The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 21, 2004 -1 A

Captains
called on
afiter big,
losses
By Seth Gordon
Daily Sports Writer
Women's soccer coach Debbie
-'Rademacher relies on her captains
to have their fingers on the pulse of
her team. After two consecutive road
losses, senior captain Laura Tanchon
has been the liaison Rademacher
needed to lift the Wolverines back
up for their final Big Ten game at
Michigan State tomorrow.
"I'm asking (the captains) to step
up," Rademacher said. "This is the
part of their job that is hard - pick
the team back up after a loss, help
them get their confidence back -
and they're up to the challenge."
Among Michigan's three captains
- Tanchon, senior defender Rachel
Rothenbach and junior Stephanie
Boyles - Tanchon's experience
is unique, because it is her second
year as captain.
As a junior, Tanchon was hesitant to
be a vocal leader. She was intimidated
and reluctant to speak out to seniors
who had been in the program longer
than she. Instead, Tanchon relied on
then-senior co-captain Erika Klein-
holz to be the outspoken one.
"This year, I'm not afraid to talk
to the team and tell them what they
need to hear," Tanchon said. "I'm
not as intimidated, so I'll say what
needs to be said and not think twice
about it. I'm definitely more vocal
than I was last year. I definitely
consider myself more of leader by
example, but I am trying to work on
being more vocal."
Like Kleinholz, Tanchon plays
midfield - a position that demands
hard work and stamina.
"Being central midfielder, you
definitely have to work hard," Tan-
chon said. "That's where I get my
leadership by example. I work really
hard on the field because I have to.
I think it comes from the position I
play, definitely."
Tanchon's style of play resembles
her leadership style - she quietly
gets the job done.
"She's not flashy," Rademacher
said. "If you go watch a game, she's
not going to stick out because she's

SIHELD HOCKEY
It's a woman's world for Cota,

By James V. Dowd
Daily Sports Writer

Pat Cota, 25-year-old Michigan assistant field hockey
coach and LSA student, began his journey to Ann Arbor
many years ago under the shadows of Los Angeles in
Camarillo, Calif.
Instead of perfecting his best Magic Johnson impres-
sion like so many other boys in the greater Los Angeles
area did at the time, Cota spent his free time emulating
international field hockey players at a nearby Olympic
field hockey training complex. Knowing Cota's athletic
abilities from coaching him in soccer, national field hock-
ey team member Chuck Valencia talked Cota into playing
for local club teams. After years of defying the notion
that field hockey is a women's sport, Cota rose through
the ranks, making his way on to the United States nation-
al team and eventually to Ann Arbor.
Cota began his undergraduate education at UCLA.
While studying, Cota worked his way up through the
national team system. With no recognition as a varsity, or
even a collegiate club sport, Cota's athletic prowess went
largely unknown amongst his peers. Trying to balance
playing on the national team and taking a full load of
classes encompassed the majority of each day.
"I did school (at UCLA) and I lived in (Los Angeles),"
Cota said. "I would go to class and then drive 45 minutes
to training and then drive right back. It was fun."
Cota's international playing experience totals 33
matches, including an appearance in the inaugural Indoor
World Cup last year. Playing with the best players in the
country has helped Cota, but it is the international expe-
rience that has given him the insights that help him as a

coach.
"When we started traveling overseas - that was when
we got the best competition," Cota said. "I hope that I can
bring some of the international experience I have into my
coaching to bring some new ideas to the program."
While Cota was attending UCLA last semester, Michi-
gan coach Marcia Pankratz contacted him to see if he was
interested in her team's open assistant coaching position.
After an interview and a campus tour, Cota was offered
the job. After watching the Wolverines win a national
championship in 2001 and make a final four appearance
last year, Cota had immense respect for the program and
transferred to Michigan so he could take the job.
"I had already heard about the program and what they
have accomplished," Cota said. "(Pankratz and assistant
coach Nancy Cox) have done a great job, and they con-
tend every year."
Cota is hoping his expertise will help the Wolverines
contend for Big Ten and national honors this season. He" '
believes another strong showing by the Wolverines will
help launch the Big Ten to the national forefront.
"The Big Ten is getting closer to the (Atlantic Coast
Conference) in field hockey," Cota said. "We can contin-,
ue that process at programs like Michigan State, Michi
gan and Iowa."
While he has fit in well with the Wolverines, Cota does
feel awkward at times being the odd man out on a female
team, especially on bus rides. But having team manager, '
Kyle Landry around helps, he said.
Cota will be spared the bus ride this weekend when ",
the Wolverines face No. 14 California and Ohio State at'
Ocker Field tomorrow and Saturday, respectively.

