2B - September 29, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Strong defense not enough in Big Ten openers 0 Coach Ryan's return to Big Ten spoiled by lack of offense By JACK FERNBACHER For The Daily CANTON - Michigan coach Greg Ryan returned to Big Ten play this weekend for the first time since he coached Wisconsin in 1993, and it.looked like there was still some rust to shake off. The Michigan women's soccer team didn't muster a single goal the entire weekend. "For me, the only thing dif- ferent is the style of play," R'yan said. "It's a very physical and hard game - it's more physical than finesse. For me, tonight was a learning experience." Michigan (0-1-1 Big Ten, 3-5-3 overall) tied Iowa Friday night 0-0 in double overtime and lost 1-0 to Minnesota Sunday after- noon at Plymouth-Canton High School. Against the Gophers, the Wolverines played impressive defense, but the offense couldn't connect on its opportunities. Michigan's best scoring chance came with five minutes left in the game when sophomore Amanda Bowery beat a Minnesota defend- er, leaving her alone with the goalkeeper, who charged into her to block the shot. "In the first half, we weren't able to control theball up front, so we weren't able to attack," Ryan said. "The backs played great, but they were outnumbered the entire half. They had shots because we couldn't control the ball.' The Gophers' (1-1-0, 11-1-0) lone score came in the 22nd min- ute with a shot from senior Kait- lin Wagner, who curved the ball from the right side outside of the box into the left post. Minnesota outshot Michigan 15-6 in the match. On Friday, the Wolverine defense held the Hawkeyes (0-1- 1, 5-5-1) scoreless for 110 minutes, but the offensive performance was just as lackluster in Michi- gan's third consecutive overtime game. Freshman Natalie Horner had the best opportunities to score with two shots from inside the box, but was unable to connect. "We had great chances right in front of the goal, but we aren't hit- ting the target," Ryan said. "The defense is playing great - they aren't giving up anything." Michigan limited the goals scored against them by forcing its opponents into taking shots from outside the box. And the chances that did get past the defense, senior goalkeeper Madison Gates did a great job stopping. "I have never seen a more improved group of players in my life," Ryan said of the defensive unit. "They are learning how to playas a group. They didn'tunder- stand howto play as agroup atthe beginning of the season, but just knew how to play individually. Right now, Madison (Gates), the back four and the two midfield- era are doing a fantastic job of closing down the other team's chances." CLIF REEDER/Daily Michigan coach Greg Ryan didn't register a win in his first weekend back after a 15-year hiatus from Big Ten coaching. 0 6 CLIF REEDER/Daily Senior Mike Holody converted on a late penalty kick to send Michigan into overtime against Wisconsion. The game ended in a tie after two extra periods. ,Holody's ast-mnmute goal p Savoid oss on rodr 0 Senior captain's penalty kick forces tie in conference opener By EMILY FREILICH For the Daily With just 24 seconds remaining in regulation against Wisconsin, the Michigan men's soccer team was down one goal and about to start the Big Ten season 0-1. But junior forward Mauro Fuzetti, receiving a pass from junior forward Peri Marosevic, was high tackled from behind by a Wisconsin defender while taking a potentially game-tying shot. Now, the Wolverines had a shot, with a penalty kick and a chance to tie the Badgers.. Senior Mike Holody was chosen to take the shot which. exploded into the left side of the net, soaring past the diving Wisconsin goalie. The goal tied the ganie at one, and ultimately gave Michigan (0-0-1 Big Ten, 5-2-2 overall) key confer- ence points. "It looked like we ripped the heart out of them with that goal," Michigan coach Steve Burns said. Though Michigan fought hard against Wisconsin (0-1-1, 4-2-2) for 110 minutes, Burns was not sat- isfied leaving Madison tied. "We're looking for wins in the Big Ten," Burns said. "So truly we are disappointed." The Badgers struck early, scor- ing on a corner kick 27 minutes into the game. The kick ricocheted off traffic in the box and spun to the left of the goal. The Michigan defense couldn't clear the ball, and Wisconsin mid- fielder Kenny Dix converted. In the second half, the Wolver- ines came out aggressively and loaded their offense to try to get on the scoreboard. "We wanted to force [them] to play without a rhythm," Burns said. "We had to chase the game at that point. Going into the first overtime, Wisconsin really looked like they wanted to tie." But the game was still tied after 10 minutes, requiring a second overtime for the exhausted teams. "We continued to tell our guys that [the win] was there for the taking," Burns said. "Their fitness was paying off and they should continue to press. We didn't come to Wisconsin to get a tie. We came to get a win, and we continued to go after it." Michigan had a chance to score two minutes into the second over- time. Senior forward Jake Stacy received a pass from the left side of the field behind the Badger defense. Stacy took a powerful shot on goal, but the Wisconsin goalie was there to knock it away. The ball was knocked around until the Badger defense successfully cleared it, ending the Wolverines' hopes for an overtime win. "Both teams looking into the coaches' eyes at the end of the game had looks of disappointment on their faces," Burns said. But if it weren't for Holody's late game-tying goal, the Wolverines would have been the only ones dis- appointed. Club sailors challeige easteril varsity powers By ALEX PROSPERI Daily Sports Writer