2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 28, 2005 CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY Road to title anything but smooth Atee ftch WBaee Athlete of the Week Name: Ryan Churella Hometown: Northville Team: Wrestling Class: Senior By Kimberly Chou For the Daily Preseason apprehensions and relentless opponents be damned. At a university that places such great emphasis on Big Ten varsity athletics, the Michigan Women's Club Soccer Team has earned the respect that accompanies three national championships in six years. Capping off an undefeated season, the women's soccer club defeated Colorado State in overtime to take home the NIRSA National Collegiate Club Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Nov. 19. Such a finish was the stuff of dreams when the team began preparing for its seventh season with coach Michael Newman. Returning fewer than half of last year's team, Newman wasn't necessarily expecting another club soc- cer title. "The funny thing is, we had a mindset going into the season that it was possibly going to be a rebuilding year and that we may not make the national championship (with) such a young team," Newman said. Even with a lack of veterans and low turnout at tryouts, the team surpassed expectations. "The talent and focus and level of play (this year) was just phenomenal," Newman said. "About mid- season, we looked at each other and just said, 'Let's win this thing.' " To win the title, the Wolverines had to play six games over a three-day weekend - more than varsity athletes are ever asked to do, according to Newman - and they forced their way through nail-biting wins in the semifinal and final rounds. Playing Colorado in the semifinals, the teams were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. Neither side scored dur- ing overtime due to tight defense from both sides, leading to a shootout. Senior captain and goalkeeper Bre Ben- nett saved all three of Colorado's penalty kicks, while Michigan converted all three of their goal attempts for the win. The championship game was an overtime decision also, but that almost didn't happen. On the verge of being shutout by Colorado State, junior captain and defense- man Dana Restrick evened the score with six minutes left to play in regulation. "It was an unreal goal - off the post and went in to set up sudden death-overtime," senior captain and fellow defenseman Epstein said. Freshman forward Katie Miller - goalless during tournament weekend - broke away from the defense in overtime, notching the game-winner. "I think it's way more rewarding (winning the close games) at Nationals," kestrick said. "We kind of breezed through earlier in the season - didn't have many close games. At nationals, it just goes to show you how com- petitive it is there." Said Epstein: "(With all the hard work) I think for everybody it would have kind a disappointment if we hadn't won. We had our goals set really, really high." Alongside goalie Bennett and midfielder Kelsey Lutz, Epstein is one of the seniors on the team - all of whom were freshmen when the soccer club last won the NIRSA tournament in 2002. "Our No. 1 (goal) was to leave (the other) 21 players with the experience (and) the knowledge of exactly what it takes to win a national tournament," Epstein said. The Wolverines showed what it takes to win without the perks of varsity athletics - a women's club soccer team does not make the front page of the paper with key wins, nor do they get big-name sponsors for warmups and equipment. "I look at the (girls), and it's just amazing," Newman said. "They have to carry a full load: they don't get tutors, they don't (have scholarships), and they do all of this stuff. And they do it without complaining - the girls are there because they want to be, not because they have to be." Restrick said: "We play for each other. Obviously, we're there because we want to, and the bond that we form with our teammates is amazing and it definitely comes out on the field." That bond, formed over the fight for loose balls and respect, has created one of the closest teams Epstein has ever played on. As for the future, there's a title to defend. Why: Churella cemented the Wolverine victory against Penn State when he recorded a victory by fall in the 165-pound match. Facing Phil Bomberger, Churella recorded a pair of knockdowns and took a 9-0 lead. Then, the fifth-year senior captured the win by positioning Bomberger in a near-side cradle to score a fall. 'M' SCHEDULE Date Event 11/29 M Basketball vs. Miami (Fla.) 11/30 W Basketball vs. Central Michigan 12/01 M Swimming/Diving at Texas Invitational 12/02 M Track/Field Maize and Blue Intrasquad 12/02 M Swimming/Diving at Texas Invitational 12/02 W Swimming/Diving at Eastern Michigan Invitational 12/02 Wrestling at Cliff Keen Invitational 12/03 W Swimming/Diving at Eastern Michigan Invitational 12/03 M Swimming/Diving at Texas Invitational 12/03 M Basketball at Notre Dame 12/03 W Basketball vs. Maine 12/03 Ice Hockey at Miami (Ohio) 12/03 Wrestling at Cliff Keen Invitational Location Ann Arbor Ann Arbor Austin, Texas Ann Arbor Austin, Texas Ypsilanti Las Vegas Ypsilanti Austin, Texas South Bend Ann Arbor Oxford Las Vegas Time 9:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 9 a.m. TBA 9 a.m. 6 p.m. TBA 6 p.m. 9 a.m. 2 p.m. 2 p.m. 7:35 p.m. TBA Churella duo slays the Nittany Lions By David Murray Daily Sports Writer The Michigan wrestling team found out that they have the persistence of champions on Saturday, surmounting an early deficit in the Big Ten opener. No. 3 Michigan dug out of a 12-3 hole against No. 12 Penn State to win 23-15. The Wolverines struggled early, dropping three of the first four matches. Only after redshirt junior Josh Churella won his match at 141 pounds did the Nittany Lions' momentum cease. Michigan then rattled off victories in four of the last five matches to roll to a win. The start of the meet at State College didn't go as the Wolverines envisioned. Fifth-year senior co-captain Greg Wagner won his match against Aaron