6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 8, 2004
M'
optimistic after defeat
FILE PHOTO
Freshman Steve Hecker and the Wolverines suffered another disappointing loss this weekend at the hands of Ohio State.
Beye s pop Blues bubble
ay Anne Uible
Paily Sports Writer
The look of disappointment on Michigan men's soccer coach
Steve Burns' face said it all. It was a game the Wolverines needed
to win, but like so many previous times this season, the unex-
pected got in the way once again.
The Wolverines' bubble of hope for a bid to the NCAA Tour-
nament all but burst yesterday after the team dropped its season
finale to Ohio State 2-0.
In an intense and penalty-ridden game,
the Wolverines were unable to get into an OHiOSTATE 2,
open scoring position and protect their M6cRIGAN
dome field advantage. With the loss, they
will likely have to win the Big Ten Tournament to continue play-
ing this season.
While the loss was tough for every player on the team, it was
especially hard for the seven departing seniors, who were hon-
ored before the game. Having to succumb to their biggest rival
in their final home contest was not the way the seniors wanted
to leave things.
"It was definitely disappointing," senior captain Matt Niemey-
er said. "It's our last regular season game, and we needed that win.
But also, it was important to the seniors. We wanted the win."
The first half of the game was uneventful and at times slow-
paced. Both teams were lacking in strong offensive attacks and
fierce competitiveness. The game was still scoreless at halftime
and still either team's game to win.
The second half was a different story.
In the first three minutes, Niemeyer was charged a yellow card
for pushing Ohio State's Justin Cook from behind while he was
attempting a shot. The call was argued intensely by both Nie-
meyer and the Michigan bench, but Cook was ultimately awarded
a penalty kick on Michigan's net. With a tough shot sent to the
lower left end of the net, Cook was able to get the ball past Michi-
gan goalie Peter Dzubay to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead at 47:27.
"It's tough to see (the penalty) from 70 yards away," Michi-
gan coach Steve Burns said. "But when your captain - who is
a Rhodes Scholar -argues so vociferously with the referee, you
have to scratch your head a little bit."
The penalty against Niemeyer started a flow of cards and fouls
called against the Wolverines. By the end of the second half,
Michigan had racked up 13 fouls, five yellow cards and one red
card on Bobby Trybula.
"I thought we were rather undisciplined out there," Burns said.
"That is very uncharacteristic of our team. We are normally a
very disciplined team. I think we did some dumb things today.
Goals that came against us were because we did things that were
out of our character, and that's disappointing."
The Buckeyes scored their second and final goal at 75:34, and
the Wolverines were unable to put anything up on the scoreboard.
Burns attributed much of the quiet offense to his players' fatigue.
"This team has nothing left in their legs right now;" Burns
said.
While a portion of the team's problems may have been due to
fatigue, Burns also pointed to an unwillingness on his players'
parts to battle fiercely for the win.
"I was extremely disappointed in the fire in our belly for what
statistically was a relatively evenly matched game," Burns said.
"We did not show the fire in our belly against arguably our biggest
rival, and I'm extremely disappointed with myself and the coach-
ing staff that we couldn't get that out of our players."
On Thursday at 2:30 p.m., the Wolverines will face off against
the Buckeyes once again in the first round of the Big Ten Tour-
nament. Burns hopes that his team will come out as a different
squad for the game, given rest and time to let the loss sink in.
"I think that this game is enough motivation to prepare us for
Thursday," Turpin said. "We know what we have to do."
By Matt Singer
Daily Sports- Writer
The Michigan women's soccer team has finally
wrapped up its roller-coaster Big Ten season. And now,
the Wolverines must wait until this afternoon to find
out whether they will make their eighth consecutive
appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Just a day after Michigan beat Wisconsin 1-0 in the
quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, Friday night's
5-2 loss to No. 13 Ohio State (8-1-3 Big Ten, 16-3-3
overall) dashed the Wolverines' hopes of earning an
automatic bid to the NCAA Tourna-
ment. The semifinal loss in Colum-
bus means that Michigan's (7-4-1,
11-8-2) fate is now in the hands of a
selection committee, which will determine the recipi-
ents of the 35 at-large bids.
