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4B - October 24, 2011

Sport Mon9day

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

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WOMEN'S SOCCER
Penn State offense too
much for 'M' defenders

Redshirt unior forward Clare Stachel reacts after a 4-0 loss to Penn State on Senior Day. Michigan also fell to Ohio State on Friday night-
Wolverine offense shut out twice
du frin pairof Big Ten aIt'lChups

By CARLY BODDY
Daily Sports Writer
On Sunday, seniors Kristen
Goncalves, Courtney Mercier
and Kim Siebert played their last
home soccer game for Michigan.
The Michi-
gan wom- OHIO STATE 1
en's soccer MICHIGAN 0
team looked
to beat a PENN STATE 4
No. 14 Penn MICHIGAN 0
State team it
hadn't been able to beat in the last
three seasons. In fact, the Nittany
Lions are a team Michigan hadn't
beat since 2002.
Michigan was shut out, 4-0, by
Penn State. It was coming off a
similar 1-0 loss to Ohio State just
two days before.
The scoring began 22 minutes
in with the first of four goals
against junior goalkeeper Haley
Kopmeyer. The second goal came
in the final minute of the half.
Penn State scored two more
times and the Wolverines were
still unable to turn any chances

into goals.
The seniors finished their
careers without ever pulling off a
win against the Nittany Lions.
"We learned the hard way out
there on the field." said Michi-
gan coach Greg Ryan. "The main
takeaway is experience."
But for the seniors, being hon-
ored on the field and playing their
last home game wasn't really so
much about experience. Senior
defender Kristen Goncalves has
been with Michigan for four
years, and has started since she
was a freshman - she has plenty
of experience.
"The most important thing is
how hard our team fights for each
other," Goncalves said. "I don't
think at any point in these two
games we ever gave up."
And they're still not giving up.
While these two losses may be
detrimental for the team as far as
getting into the Big Ten Tourna-
ment, the players are determined.
"Everyday we talk about what
we are going to need to do." Gon-
calves said. "We are going to be

prepared to play Illinois next
week."
But losing to Penn State (9-1-
O Big Ten, 16-3-0 overall) wasn't
much of a surprise for Michigan
(4-5-1 Big Ten, 9-7-2 overall). The
Nittany Lions have lost just one
game in Big Ten play this season.
It was the loss to rival Ohio State
on Friday that was much more
detrimental.
"Soccer is the kind of game
where, if you don't put away your
chances, it comes back to haunt
you," Ryan said.
And being shut out by a rival
Ohio State team (4-4-1 Big Ten,
8-8-1 overall) on Friday won't be
easily forgotten.
The Wolverines had two close
scoring opportunities. The first
was an apparent goal scored
by freshman midfielder Chris-
tina Murillo off a header. It was
crossed from sophomore forward
Nkem Ezurike but was called off-
sides.
The second was a penalty kick
- and another chance that wasn't
put away. Redshirtjunior forward

Clare Stachel took the kick, which
bounced off the crossbar. Murillo
attempted again and took the
rebound shot, which was saved.
In the second half, play got
physical between the rivals, and
the Wolverines consistently con-
tinued to miss their chances.
Fouled by an Ohio State defender,
Murillo took a kick that soared
straight over the net.
Finally, with 12 minutes left in
the second half, Ohio State scored
and Michigan was unable to get
the equalizer.
"That was the first time I've
felt like we've outplayed Ohio
State since I've been here," Ryan
said.
Yet unable to get a goal, the
Wolverines fell 1-0 to the Buck-
eyes.
For the seniors, it was disap-
pointing. But for the younger
players, the main takeaway was,
as Ryan said, experience.
Michigan will play its final
game before the Big Ten Tour-
nament this coming Saturday
against Illinois in Champaign.