Anspach, 8-2, in the heavyweight bout. But he was the lone Wolverine to win his match in the meet's first four contests, putting the team behind by a 12-3 deficit. "You never like to get behind like that," Michi- gan coach Joe McFarland said. "It especially got the momentum on their side, and their fans got a little loud. I think Josh Churella did a good job of getting things back in our corner again." Churella, ranked seventh in the country at 141 pounds, scored a major decision 9-1 over DeWitt Driscoll to earn four points for Michigan, inching them closer to the lead. The redshirt sophomore scored early and often in the 141- pound match. After opening the match with an early take- down, he took down his opponent again in the first period and scored a reversal from the down position in the second period to take a 6-1 advantage into the third. The crucial point in the match came with fewer than 10 seconds left, where Churella was able to score a final takedown. The last- second takedown in addition to his one point for riding time was enough to give him the major decision, which added an extra point to Michigan's team score. "Josh is always ready to score first," McFarland said. "He scored the first takedown right away, and he kept pil- ing on the points. Then he got a takedown with under ten seconds left to earn an extra team point. Those are some of things that as a coach you really appreciate." Redshirt sophomore Eric Tannenbaum, ranked second nationally, followed up Churella's win with a dominating victory of his own. The 149-pound Tannenbaum defeated James Woodall, 10-4. After Tannenbaum's win Penn State's lead was only 12- 10 heading into the 157-pound match that pitted the Wol- verines' 19th-ranked redshirt freshman Steve Luke and Penn State's 10th-ranked Nathan Galloway. Luke was able to fight off a late comeback by Galloway to garner an 11-9 victory in his Big Ten debut. "Nerves were a factor," Luke said. "But I got the win, and that's all that matters." Luke controlled the match for the first two frames, scor- ing a pair of takedowns in the first period along with a takedown in the second period. With Luke up 9-3 in the third, and looking for a major decision, Galloway surged back by taking down the Wolverine freshman twice in the third period. In the end Luke held off Galloway's late comeback to persevere. "Steve really dominated the first two periods," McFar- land said. "He started coasting a little bit and tried to pro- tect his lead instead of trying to score more points. But for it being his first match and being in the tough place that it was, I thought he did a great job." Luke's win gave the Wolverines a 13-12 team lead, and they never looked back. Fifth-year senior co-captain Ryan Churella pinned Phil Bomberger at 165-pounds, giving Michigan a nearly insurmountable 19-12 lead with two matches remaining. After No. 8 Nick Roy, a redshirt junior, lost his match at 174 pounds, the Wolverines' lead was cut to four. But redshirt freshman Tyrell Todd quieted the crowd and eliminated any doubt Michigan had of winning the meet. He dominated the 184-pound match against Neil Bretz, earning an 18-5 major decision. His win sealed the victory for Michigan. "Overall, I was happy with how we performed," McFar- land said. "They were a couple weeks ahead of us. They already had a couple weeks of competition. But I like where we are at, and it's great to get off to a good start." STEVEN TAI/Daily Junior Josh Churella helped the Wolverines rebound from an early 12-3 deficit. THE MICHIGAN DAILY HYPOTHETICAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF Nor_ 1 Sonuthern Cal~ 56 INV. 1 JVULIMIll %-Ul JU V For those of you who have dreamed of a playoff in college football, the Daily Sports staff has what you've been looking for. In a painstaking process drawn purely on our instincts, we have compiled a fantasy playoff bracket for you and your friends to talk about while your professor rambles on during lecture. 45 No. 1 Texas Southern Cal 27 35 Texas No. 8 Toledo 21 41 No. 8 Boise State N2 No. 4 Miami 24 x I r. i*f Southern Cal 42 13 Notre Dame 41 No. 4 Notre Dame Miami 20 OouI 37 Notre Dame ---------- No. 5 West Virginia No. 3 Virginia Tech 34 No. 5 Auburn C. 'V Southern Cal 26 23 Louisiana State 37 No. 3 Ohio State Virginia Tech 14 10 UCLA Southern Cal CHAMPION No. 6 Oregon 101 130 No. 6 UCLA No. 2 Penn St. 10 Penn State 211 16 Louisiana State 3s 24 No. 2 Louisiana State 0 Penn State 28 34 Luisiana State 6- .)T LVUlalall" vLQL%. M 13 No. 7 TCU No. 7 Central Florida 51 , What were our criteria? The BCS stays and determines the top-12 teams in the 16-team tournament (Sorry Alabama and Georgia fans). The remaining bids go to the champions of the mid-major conferences, with the exception of the Sun Belt conference (They were allowed to send North Texas to a bowl game despite the Mean Green having an overall record of 5-6 in 2001. Ridiculous). The first round began on Dec. 10 and took place at campus sites, with the higher-seeded team host- ing. Southern Cal, Virginia Tech and Louisiana easily - but the Fiesta Bowl was a nail-biter. Vince Young and the Longhorns drove down the field, picking apart the Fighting Irish defense. Countering the Texas attack, Notre Dame quar- terback Brady Quinn threw for four touchdowns and demi-god Charlie Weis drew up an effec- tive gameplan to stretch the Longhorns' daunting defense. Down by two with five seconds left in the game, Texas set up for a 40-yard field goal to win the game, but a sudden gust of wind in the Tempe air pushed the kick wide right and Notre Dame with the win to earn a spot in the championship game, and a chance to avenge the split national championship in 2003. On Jan. 2, Louisiana State and Southern Cal battled in the Michigan Daily National Champi- onship Bowl, played in the basement of 420 May- nard Street in Ann Arbor. In the highly anticipated matchup between powerhouses Southern Cal and Louisiana, South- ern Cal proved too much for the Tigers to handle. Southern Cal pulled ahead 26-23 with 2:43 left, .x... .: _ I