2B-The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 9, 2006
CLUB!
WEEKLY
Rugby set for match with rival
By Colt Rosensweig
Daily Sports Writer
Two years ago on a miserable,
sleeting day, the Ohio State rugby
team beat Michigan 29-5 in a
friendly match. Last year, fight-
ing for a spot in the regional play-
offs, the Buckeyes triumphed once
more, 59-0.
The two teams will face off
again this Saturday, and only one
thing is certain - this will be no
ordinary game.
In Division I, the 12 Midwest
teams comprise four three-team
pools, with the winner of each
pool advancing to the playoffs.
Michigan is grouped with rivals
Michigan State and Ohio State.
The Wolverines beat the Spartans
on Sept. 30, so, with a win against
the Buckeyes, they will head to the
postseason with hopes of compet-
ing for a national title.
No one will take the contest
lightly.
"The last time Ohio State played
here was my freshman year"
said Dan Kuriluk, senior center
and winger. "We were leading at
halftime. The guys saw that and
crapped their pants and gave (the
game) away (because they'd never
been in that situation before) ... I
think if we get a lot of people out
here to support us and get a good
start, we can pull this game from
them and surprise a lot of people."
The Michigan rugby club has
progressed in leaps and bounds
over the past several years. Club
members once viewed the team
as a casual hobby, but now play-
ers often attend extra practice to
improve their games. Even senior
club president Evan Barclay, who
injured his back so badly that he
may never play again, never misses
a practice.
Last season the team struggled
in its first year at the Division I
level, dropping several close con-
tests. But now all those trials are
paying off - Michigan has just
one loss in five games heading into
this weekend's crucial match.
New and old members alike now
have three capable captains to look
up to - Kuriluk, the backs cap-
tain; senior Nick Harris, the for-
wards captain; and fifth-year senior
scrumhalf Karl Seibert, the team
captain. The efficient communica-
tion between the three on the field
helps the team run smoothly.
As the scrumhalf, Seibert
organizes the team, linking the
forwards and the backs. He is
usually the one to distribute the
ball from scrums, rucks, mauls
and line-outs.
"If Karl (Seibert) goes into a
scrum or a ruck, Ducky (Kuriluk)
knows that Harris might be the one
making the call, or Ducky might
(have to) make it," said Barclay.
"There are three people who have
a definite leadership role. It's a lot
more helpful to the other guys who
might not know quite as much."
In addition to the captains, many
other players have stepped up this
season. Fullback Nick Dyrda has
come through repeatedly with
crucial runs, tackles and game-
saving plays. Flyhalf Aaron Dodd
has provided extra leadership and
vision for the back line. And senior
Matt Russell, the club's vice presi-
dent, has developed into a line-out
threat and kicker.
Russell demonstrated the tough,
gritty spirit of rugby at the Michi-
gan State game, when he was
"blasted in the face" and had to
come off the field because he was
bleeding. But once his nose and
mouth had stopped bleeding, Rus-
sell was back on the pitch.
"He came back in ready to go,
and he had screws knocked loose,"
Kuriluk said.
The team is also better con-
ditioned than ever before, often
earning their victories in the sec-
ond half. Even in its lone loss this
season to Bowling Green, Michi-
gan outscored the Falcons after
halftime.
The Wolverines' fitness is an
important factor in overcoming
their small size relative to other
teams.
"After the first half, most of the
guys are tired,' Kuriluk said. "It
doesn't matter how big you are,
because if you can't move (and)
you're walking on the field, that's
an opportunity for us to start turn-
ing the tables on other teams."
But despite the club's recent suc-
cess, professionalism and spring
break trips to Thailand and Mex-
ico for relief work, it still does not
receive the respect from the Ath-
letic Department that the players
feel it deserves.
"It seems like the University
still has the image of us as a bunch
of hooligans," Kuriluk said. "I just
think it's ridiculous that a school
as small as Bowling Green can
give (its rugby team) a field (with
a scoreboard and stands), and a
school with as much money as this
school, and with as much prestige
as this school has, can't do one
thing for us."
A win against the elite Buckeyes
Saturday would be a huge step
toward commanding respect from
the University and the entire rugby
community.
Mile fiicb-an 1aflu
Athlete of the Week
Name: Scott Bell Team:Daily football
Hometown: Fremont Class: Junior
Bell caught the game-winning touchdown in a dramatic
42-35 victory against The State News on Friday. The
catch capped a seven-reception, three-touchdown per-
formance for the junior. He also added an interception
to his stat line early in the game.
'M' Schedule
Date Event Location Time
10/10 Field Hockey g Ann Arbor 3 p.m.
vs. Centrai Michigan
10/11 Volleyball Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
vs. Michigan State
10/04 M Soccer Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
vs. Notre Dame
10/13 Volleyball Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
vs. Iowa
10/13 W Soccer Ann Arbor 7 p.m.
vs. Iowa
10/13 M Soccer at Milwaukee 8 p.m.