By STEVEN BRAID
DailySports Writer
The Michigan women's soc-
cer team's defense has been suf-
focating all season long.
It is tied for first in the Big
Ten for the least amount of
goals allowed, and during a
road trip earlier in the season,
the unitheld in check two of the
top five scorers in the Big Ten -
Nebraska's Morgan Marlbor-
ough and Iowa's Cloe Lacasse.
But against No. 9 Penn State,
the Wolverines' defense was
in trouble before they even
stepped onto the field.
Playing against the sec-
ond-highest scoring offense
in the nation, the Wolverines
appeared overmatched by a Nit-
tany Lion squad that had netted
50 goals in 18 games entering
the matchup.
"I felt like the defensive plan-
ning was good and the execu-
tion was good," said Michigan
coach Greg Ryan. "They didn't
get a lot of great chances, but
the great chances that they got,
they put away."
With redshirt junior goalie
Haley Kopmeyer anchoring the
defense, Michigan had allowed
less than a goal per game over
its last seven contests.
But despite its best effort,
Michigan could only hold off
Penn State's aggressive attack
until midway through the
first half, as the Nittany Lions
scored four unanswered goals
en route to a resounding 4-0
victory.
Penn State forward Maya
Hayes, the nation's leading
scorer, proved to be the catalyst
against the Wolverines.
Entering Sunday, she had
scored in five straight games,
notching eight goals during
that span.
Hayes wasn't overly domi-
nant but eventually proved too
difficult to contain. She played

patientlythroughout the match,
waiting for the right time to
attack. She converted both her
shots on goal - she scored off of
a rebound during the last min-
ute of the first half and later put
the ball in the back of the net in
the 60th minute after dribbling
by two Michigan defenders.
Those goals gave her 25 total,
one more goal than the entire
Michigan team combined this
season.
"It's tough to play against a
player like (Hayes)," Ryan said.
"We shut her down pretty well
for most of the game, but a kid
like that still ends up with two
goals at the end of the day."
Hayes's impact was felt
beyond her two goals. Her
commanding prescence forced
Michigan to play multiple
defenders on her, opening up
the field for her teammates.
In the 22nd minute, she fake-
touched a cross from forward
Jackie Molinda, momentarily
freezing Kopmeyer and senior
defender Kristen Goncalves,
allowing Penn State forward
Taylor Schram an opening in
the net for the game's first goal
Schram's goal was her 11th of 4
the season, giving her more
goals than the Wolverines' top
scorer.
Kopmeyer played as well as
she could have. She had five
saves, including a diving stop
off a penalty kick late in the
game.
But she couldn't make the
type of impact she has become
accustomed to making.
Ryan admitted that Penn
State's offense was nearly
unstoppable and that their
shots were just too well placed.
"Today, I don't think (Kop-
meyer) had much of any chance
on any of the goals," Ryan said.
"The goals today were just
inside-pocket goals.
"Nothing you could do about
it."

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Michigan runners wrap up regular season at Eastern Michigan Classic

By COLLEEN THOMAS
For the Daily
On Friday, with the lineup
for the Big Ten Championships
set, the Michigan women's cross
country team showed what a
strong future it has.
The Wolverines let some of
their younger runners compete at
the Eastern Michigan Fall Clas-
sic - a non-scoring meet - while
their top nine runners sat out.
Redshirt sophomore Chloe
Prince - Michigan's top finisher
at 18:33 - placed 11th overall in
the 5,000-meter race. Redshirt
sophomore Meg Bellino (24th)
and redshirt freshman Erica
Crane (25th) were the other Wol-
verines in the top 25.
Michigan also had several girls
run unattached, which means

they participated but didn't run
for Michigan. Most notable was
sophomore Alex Leptich, who
finished second overall with a
time of 17:56, setting a personal
best on the course.
For most of the Wolverines
who ran, it was their second race
in a Michigan uniform and their
last race of the season.
"It was their equivalent of the
Big Ten meet this weekend," said
Michigan coach Mike McGuire.
"I think we did a pretty nice job
with some of them without the
luxury of many races this fall.
These kids are used to running
10 or 12 races by now in their high
school season, and for us they've
run just two. I thought they did a
nice job."
The Wolverines had most of
the season to prepare for the race

and pu
ing the
"
w
"Thi
about
and no
even t
lino sa
to go a
made s
six mile

t in some great work dur- "This was our chance to run
season to get ready. our besttimes and show everyone
what we've been working for."
September 2 was the last time
the Michigan runners who com-
This season peted Friday ran, which hap-
pened to be the first meet of the
vas ... about season. The Wolverines hosted
the Michigan Open on the same
orking hard course, so Friday's race was a
chance to improve upon their
everyday." times from the beginning of the
season.
"We wanted to be better than
we were when we ran that course
s season was just more on September 2nd, and we were,"
working hard everyday, McGuire said. "We had better
t to take any runs lightly, conditions as far as the tempera-
he recovery days," Bel- ture, but we hit a pretty size-
id. "If we were supposed able patch of the course that was
nd run four to six miles, we very muddy along the river, and
ure it was a quality four to it made navigating it a little bit
es. slower. They did a nice job."

