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. LOOKING FOR A HANGOVER CURE? 0I Healthy, male subjects, ages 25-64 needed to participate in a randomized medication study of Viagra and Levitra. The study involves multiple Hurri "Canine" Relief: Dog Walk-a-Thon Oct. 2210am -,2am I i I . .... ..... . I