallied less than half as many shots as the Irish, who MIKt ULSEBUS/Daily Goalkeeper Peter Dzubay watches the ball earlier this season. Dzubay took over In the second half yesterday. put up with 23 shots by the end of the contest. Burns said Michigan has been used to this pattern all season. "We are a team that absorbs a lot of pressure," Burns said. "We allow teams to take bad shots against us. Win or lose, we are being out-shot. That is something our team is comfortable with. That's really our style." After falling short to No. 3 Indiana last weekend, 2-1, this is the first time all season that Michigan has dropped consecutive games. Both came against top-25 teams, but Michigan has still seen its ranking drop. But Burns remains confident with the team's perfor- mance. "We had a young team on the field that absolutely could've won this game," Burns said. "They're creating chances, and (when you do that) your breaks are going to come pretty soon." By Seth Gordon Daily Sports Writer Last season, the Michigan women's soccer team struggled to score goals and relied heavily on its defense and goaltend- ing to win games. As a freshman last year, Megan Tuura split time at goalkeeper for the Wolverines, eventually winning the starting job for the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. Michigan has made a con- certed effort to score more goals this sea- son, but when the offense sputters, Tuura has been there to save the day. Last weekend, Tuura posted back-to- back 1-0 shutouts at Purdue and Indiana. The sophomore keeper has allowed just two goals in the Wolverines' last seven games. "Megan has been solid for us all season long," Michigan coach Debbie Rademach- er said. "We didn't face high-shot totals, so every shot that was on goal was pretty key. She's got great hands and didn't give up rebounds, and she was a steady force back there. She's very composed." While Michigan has increased its offen- sive output - through 14 games this sea- son, the Wolverines have found the back of the net 23 times compared to only 12 during the same span last year - Tuura has made the defense even stingier. Thus far, Tuura has surrendered just 12 goals, three less than last year at this point. The improvements on offense and defense have the No. 13 Wolverines (6- 1-1 Big Ten, 9-3-2 overall) in contention for a Big Ten title and a run in the NCAA Tournament. Tuura played in 20 games as a freshman - splitting time with then-senior Suzie Grech - and posted five shutouts, includ- ing back-to-back shutouts in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. Tuura has already surpassed that mark this sea- son, posting six goose eggs so far. The difference for Tuura has been confidence. As a freshman, Tuura found herself anxious - not just about playing for top a collegiate team, but also about adjusting to college life. This season. Tuura has a better under- standing of her teammates' tendencies which has helped her communicate and coordinate the defense better. Tuura's great play and impressive num- bers have garnered her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors twice already this season - the second of which came after her performance this weekend. "It's a great honor, but it does single out one person when we have a whole defense on the field and forwards that are involved:' Tuura said. "I think we should get defensive team of the week awards. I played well, but I think other people should get credit." Tuura has received the Defensive Play- er of the Week award three times in her career - tied for first in Michigan his- tory with Grech. "I have an amazing defense in front of me - great midfielders and a great offense as well," Tuura said. "Without them, I wouldn't have shutouts or anything like that - it's basically due to them." Although humble about her accom- plishments, Tuura doesn't hesitate when it comes to being a leader on the field. "I personally do (consider myself a leader) because I have to command my defense," Tuura said. "I can see the whole field, and I have to show them where the weak spots are to get them to fix certain areas." Tuura will continue to lead the Wol- verine defense as Michigan continues its five-game road swing today at Oakland before traveling to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers on Sunday. 0 ROWING Medina's background spans three countries 4 S By Tyler Hagle Daily Sports Writer Events like the recently passed sum- mer Olympics give people around the world reason to be proud of their coun- try. The combination of raising the flag and playing the national anthem is sure to make chests swell no matter what nationality. On rare occasions, specta- tors get the opportunity to feel far supe- rior when their country takes more than one medal. But Michigan rower Tara Medina has a far better chance than most of seeing her nation dominate the podium. Medina, a senior coxswain, has citi- zenship in not one, not two, but three different countries. She was born in Alberta, Canada, but neither of her parents are Canadian. Her father is Australian and her mother is Ameri- can, allowing her to gain citizenship through birth abroad in both other countries. She moved to Australia at age 3 and stayed throughout her elementary years before moving to Vancouver Island, B.C., where she would pick up the sport that would change her life. Medina began coxing at age 11 and continued through high school. By 11th grade she was skilled enough to try out for the Canadian Junior National Team, but ended up being cut. It was at this point that Medina first put her triple- citizenship into action for rowing - she tried out and qualified for the United States Junior National B Team. Soon she found herself competing in Mexico against the host nation, and against her home nation, Canada. "The U.S. won, beating the Cana- dians, so I was happy after a long and emotional few months," Medina said. "This was my first encounter with being an 'American.' " The coaches of the U.S. squad pushed Medina to apply to American schools, and she sent out applications across the country. Her first visit to Michigan was enough for her to commit and cancel all her other applications, partially because Ann Arbor's laid-back reputation struck a chord with the relaxed Aussie and Canadian lifestyles she had grown so accustomed to. But even moving to the U.S. for the first time wasn't enough to make Medina forget how she got there. "Canadian rowing is what made me love the sport," Medina said. "I grew up rowing on the ocean and it helped me to become the person that I am, as well as provide me with an outlet." Medina never had to feel like an out- sider on the Michigan team, which has always been "full of Canucks." She was one of 13 Canadians her freshman year, and this year's crew still boasts eight women from north of the border. "I guess you can say the rowing com- munity in Canada is quite small," she said. But Medina has made a big name for herself, coxing the first varsity eight as a junior last year while receiving second- team All-Big Ten honors. She hopes to build on this success in her last year of school, before deciding which country she really wants to make her home. "I spent the most time in Canada, and definitely consider myself a Cana- dian," Medina said. "However, after living in the United States, I definitely feel as if I will end up here. Michigan, and the United States, is something that I worked to get to and definitely identify with now." Still, Medina identifies with parts of all three countries. She still strongly prefers Australian or Canadian candy and beer, and American football has been tough to learn to love (her father coaches the Canadian Under-21 rugby team). So the next time Team USA laces up its skates and hits the ice against its Canadian counterparts, or the U.S. pool rats dive in to race those fish-like Aus- tralians, American sports fans should be glad they know who to cheer for. Tara Medina is torn - but remember, she gets to win a lot more, too. -1 IUM THEESINEN , _S THE RvTrRI .THU HUED LEEWI mumcmt mua uuuus.u RYAN WEIN' Sophomore goalkeeper Megan Tuura posted two 1-0 shutouts last weekend. 4 I I U M NiII fl K ML fl$81t Under 21 $10 18+ Doom @9:30- RFEIEERT UIHEETER. : o'tuuv« CROjO KED FnjERj 4 4 zx... ; t