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
10/13 Ice Hockey vs. Ann Arbor 7:35 p.m.
Alabama-Huntsville
10/13 M Tennis Midland, Texas TBD
at Racquet Club
Collegiate Invitational
10/13 W Golf Knowxville, Tenn. TBD
at Mercedes-Benz
Classic
10/14 W Cross Country Terre Haute, nd. 11 am.
at NCAA Pre-Nationals
10/14 M Cross Country Terre Haute, Ind 12:10
at NCAA Pre-Nationals p.m.
10/14 W SwImmIng/Diving Ann Arbor 1 p.m.
vs. Florida
10/14 Ice Hockey Ann Arbor 7:35 p.m.
vs. Connecticut
10/14 Football State College 8 p.m.
at Penn State
10/15 W Soccer Ann Arbor 1 p.m.
vs. Illinois
10/15 Field Hockey Ann Arbor 1p.m.
vs. Indiana
10/15 M Soccer Evanston 3 p.m.
at Northwestern
10/15 M Golf at Edmund, Okla. TBD
Oak Tree
Intercollegiate
'M' scores late, settles for tie
By Jamie Josephson
Daily Sports Writer
After falling behind early on
- in both players and goals -
against Michigan State at the U-M
Soccer Field yesterday, the Mich-
igan men's
soccer team
came back,
tying the
score at one and sending the game
into overtime. The Wolverines
created several chances to net the
game-winner in overtime, but the
contest ended in a 1-1 draw.
"We're happy to get a point
in the Big Ten standings, but we
all feel like we should've and
could've won that game," senior
co-captain Kevin Hall said.
But Michigan coach Steve
Burns will not settle for near-
victories.
"Shoulda woulda couldas aren't
good enough at Michigan," Burns
said definitively.
Michigan (0-1-2 Big Ten, 5-6-3
overall) found itself in a hole 15
minutes into the first half that it
struggled to climb out of for the
rest of the game.
Off a counterattack, Michi-
gan State (0-2-2, 6-4-2) sent the
ball into the Wolverines' 18-yard
box. With Michigan goalkeeper
Patrick Sperry coming out of the
net to challenge the Spartans'
attack, sophomore Michael Hol-
ody entered the scrum. After a
Michigan State forward took the
shot, the referee claimed Holody
used his hands to deflect the sure-
goal. Collegiate rules deem that
such an infraction on a shot head-
ing toward the net is cause for an
automatic red card. Despite Hol-
ody's claim that the ball didn't hit
his hand, but rather the facemask
he was wearing to protect a bro-
ken nose - which Burns said
was cracked in half after the play
- the referee slapped the defend-
er with a red card and automatic
ejection from the game.
Michigan State also earned
a penalty kick because of the
infraction. At 15:47, the Spar-
tans' Matt Kreikemeier sent the
shot passed Sperry's outstretched
hands and into the upper.left cor-
ner of Michigan's net.
Though Burns said that he
will check the tape on the con-
troversial call and possibly send
it into the league office, the fact
remained that Michigan was now
down 1-0 and would have to play
the remainder of the game with a
one-man disadvantage.
"It was a tough break for us,"
Burns said. "But we battled very
nicely in the face of that adver-
sity."
The shorthanded Wolverines
were not about to roll over after
entering the second half down a
goal. With more than 15 minutes
remaining in the period, fresh-
man Peri Marosevic was fouled
just outside the 18-yard box, giv-
ing Michigan a free kick oppor-
tunity. Fellow freshman Mauro
Fuzetti took the kick in the
face of a daunting wall of green
defenders. Though the newcomer
has recently struggled to convert
since his lone goal against Ken-
tucky on Sept. 13, Fuzetti finally
earned his place in the sun - on
a bright and beautiful Sunday
afternoon at that.
Fuzetti's shot found a hole
around the Spartan wall and tied
the game at one.
"There was a lot of pressure
because we were down, and I
hadn't made (a free kick) all sea-
son," Fuzetti said. "The keeper
set the wall, and I think he was
expecting me to go over the wall.
So I saw the little space near the
back post and just hit it there....
I'm glad I stepped up and finally
got one in there."
With the wave of momen-
tum clearly on Michigan's side,
the Wolverines were hopeful to
steal the come-from-behind vic-
tory after the end of regulation.
After a scoreless first overtime
period, both teams had 10 addi-
tional minutes to try and break
the deadlock.
Michigan compensated in fit-
ness what it lacked in players and
kept the ball near the Spartans
net. Marosevic hit a shot from
4
NOTES
Blue opens season with scrimmage
Sophomores Hannah Smith and
Payton Johnson, junior Justine
Mueller and senior Kaitlyn Brady
put the Blue squad on the board
with a win in the 200-yard Medley
Relay in Saturday's women's swim-
ming and diving intrasquad scrim-
mage held at Canham Natatorium.