"I'm actually pretty optimistic," Michigan coach
Debbie Rademacher said. "I feel like we needed to
beat Wisconsin on Thursday to really increase our
chances."
The Buckeyes' offensive firepower prevented a repeat
of Michigan's hard-fought victory over the Badgers.
Buoyed by its home crowd, Ohio State scored three
times in the first 20 minutes of the game and never let
up. The Wolverines rallied back with offensive oppor-
tunities of their own, but could not quite match the
Buckeyes' intensity. When it was all said and done,
the two teams combined for 42 shots and 44 fouls, both
incredibly high totals.
"I don't know what it was, but Ohio State definitely
came out on fire," Rademacher said.
Within three minutes of the opening whistle, the
Buckeyes were on the scoreboard. Ohio State's Danielle
Dietrich took a pass from Lisa Grubb and headed the
ball into the net to put Ohio State on top. Ohio State's
Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Lara Dickenmann fol-
lowed by booting a free kick to a streaking Dietrich,
who found herself one-on-one with Michigan sopho-
more goalkeeper Megan Tuura. Dietrich's shot was
stopped, but Michigan freshman Kandace McLaughlin
accidentally tapped the ball into her own net, giving the
Buckeyes a 2-0 lead.
The Buckeyes continued to pour it on, scoring another
bizarre goal when Ohio State defender Melissa Miller
booted a direct kick from 50 yards out. The blast found
its way past three Michigan defenders and Tuura, pro-
viding Ohio State a 3-0 advantage in the 20th minute.
"Ohio State was pumped up to play," Rademacher
said. "They haven't lost at home this year. They have
two of the top players in the Big Ten. They just played
a great game."
To their credit, the Wolverines never gave up. With
halftime approaching, Michigan finally trimmed the
lead when senior tri-captain Laura Tanchon drilled a
ball from the top of the box into the right side of the
goal. Even after Ohio State put in two more goals early
in the second half, Michigan kept on chugging. Tanchon
racked up her fifth assist of the season when her corner
kick found freshman Melissa Dobbyn, who pulled the
Wolverines to within three goals. But a miracle come-
back didn't materialize, and Michigan was eliminated
from the Big Ten Tournament.
With the win, Ohio State moved on to the Big Ten
finals, where they ended up beating No. 3 Penn State 2-
0 on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Wolverines left Columbus
hoping to play again this season - but until they see
their name in the bracket, they can't be sure of any-
thing.
The tournament pairings will be announced today at
4 p.m. on ESPNEWS.
0
TOMMASO GOMEZ/M
Freshman Melissa Dobbyn scored against Ohio State in
yesterday's loss. Dobbyn's goal, which came off of a corner
kick, made the final score 5-2 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Ragtag Tech band
goofy in team's loss
0 MEN'S TENNIS
Duo makes good
first impression
By H. Jose Bosch
and Max Kardon
]aily Sports Writers
"1, 2, 3, 4 ... what the hell are we
fighting for?!!?"
Shouting this fight song, the jumbled
nass of brass and woodwinds wielded
ley the unorthodox Michigan Tech Pep
Band heralded the Huskies' arrival to
the long-anticipated Bash at the Big
House. Its spirit reflected the revival of
i program left for dead a year ago, and
the enthusiastic exhortations reflected
Ohe resurgence of its pulse.
Though Michigan Tech's hope for an
undefeated season was dashed by a 24-
7 defeat to two-time defending Division
II National Champion Grand Valley
State, Michigan Tech still gained from
its loss.
'Michigan Tech was lucky to play
a single game this season, so riding a
nine-game winning streak into the Big
House was a miracle in itself. The foot-
ball program was cut in the spring of
2003 because of budget constraints, but
an alum's donation of $400,000 resur-
rected the team just a month after its
sudden termination.
"5, 6, 7, 8 ... we think you should
integrate!"
This cheer's relevance to the scheme
of the game is puzzling, but enthusiastic
nonetheless.