The rest of the Wolverines'
regulars were at the meet to cheer
on their teammates but did not
run. Their focus is on next Sun-
day's race in Champaign - the
Big Ten Championship.
Nine Wolverines will compete
for the Big Ten title as Michigan
heads into tournament time.
"We've got two workouts, basi-
cally a workout and a half left,"
McGuire said. "We're plant-
ing the seed on how we want to
attack this race."
McGuiresaid the team is aware
that Michigan State is the favorite
to win the Big Ten title, but they
are ready to compete anyway. He
said the Wolverines, Iowa, and
Minnesota are three teams who
could possibly "dethrone" the
Spartans.
"We think we're capable,

(but) we haven't put it together
across the board that up to this
point would garner us a Big Ten
title," McGuire said. "But we also
have nine days of preparation of
physical, and in particular, men-
tal preparation. Then we've just
gotta go out and execute on game
day. We want it, but so do two or
three other accomplished pro-
grams."
Michigan will keep the ulti-
mate goal in mind as they train
in the coming week for next Sun-
day's race.
As for the rest of the tourna-
ment season?
"We're noteventhinking about
NCAA's right now," McGuire
said. "We're thinking about the
Big Ten meet.
"The ladies' focus is on next
Sunday."


STAFF PICKS
The Daily football writers do their best
to predict, against the spread, what
happens in the 2011 football season.

Michael
Florek

Stephen J.
Nesbitt

0


No.1 LU(-21)vs No.19 Auburn
No 3 oklabama (27.5) vs. Tennessee
No. 3 Oklahoma (-255)ovs. Texas Tech
No. 4 Wisconsin (-7)tat No.1 SMichigan State
No. 5tBoseStae (-29.5) vs.Air Force
No. 6 Oklahoma State (-7.5) at Missouri
No.7 Stanford(-20) vs. No. 22 Washington
No. 8Clemson (-n1) vs. North Carolina
No9Oregaet-02.)at Colorado
No. 10 Askansas (4.5) at Ote Miss
Na.i11West Virginia (-135) at Syracuse
No. 12 Kansas State 5) at annsas
No. 13Nebraska (-26.5) at Minnesota
No. 16 Virginia Tech (-21.5) vs. Boston College
No.17 Texas A&M (-17.5) at lowa State
No. 20 Georgia Tech at Miami (Fla.) (-3)
No. 21 Housto(-16) os. Marshall
No. 23 Illinois (-6) at Purdue
Penn State (-3) at Northwestern
lowa (-2.5) vs.tIndiana
ThiaWeek
Overall

Aoborn
Tennessee
Oklahoma
Wisconsin
Boise State
Oklahoma State
Stnfoa
Oregon
Arkansas
West Virinia
Kansas State
Nebraska
Virginia Tech
Texas A&M
Georgia Tech
Houston
linois
PennoState
owa-
106-83-3

Auborn
Alabama
Oklahoma
Wisconnin
Bois State
Oklahoma State
Stanford
Clemson
Oregoe
Arkansas
West Virginia
KaesasState
Nebraka
Virginia Tech
Texas A&M
Georgia Tech
Houston
Illinois
Penn State
9-10
113-76-3

Alakama
Texas Teah
Wisconsin
Boise State
Oklahoma State
Washington
Clemson
Oregon
Ote Miss
West Virginia
Kaesas State
Nebraska
Virginia Tech
Texas A&M
GeortiaTech
H-oustont
Illinois
Northwestern
owa
10-9
106-83-3

Alabama
Oklahoma
Wisconsin
Noise State
Oklahoma State
Stanford
Clemson
Oregon
Arkansas
Westnirginia
Kansas State
Nebraska
Virginia Tech
Texas A&M
Georgia Tech
Houston
Illinois
Northwestern
116-73-3

Alabama
Oklahoma
Boise State
Oklahoma State
Stanfordt
tlemson
Oregon
Arkansas
WestnVirginia
Kansas State
Nebraska
Virginia Tech
lowa State
Miami
Houston
Illinois
7orth7este
11-8
77-47-1

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