Senior Lindsey Smith, Hannah's
older sister, took the 200-yard free-
style and the 100-yard freestyle to
answer for the Maize team. Han-
nah won the 50-yard freestyle and
Mueller claimed victory in both the
200-yard individual medley and
100-yard breaststroke in response.
But it was not enough. The Maize
squad used its superior depth to take
the final event - the 650-yard pine-
apple relay that featured 13 swim-
mers from each squad - and defeat
the Blue team, 48-44, winning the
coveted case of pineapple that is
awarded to the victor each year.
Kickers grind out
two points on road
BENJI DELL/Daily
Freshman Mauro Fuzetti scored the tying goal late in the second half of
Michigan's 1-1 tie against Michigan State.
the right side of the 18-yard box
in the first minute of the second
overtime period, but the ball
went out just wide to the left. A
few minutes later, the ball found
the feet of sophomore Jake Stacy
in the middle of the box. The for-
ward's right foot connected with
the ball, but the shot went straight
into the open arms of Michigan
State goalkeeper Jason Tillman.
The Wolverines on the bench
went from jumping out of their
seats in anticipation to nearly rip-
ping their hair out after each one
of these near-goals.
These highlights from yester-
day's match - which recorded
Michigan's fourth double-over-
time contest in its last five con-
tests - have become the familiar
picture of the Wolverines' up-and-
down roller coaster of a season.
With yesterday's draw, Michi-
gan's winless streak extended to
five games, including three ties.
"The heart and soul of this
team stirs me," Burns said. "I
love what they give. Now it's just
a matter of finding ways to win."
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LIKE SPORTS? LIKE WRITING?
JOIN DAILY SPORTS.
By Robert Kaitz
Daily Sports Writer
Ninety minutes didn't settle any-
thing. Neither did 110.
The Michi-
gan women's
soccer team CN
added two ties
to its record,
earning two N TETERN
hard-fought
points in the Big Ten standings on
the road over the weekend against
Wisconsin and Northwestern.
The Wolverines (1-2-2 Big Ten,
5-5-4 overall) played two physical
and highly competitive games, but
couldn't get the timely goal. They
settled for a 1-1 tie on Friday against
the Badgers before playing to a
scoreless draw yesterday in Evanston
against Northwestern.
Michigan jumped on the Wild-
cats early and dominated the first
half, collecting seven shots to the
Northwestern's one, including five
on goal. But the Wolverines couldn't
get anything past goalkeeper Lauren
Johnston.
"We had a lot of opportunities, but
it was unfortunate we couldn't take
advantage," Michigan coach Debbie
Rademacher said.
Northwestern (3-2-1, 7-6-1) was
a little more effective in the second
half, but the best chance of the period
went to Michigan. Freshman defend-
er Kylie Neschke unloaded a rocket
toward the right post in the 55th min-
ute, but Johnston got her hands on it.
Neither club generated significant
scoring chances in the overtimes.
Senior goalkeeper Megan Tuura
made three saves to earn her fifth
shutout of the season.
The missed opportunities frustrat-
ed Michigan, but the team's leader-
ship knows there is no need to push
the panic button.
"We are still competitive and get-
ting chances on goal, so there's no
reason to be concerned,' junior co-
captain Sarah Banco said. "If we
weren't getting chances, then there'd
be reason to be concerned."
Banco and her co-captains led by
example on the pitch. Senior Katelin
Spencer played every minute of both
games, and Judy Coffman scored
the Wolverines' lone goal of the
weekend. Rademacher singled out
the solid play on the backline of the
team's fourth co-captain - redshirt
junior defender Lindsey Cottrell.
The weekend started promisingly
for the Wolverines on Friday night.
They jumped out to an early lead
after the striker duo of Coffman and
junior Melissa Dobbyn connected.
Dobbyn hit an open Coffman at the
top of the penalty box, and Coffman
scored her fourth goal of the season
in the 16th minute.
The rest of the half was evenly
matched, and the teams headed to
halftime with Michigan leading 1-0.
Though the Wolverines stayed
aggressive in the second half, they
were burnt for the tying goal on a
set piece.
Wisconsin (3-2-1, 6-4-3) scored
off a free kick, as Allison Preiss
received the ball and shot it past
senior goalkeeper Megan Tuura.
The game was chippy, as the
teams committed a combined 42
fouls. Wolverine freshman defender
Amy Klippert received a red card
seconds before heading to overtime,
so Michigan was a player down for
both overtime periods. The booking
was the result of jousting between
Klippert and a Badger forward who
was on the ground that the referee
deemed dangerous. Michigan was
thin on defense already, as junior
starting midfielder Jamie Artsis left
the game with an injury.
"Playing down a man in over-
time and still managing a point was
important for us," Banco said.
Both teams generated a few scor-
ing chances during the additional
20 minutes, but the score remained
unchanged, and each team received
a hard-earned point.
"It's disappointing we didn't put
(the game) away earlier, but I thought
we played well:" Rademacher said.
Get above the crowd.
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