No set uniforms, no marching, no
Problem. Michigan Tech is the "Bad
News Bears" of pep bands.
Junior Michigan Tech saxophonist
Chris Dupriest wears a beer helmet to
games - a notable item despite the
emptiness of his brown-bagged pair of
cans. In his yellow and blue pinstriped
overalls and personalized hockey jer-
ey, Dupriest's wacky attire comprises
the "standard" uniform of the Michigan
fech Pep Band.
"We don't have a music major at
Tech," Dupriest said. "So we're all in it
for the fun, and we're tougher and more
creative than the competition, even
though we don't march in the snow.
We're proud of volunteering to do what
we can to push our team to victory, and
unafraid of pushing the limits of decen-
cy. Our band director censors us more
than he conducts us."
The ragtag volunteer organization
thrives on the controlled chaos of its
performances, reflected by the diversity
of its headwear. The cranial adornments
range from menacing Kaiser Wilhelm-
esque spiked military helmets to decid-
edly less-intimidating patterned hats
floppily inspired by Dr. Seuss.
Scanning the scattered ranks of the
band, there is no lack of visible varia-
tion in dress and manner, but a united
spirit rises above the madness. Confor-
mity is clearly not a priority, but unbri-
dled enthusiasm is a prerequisite.
"9, 10, 11, 12... What the hell rhymes
with twelve?"
Many band members answered
"Beer!" But the group was unable to
reach a consensus. The Michigan Tech
pep band doesn't march - it mean-
ders.
The goofy antics and silly hats of the
Michigan Tech pep band represented
the nature of the Bash at the Big House
this past Saturday - an exciting chance
for teams that have made the most of
their small school status to perform on
a marquee stage.
Though the game was guaranteed at
the beginning of the season, Michigan
Tech's performance this year wasn't.
The Huskies have put together the best
performance in the '82-year history of
the program, securing their first playoff
berth under the guidance of coach Ber-
nie Anderson. The revitalization can
be partially credited to the generosity
of the University of Michigan's athletic
department. The tremendous fundrais-
By Tyler Hagle
Daily Sports Writer
ALEXAMNDERKDZIADOSZ/Daily
The Michigan Tech band sported an interesting look during Michigan Tech's 247
loss to Grand Valley State at the Big House on Saturday.
ing opportunity presented by a game
at Michigan Stadium gave Michigan
Tech's beleaguered football program
a chance to recuperate the enormous
investment of the revival.
The two schools' relationship began
in the early '70s when Michigan Tech
first invited Michigan to be a partner
in the Great Lakes Invitational hockey
tournament. Michigan Tech is no lon-
ger a premiere team in the tournament,
but the two schools still have a strong
relationship, and it was only natural for
Michigan to help a fellow in-state pro-
gram.
Both Michigan Tech and Grand Val-
ley State benefited enormously from
their meeting - Michigan Tech met its
monetary needs while the Lakers saved
themselves from postseason elimina-
tion. The competitive atmosphere in the
stands was overpowered by the mutual
joy of the circumstances.
Though the crowd fell short of the
NCAA Division 11 attendance record
of 61,143 - the total attendance was
50,123 - the intensity of the devoted
fans echoed through the stadium.
Grand Valley State alum Will Fred-
erick was uninterested in the financial
implications.
"All that matters is that both teams
are fired up to play at the Big House,"
Frederick said. "You see both bands
coming through, raising the excitement.
Alumni are coming together from all
over. I haven't seen a lot of these people
in years. We may not fill the stadium
with numbers, but for a Division 11
game, this is as good as it gets."
Michigan Tech hopes to continue its
unprecedented march into the Division
II playoffs, secured by a No. 4 ranking
and a ragtag band.
NOTE
Exon lone Wolverine to
advance in Invitational
The Michigan women's tennis team
made the trek out to Arizona State for
the 2004 Thunderbird Invitational.