The Michigan club sailing team has the perfect escape from the rigors of school. "I look forward, every Tuesday and Thursday, to get out on the water," Michigan junior and club sailor Alex Bogatko said. "You have school all day, then you get to go sailing." Members of the Michigan sail- ing team travel to Dexter two to three times a week to practice for four hours on Baseline Lake. And though members of the sailing team are fortunate to sail several times per week after a long day of class, the team has had plenty of success. Michigan is consistently one of the top-five teams in the Midwest Collegiate SailingAssociation, and part of the reason for the team's repeated success is its difficult out-of-conference schedule. The MCSA is one of seven sub-con- ferences in the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association of America, and Michigan often travels east to compete against top teams like Harvard, Yale and Saint Mary's. "When you go out east it's a different story,- because they're all varsity sports," Bogatko said. "They have coaches, team meet- ings and practices every day. These kids are really competi- tive." The 40-man team competes in the MCSA along with 29 other teams from across the country. Each weekend, the team sends six sailors to as many as three regattas while using a variety of dinghies on the water, mostly 420s but also FJ's and Lasers. With more bodies than spots available, the executive board, which consists of eight of the move devoted Michigan sail- ors, decides who travels based on the amount of time the sailor has committed to the team and their success in practice. The sailors who commit the most time and energy to the team and best prove themselves in practice will be rewarded by traveling to Nation- als. "How much time you put into it is how much you get out of it," Bogatko said. Though the team doesn't have an official recruitment like the varsity teams, competing requires a hefty time commitment. Aside from the eightto 12 hours of prac- tice per week, each weekend, the team travels Friday night for its competition and doesn't return until Sunday morning.. The fact that the eastern teams recruit their sailors is the rea- son why Michigan has difficulty matching up with them. So in order to stay competitive on the national level, Michigan challeng- es itself in regattas against those top teams. The Wolverines made the trip two weekends ago, when they set out to New York to face some of the top teams in the coun- try. Michigan was the lone MCSA team, and its conference domi- nance didn't show on the national stage, as Michigan finished last out of the 20 teams. But regardless of the results against national competition, Bogatko and the rest of the sailors have a good time. "It still is pretty competitive, but we all have a good time," Bogatko said. "You get out on the water and you sail all day, but once you get out the water, everyone's all friends." Wolverines upset by Spartans for first loss No.21 Michigan struggles with gameplan as 13-match win streak is snapped By KATHERINE SHER For theDaily EAST LANSING - The Michigan volleyball team had a great start, but all good things must come to an end. After starting the season with a 13-game win streak, No. 21 Michi- gan lost 3-1 at Michigan State Sat- urday in front of a record-setting crowd of 5,335 fans. It was the Wol- verines' first loss of the season. The Spartans took control early and never let up, winning the first set 25-19. "I thought State played outstand- ing and they did everything that we wanted to do," Michigan coach Mark Rosen said. "That's frustrat- ing. I think we knew what they were goingto do, and I think we had plans of what we wanted to do to try and counter what their style is, and we didn't execute." The Wolverines showed signs of life during the second set. Junior right-side hitter Megan Bower tal- lied seven kills and sophomore set- ter Lexi Zimmerman registered nine assists and five digs to silence the near-capacity crowd. Michigan won the set 25-15 to tie the match. "I thought we got our game back to our game plan (during the second set)," Rosen said. "We served tough, we passed much better and we sided out consistently." I I Junior Megan Bower collected seven kills in the second set against Michigan State on Saturday. The success, however, was short- lived. Coming out of the locker room, the Wolverines (1-1 Big Ten, 13-1 Overall) had high hopes to pull ahead of the Spartans, but noth- ing seemed to work. Michigan State (2-0, 10-3) rallied back after the break to take a close third set 25-21 and get the crowd back in the match. "Once they were being successful we just got frustrated," Rosen said. "As an athlete or a coach those are just the most frustrating situations, because you feel somewhat helpless and someone who is competitive doesn't want to feel helpless." The fourth set had a promising start, with the Wolverines holding close at 9-9, but a series of attack- ing errors and a service ace from Spartan sophomore libero Allyson Karaba helped Michigan State win 16 of the last 22 points. "We didn't side out well," Rosen said. "We didn't pass the ball well, so we couldn't side out well on the offense, and when we got back to serve, we served, I thought, very soft and let them put in a system we couldn't defend." TheSpartans won the fourth and final set 25-15 for a 3-1 victory over . the Wolverines. The firsftloss of a season is always tough, especially when it comes at the hands of a rival. "They're stinging, but in some ways that's a good thing, because we didn't play very well," Rosen said. "We shouldn't walk out feeling very good about it. (We've) got to make sure that feeling motivates us so hopefully, it doesn't happen next time."