J""L""N'M"/Vaily
Senior captain Laura Tanchon will try to get Michigan back on track.

the fastest or the loudest, but she's
always going to give a great pass.
She's just smart. She's got great
vision. She's got stamina, so she can
go for 90 minutes."
Despite Tanchon's edge in expe-
rience, Michigan's trio of captains
pride themselves on being equal and
working together. Even if they dis-
agree about something, they present
a united front to the team.
But the trio faces the hard part of
the job following two difficult road
losses - a 1-0 loss to Oakland and a
3-1 loss against Wisconsin. Oakland
- a team the Wolverines feel they
should have beaten - was able to
stifle Michigan's attack by collaps-
ing its entire team in the defensive
zone after it took a one-goal lead.
Wisconsin jumped out to a 2-0 lead
after just 19 minutes and was able
to stave off any comeback attempts.
Michigan dropped from No. 13 in the
country out of the national rankings
after the losses.
"It's frustrating to lose two
games," Rothenbach said. "We have
to pick it up from there - we're not
a team that quits. Last year, we had
a lot of losses at the beginning of
the year and we never stopped, so
it's motivating going into the Mich-
igan State game. We can use that
as ammunition to just beat them up
(tomorrow)."
Michigan's captains have been able
to relay that sense of frustration to

Rademacher, who has adjusted prac-
tice this week to lift the team's spirit.
On Tuesday, Rademacher challenged
her team to work hard with a physi-
cally and mentally rigorous practice.
Yesterday, she made the atmosphere
more lighthearted. Players were
clearly upbeat during shooting drills,
which Rademacher hopes will help
their offensive woes by the time they
travel to play the Spartans.
The match will play an important
role in the Challenge Cup - the sec-
ond annual aggregate athletic compe-
tition between the intrastate rivals. A
Michigan win will bring the Wolver-
ines within a half point of clinching
the fall portion of the competition.
But Tanchon and company don't
need any extra motivation.
"It's definitely a rivalry," Rothen-
bach said. "It's a game we always get
up for. I have no doubt we are going
to come out strong for that game."
In addition to bragging rights on
the line, Michigan has a sense of
urgency with its season winding
down. Michigan State is the last
opponent on the Wolverines' con-
ference schedule, and a win com-
bined with an Ohio State loss would
clinch the second seed in the Big
Ten tournament for Michigan. Penn
State has already clinched its sev-
enth consecutive league title, and
avoiding the Nittany Lions until the
championship game would benefit
the Wolverines.

NATION
Continued from page 9A
biggest upset in Louisville's history,
Miami makes a visit to Carter-Finely
Stadium to face N.C. State. But this
will not be a walk in the park. The
Wolfpack defense has allowed just
106.2 yards in the air and 97.5 yards
on the ground. Both N.C. State losses
are puzzling, since they came against
Ohio State and North Carolina, neither
of which have proven to be good teams
this season.
The running tandem of junior Frank
Gore and sophomore Tyrone Moss have
combined for 631 yards for the Hurri-
canes, and senior quarterback Brock
Berlin has passed for 984 yards, eight
touchdowns and three interceptions.
Berlin always seems to struggle during
the first half of big games, only to lead
his team to a dramatic win late. This
time, Berlin's luck will run out.
N.C. State 31, Miami 24
Alabama (2-2, 5-2) at No. 13 Ten-

nessee (3-1, 5-1), 3:30 p.m. - CBS
Tennessee is coming off of two huge
road wins over conference foes Georgia
and Mississippi. In those two games,
freshman quarterback Erik Ainge was
lights out, completing 26-of-51 passes
for 381 yards, three touchdowns and
just one interception. Not too shabby
for a true freshman. Ainge has been
helped by junior running back Gerald
Riggs and his 521 yards and two touch-
downs on the ground this season.
This week, the Volunteers face off
against the Crimson Tide. Alabama
won a big game last week when it
pounded Southern Miss, 27-3. Sopho-
more running back Kenneth Darby
got the game ball with his 197 yards
rushing and one touchdown, and junior
quarterback Spencer Pennington has
been playing well enough the last three
weeks to stay behind center.
Tennessee has been stellar on the
road, and it can't wait to come back
home and play in front of more than
100,000 fans.
Tennessee 24 ,Alabama 10

-Ia

Brock Berlin has a chance to play
hero again against N.C. State.

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