Sophomore Elizabeth Exon made
the journey back to Ann Arbor as the
only Wolverine to advance in, cham-
ninn'r.chin nrl i v r~r, Adf't-tnedA ri 'rnn
Job interviews, the first few days
of classes, meeting the new girl-
friend's parents: What do all of these
things have in common? And no, the
answer is not just "sweating profuse-
ly." While it may be true that a little
extra deodorant is in order, these all
require one other vitally important
thing: A good first impression.
This is exactly what Michigan's
Brian Hung and Ryan Heller were
looking for in the semifinals of the
ITA National Indoor Champion-
ships. The doubles team advanced
with a victory over North Carolina
on Friday, setting up a Saturday
morning showdown with the No. 2
seed and defending national cham-
pion, Stanford's K.C. Corkery and
Sam Warburg.
The Wolverine duo showed that
they could hang with the best of the
best, but a few untimely mistakes
proved costly, giving Stanford an 8-
6 victory.
Hung and Heller, a wild card entry
in the tournament, knew of their
underdog status and that they'd have
to prove they could play with the
nation's elite from the start. The duo
wasted no time, with big serves from
Heller right off the bat, taking the
first game and showing the Cardinal
that they could compete.
"You could tell by the way they
carried themselves and the energy
they had that they weren't intimi-
dated," Michigan head coach Bruce
Berque said. "That was something
we had talked about the night before,
but I wasn't sure if they would be or
not."
The match then followed a back-
and-forth storyline, with each team
holding its serve. However, Stan-
ford did so relatively easily, while
Michigan struggled to hold its serve
as the match progressed. In many of
Michigan's serving games, the score
continually found itself deadlocked
at deuce.
The first example came with
the match tied 2-2. The advantage
went back and forth with neither
team being able to claim the game.
Finally, Michigan put together two
successful points in a row, holding
serve to lead 3-2. Stanford held to tie
such as Stanford did, they have the
tendency to become frustrated and
more vulnerable for a break of their
serve," Berque said. "On the nega-
tive side, just by the law of averages,
I knew that the more times we went
to deuce, the more likely they were
going to win one."
Either way, by holding serve for
five games, Hung and Heller had
made their first impression, and
it was a good one. They had prov-
en that they could win games and
looked poised to possibly take the
match. But first impressions only go
so far. Those job interviews and first
meetings possess another necessary
aspect to make them successful: a
bit of luck.
In this match, Stanford would get
its best chance at a break first. After
holding its serve, the match remained
at 5-5. With Hung serving, Michigan
took a 15-0 lead. Hung then found
himself with a routine volley to take
a 30-0 lead, but missed, sending the
ball into the net. On the very next
point, Heller had a chance to put
away a cross court shot but didn't
execute, and Stanford went up 15-
30. The Cardinal would then win the
game and take control of the match,
up 6-5. Those two small points had
made a huge impact on the match.
"Going into that game, I was
thinking to myself how huge it was
to hold and put the pressure back on
them," Berque said. "I thought our
decision making and competitive
level was good, but that we were
just a little behind in some of the
skill level (as shown on those two
points)."
The match was not to end without
the Wolverines getting their own
real chance at a break. Trailing 7-6,
Hung again found himself at the net
with the chance to put away a shot
and take a lead in the critical game.
But again, the execution just wasn't
there, and he put the ball into the
net. Unable to capitalize, Hung and
Heller would go on to lose the game
and the match.
Although a disappointing loss,
Michigan was still able to take away
many positives from the match and
tournament as a whole.
"Overall, I thought it Was a good
result," Berque said. "It was also
good for the other guys on our team
0
STICKERS
Continued from page 11B
Ininutes later, the Michigan defense took control of the match,
refusing to collapse as it did earlier in the year against Iowa.
After trailing 3-0 at halftime of their regular-season meet-
ng, the Hawkeyes stormed back for a 4-3 overtime win.
ichigan coach Marcia Pankratz was confident that there
vould be no repeat of the collapse at Iowa City.
"I don't know about the players, but me, I was comfortable
end confident," Pankratz said. "(My mind) didn't go back to
(Iowa City) at all. We did a little bit better at time manage-
inent of the clock. We made some changes and learned some
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