6B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 10, 2005
Riley comes up big
in penalty strokes
for Stickers' victory
0
By Colt Rosensweig
Daily Sports Writer
For the first time in goalie Beth Riley's
four-year Michigan career, she faced the
extreme pressure of penalty strokes against
No. 15 Connecticut (9-4).
Michigan had fought through and dominated
two 35-minute halves of regulation and two 15-
minute overtimes, but the score remained 1-1.
And, when all was said and
done, the Wolverines would
emerge with a 3-1 victory in CA
the penalty stroke round.
Before it began, Michi-
gan coach Nancy Cox did not give her team
a long speech.
"The only thing I said to them was (that)
they've earned the right to be in strokes,"
Cox said. "You earned the right because you
have heart and perseverance. You stayed to
the task and this is a wonderful opportunity.
And in those situations, there's no pressure."
There was pressure, however, on Riley,
who had never faced a collegiate round of
penalty strokes.
"I was actually really nervous," Riley
said. "I tried to hide it, just because my team
was counting on me to do what I could, and
I was counting on them to put it in."
Connecticut's Lizzy Peijs was the first to
step to the stroke line. Her shot was at least 10
feet to Riley's right, completely harmless.
"It's always good to have the first one be
a fluke," Riley said.
Defender Lori Hillman, who had tied the
game at 1-1 earlier, slipped her shot past
Connecticut goalie Melissa Bostwick to
give No. 14 Michigan (8-6) a 1-0 lead.
"I would hate to see a game end (with a
loss in penalty strokes)," Hillman said. "I
felt like we really dominated them. We out-
cornered them and outshot them."
After Connecticut forward Laura Puddle and
Michigan forward Lucia Belassi made their shots,
Michigan had a 3-1 edge, and its fortunes lay on
the capable shoulders of goalie Beth Riley. She
had already denied back Jennifer Kleinhans's
attempt with a dive across the mouth of the goal.
Riley came through again, blocking Connecticut
forward Meagan Hoffman's shot to give Michigan
the victory.
"I love the pressure," Riley said. "I'm just
glad it turned out the way it did."
Coach Cox was very pleased with her
team's showing.
"Our senior leadership did what they needed to
do today to bring home a victory, and it was an
incredible day for our field hockey program," Cox
said. "It wasn't a pretty win. It was a gut-check
win, but it was a good one for the annals of Michi-
gan field hockey."
Both Kara Lentz and Hillman played all
100 minutes of the game and scored suc-
cessful penalty strokes.
"That is a testimony to their dedication and per-
severance to this program," Cox said. "Our lead-
ers stepped up and led the way. All five seniors are
leading the way. They embrace the opportunity
just to put the (Michigan) jersey on."
Connecticut took an early lead on a goal by
forward Nicole Harmony, but Michigan captain
Lori Hillman equalized at the 23rd minute.
"(In the 'first half, the) forwards weren't
cutting back to the ball - they weren't
demanding the ball," Cox said. "In the sec-
ond half, we really challenged our kids to
step up the level of play. And they did it."
Michigan took control of the match in
the second half, out-cornering Connecti-
cut, 6-0. Riley, after the early goal, was an
impenetrable barrier in front of the Michi-
gan cage, saving 14 of 15 shots on the after-
noon.
EMMA NOLAN-ABRAHAMIAN/Daily
Senior Lori Hillman notched a goal in regulation and during the penalty stroke round in Michigan's win against Connecticut yesterday.
Shorter race not a
problem for Blue
vs. in-state rivals
0
By Katie Field
For the Daily
ROCHESTER - The crisp fall feel
made it a great day for running.
The Michigan women's cross coun-
try team took advantage of the auspi-
cious conditions and earned a first place
tie with Grand Valley at the Michigan
Intercollegiate Cross Country Champi-
onships on Friday.
The course measured just four-
kilometers, one-kilometer shorter
than usual, allowing No. 2 Michi-
gan to run at a faster pace. The dis-
tance proved to be favorable for the
Wolverines - who finished with
three runners in the top 10.
Racing a few younger run-
ners and others coming back from
injuries, Michigan looked fresh.
Because Michigan rested many of
its top runners, the Wolverines who
raced found themselves in different
scoring positions.
"I thought it went really well,"
coach Mike McGuire said of the
step-up performances. "I think
the kids were fired up. Being in a
position to score for the team, they
responded accordingly."
Leading the Wolverines was senior
Theresa Feldkamp who - in only her
second race of the year - showed resil-
ience and clenched the runner-up spot
with a time of 13:58.
Close behind her were teammates
freshman Claire Otwell and sopho-
more Kalli Williams, who fin-
ished fourth and sixth respectively.
Senior Chelsea Homan cruised in
for a crucial 11th-place finish, and
rounding out the top 20 was Lisa
Montgomery in 18th place.
"We all worked together and ran
as a team," Feldkamp said. "We
were fighting hard, and we ran with
the younger crowd that doesn'tnor-
mally get to race every weekend so
it was great for them. They had an
awesome race."
In typical cross country fashion,
the Wolverines who did not com-
pete spaced themselves around the
course to cheer for their teammates.
But the most motivating words for
Feldkamp were shouted by oppos-
ing fans.
"With a (kilometer) to go, I felt
really tired, and then I kept hear-
ing the fans telling the girl behind
me to 'catch her,' " Feldkamp said.
"So I tried really hard to out-kick
the last 800. And then as soon as I
came around the turn down the hill,
I knew that I at least had second."
This determination to stay ahead
has been a key component in the
team's already successful sea-
son. Coming off wins at the Notre
Dame Invitational and Great Mead-
ows Invitational and a dominating
showing at the non-scoring Spartan
Invitational, Michigan is primed to
have a truly remarkable season.
"We just ended up being in the
front, and we were comfortable
being up there," Feldkamp said.
RYAN WEINER/Daily
Senior Theresa Feldkamp led the Wolverines with a second-place finish at the
Michigan Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships on Friday.
JASON COOPER/Daily
Michigan will be without Brent Petway for most of the nonconference season.
PETWAY
Continued from page 1B
contest. His .572 field goal percent-
age ranked second only to teammate
Courtney Sims. He was awarded the
Rudy Tomjanovich Most Improved
Player Award for the second-con-
secutive season.
This new development will test
Michigan's depth and experience
in the frontcourt. Seniors Graham
Brown and Chris Hunter, who both
struggled with injuries last sea-
son, are expected to see more time
at forward. Hunter missed eight
games due to a high ankle sprain
while Brown missed nine games
after hernia surgery.
Sims should also play more as
a result of Petway's ineligibility.
Sims will look to better his results
from last year, where his numbers
showed little improvement from a
freshman season in which he start-
ed every game.
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