10A - Wednesday, September 8, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam Van Bergen uses mother's motivation to keep focused Senior goalkeeper Chris Blais is expected to be a huge part of the defense this year, as many of his teammates have said he's taken on a leadership role. This could be the year the picsfit ut all the correct pieces together and the puzzle will be complete, right? In the world of sports, the answer is not always yes. The 11 starting members CASANDRA of the PAGNI Michigan On Men's Soccer men's soc- cer team - and the remainder waiting to get their feet wet in a game - are a mix of new talent and experi- enced leaders. The 2010 squad features dangerous offensive weapons to complement a veter- an backfield and an experienced keeper. This year's group has the potential to be one of the most successful teams that Michigan head coach Steve Burns has coached in his 11 years at the helm. Even with what seems like the right pieces on the field, poten- tial hasn't always translated into victories for the Wolverines. Completing the puzzle means fighting for a trip to the playoffs for the first time since 2008, and this year's Wolverines clearly has their work cut out for them. The current roster features a special mix of energetic, very skillful youth, with win-hungry veterans who understand just what's at stake every time they take the field. One of the veterans - junior keeper Chris Blais - anchors Michigan's defense in his second season as the Wolverine starter. Blais is as locked-in to the game as they come -- and even trained with the MLS Seattle Sound- ers this summer to ensure he continued to get better in the offseason. Last season, Blais ranked sec- ond in the Big Ten with a save percentage of .761 and a goals against average of 1.16. This year, the goalkeeper is a team captain and has become an obvious vocal leader from the box. In addition to the Blais, the See SOCCER, Page 12 By TIM ROHAN Daily Sports Editor When Ryan Van Bergen played football at Whitehall High School, most of the stories written about him were very positive. But, when one particular story discussed how the current Michigan defensive lineman was undeserving of an award, that's the clipping that made the refrigerator at home. Van Bergen's mom, Toni, started defending her son at an early age. She would bring his birth certificate to his football games. He started playing when he was eight or nine years old, but he was always bigger than the other kids. Other mothers protested. As he's grown up, Toni's tough love has been a constant motiva- tion for Van Bergen. Toni will see a small line in an article that's nega- tive about Van Bergen's play, she'll highlight it and e-mail it to him. The message is understood by now: keep your head on right, and prove the doubters wrong. "She tries to do her best to moti- vate me," Van Bergen said. "I'm her baby, so she's gotta do something. She's like, 'You gotta do something, this is what they said about you.' I love her to death, but she's a good motivator. She sends me stuff all the time." Van Bergen reads every single one. He knows that when he calls home it will come up in conversa- tion - often about once every other day. After last Saturday's 30-10 win over Connecticut, the entire Michi- gan football team could learn some- thing from the lessons that Toni had taught her son over the years. "The whole coaching staff is emphasizing to stay healthy," Van Bergen said. "Last year, we started out 4-0, everybody was very excited about our season, then things start- ed to head south. So staying hungry and staying motivated is something our team is going to preach all year - just to continue to try and prove critics wrong." Michigan coach Rich Rodri- guez isn't getting too high after the season-opening win. At Monday's press conference, he noted several areas where he felt the team could have done better in the 20-point win. Even with the outside world spinning throughout a summer of NCAA allegations and then a week one win, internally the Wolverines are calm and steady - so Rodriguez says. "You're just one bad day away' from everybody else saying what they were saying about you last week," Rodriguez said. "It's like poison - it's okay as long as you don't swallow it. They won't be swallowing it, because they know it's still out there." As for Van Bergen's effort in the win, Toni might not have a lot of ammunition tomotivate her son. He finished with four tackles. He made the less-than-glamorous plays that won't show up on the stat sheet, but are vital for any team. The redshirt junior is now in his second year as a starter on defense, but Van Bergen switched posi- tions in the offseason. Last year, he played as the three-technique defensive tackle and now he's play- ing defensive end - filling Brandon Graham's void after he graduated and was drafted bythe Philadelphia Eagles. Before Graham left, Van Bergen looked to him in differentsituations to learn what to do and how to grow from his experience. But now, Van Bergen is one of the defense's men- tors and he's the one handing out pointers. "I think it's somethingthat hope- fully, Me, Mike (Martin) and Craig (Roh) can use to rub off on some of the guys who haven'thad that expe- rience, and be able to bring them through it," Van Bergen said of his experience. "Because you don't want anybody out there who isn't getting help who needs it." Already, after just one week, Van Bergen and Martin have already stamped their play on defense. With the Huskies' running game pushing to the outside, the duo had to routinely get off blocks and make tackles down the field.With athree- man front on defense, Van Bergen said that the Huskies shifted their protection to his and Martin's side Redshirt junior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen switched to defensive end this offseason to replace Brandon Graham. - freeing up Roh for one-on-one opportunities to beat a blocker and make plays in the backfield. "We kinda gave him a gift in that way," Van Bergen said. "But he did really well with it. And if he's going to keep doing things like he's doing, we'll take the bullets." Roh finished with five tackles, two of which were for a loss. Martin had two tackles and shared a tackle for a loss. The Wolverines' ability to tackle and get pressure on the quarterback - even without Graham - could be a lifesaver for the defense: protect a young secondary and have your experienced players carry the load. Van Bergen's not worried about letting up this year. He said the gas pedal was still hitting the floor, even when Michi- gan was up big on Saturday. Toni would probably like itthatway. And despite her motivational tactics thus far, she doesn't send the clips to her son's teammates - at least not just yet. "If they wanted it, my mom would probably get their e-mails and forward it," Van Bergen said. "Gotta love a mom." FINALLY! A FRESH ROMANTIC COMEDY THE SHACKBAGREES IRRESISTILE!"EER TINGIS SO LAST SEMESTER IREIIBLE!,' -Caryn James, MARIE CLAIRE .. - ..SO G0 AHEAD AND TRADE IT INN "ILARIUS!. . A GREAT DATE MOVIE? A -Joel Amos, SHEKNOWS.COM -Kerry Mahler, KCBS-TV "HIGHLYENTERTAINING ANDE EXIRMELYIINNYn1E&A 'Ben Lyons, EH~NTERTAINMENT 9 W With our Trade & Save program, you can get the best for less! All you have to do is bring in your eligible electronics and The Shack will give you a gift card for the appraised value, It's the best way to get the newest gear for less. 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