The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, October 17, 2014 - 7A
Wolverines fall short against Penn State
Nittany Lions
goalkeeper stout
despite potent
Michigan offense
By MATHEW KIPNIS
Daily Sports Writer
Whenever Penn State
goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom
made a save and held the ball
in her hands, the Michigan
women's soccer student section
began to chant the number of
seconds she kept the ball.
As the game went on the
student section continued to
count. And count. And count.
Eckerstrom held the ball a lot
Thursday night, because No. 24
Michigan couldn't find a way to
get one behind her as it fell to
the 11th-ranked Nittany Lions,
1-0.
The Wolverines (7-2-0 Big
Ten, 11-4-0 overall) maintained
control of the ball, pushing
into Penn State (8-1-0, 13-2-
0) territory for most of the
game, dominating shots, 18-8,
and corner kicks, 11-2. But
Eckerstrom was a brick wall in
goal, recording nine saves.
"We knew she is a good
goalkeeper," said Michigan
coach Greg Ryan. "I thought she
was good in every phase of the
game tonight. She made some
big saves especially with the
shot she tipped over the bar in
the first half."
Eckerstrom has given up just
eight goals all season and just
three in Big Ten play. This was
her sixth shutout of the season.
t was the frst gme i .'
Sept. 21 that Michigan was held
without a goal and just the third
time all season.
This game was a much
different shutout than the
games earlier in the season,
though. In those three games
the Wolverines were outscored
9-0 and totaled just 19 shots.
On Thursday night, Michigan
tallied 18 shots and only
conceded a single goal, showing
progress from the beginning of
the season.
"Since San Diego, when
we gave up eight goals and
scored nothing, they have just
progressed so far," Ryan said.
"Those shutouts were ugly.
When you dominate a game to
that extent and get that number
of chances and are constantly
attacking their goal like tonight,
you are unfortunate if you don't
get the win.
"We have never dominated
Penn State, not in seven years.
They have a lot to be proud of."
Although the Wolverines
got more shots off than they
had in previous shutouts and
dominated the possession, they
couldn't get the type of quality
shots they were looking for.
In the second half, the
Wolverines made an adjustment
to try and find higher quality
looksby pushing the ball further
into the box and not settling
for shots outside the box. The
quality of shots looked much
better for Michigan, but Penn
State made an adjustment to
switch from a 3-5-2 to a 4-5-1 as
well as dropping more players
back on defense.
"(Coach Ryan) talked about
cnmatinn a wt- noid t ~.1,
Sophomore forward Nicky Waldeck once again had Michigan's best chances, but she couldn't capitalize on them against Penn State goalkeeper Britt Eckerstrom.
on which is not being satisfied
with mediocre chances," said
sophomore forward Nicky
Waldeck. "I had a few good
shots outside the 18 (yard line)
but that's all it is, a shot outside
the 18."
The Wolverines put together
adominantperformance against
atop program in abattle for first
place in the Big Ten
And if the ball had fallen the
other way, the student section
could be chanting 'Hail to the
Victors' rather than the number
of seconds Eckerstrom kept the
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tany Lions leave one."
From the opening whistle,
victorious Michigan looked like the
much more capable side. The
ByWES ROMAN confident Wolverines dictated
For theDaily the pace and displayed some
flair. Michigan attacked
e Michigan women's effectively through its two
r team entered its crucial wingbacks, freshman Taylor
against No.11 Penn State Timko and sophomore
tten Madisson Lewis, who often
home PENN STATE 1 went on marauding runs down
n an MICHIGAN 0 the flank to spark the attack.
ive Despite controlling much
Unfortunately for the of the play in the first half, the
erines, they picked their Wolverines found themselves
st match of the year to down 1-0 heading into the
both streaks, as Michigan break. Penn State forward
ed a 1-0 defeat Thursday Megan Schafer put her team
at U-M Soccer Stadium. ahead in the 27th minsute when
e two programs entered a failed clearance fell to her
day in a tie atop the near the penalty spot, and she
Ten standings. With composedly slotted it home
our matches remaining from 12 yards, against the run
e regular season, the of play.
ranked Wolverines' (7-2- With six goals and two
Ten, 11-4-0 overall) loss assists in the previous four
nts a setback for their games, sophomore Nicky
rence title ambitions. Waldeck came into the match
was a frustrating match in fine form. The striker
Michigan, which created looked dangerous throughout,
rous chances but was but the Nittany Lion's keeper
e to replicate its scoring Britt Eckerstrom was up to
from its previous three the task and made a couple of
tes, in which it totaled 10 smart saves to deny Waldeck.
Though threatening all 90
night Penn State was minutes, Waldeck's best chance
said Michigan coach came in the first half, when
Ryan. "When you her speculative effort from 25
sate the game to that yards out was tipped over the
t, when you get that bar in the 18th minute.
er of chances, when "If I get an opportunity I
want to finish it, that's my job
as a forward," Waldeck said.
"(But Ryan) talked about not
being satisfied with mediocre
chances."
The second half was much
more contested than the first.
No. 11 Penn State (8-1-0,13-2-0)
displayed the qualities that led
to its strong 2014 campaign: a
strong defense and a pragmatic
offensive approach.
The visitors nearly doubled
their lead in the 53rd minute,
but freshman keeper Megan
Hinz made a great save to keep
the deficit at one.
The Wolverines found
chances few and far between
in the second half, but Waldeck
again looked the most likely to
score. On multiple occasions,
she was able to cut in on her
left foot and beat Nittany Lion
defenders, but was unable to
beat the keeper.
Michigan's flair for the
dramatic, which it has shown
on multiple occasions in its
2014 campaign, was lacking
on Thursday night. A late
equalizer seemed to be coming,
but time and- time again, the
ball skipped off the wet surface
away from the Wolverine
attackers.
Despite the disappointing
defeat, Michigan remained
confident that a Big Ten regular
season title was still in reach.
"It's a tough loss and a big
game," Waldeck said. "But
I don't think it'll determine
anything for the end of the
season."
VInuINILOZAO/Oaily
Freshman goalkeeper Megan Hinz made only one mistake Thursday, but it proved to be one too many against Penn State.
'M' to face fastest competition in Wisconsin
By DAVID FARNUM
For the Daily
The No. 11 Michigan men's
cross country team has faced
tough competition before, but it
hasn't seen a field quite like this.
Featuring 15 of the top 25
teams inthe country,highlighted
by No. 3 Northern Arizona, the
Wisconsin Adidas Invitational
in Madison on Friday could
be its biggest indicator of how
well they stack up against
competition.
After two first-place finishes
earlier in the season, the event
will mark the team's first
competition since two weeks
ago when it won the Blue and
Gold Invitational in South Bend.
That was the first true test for
Michigan on the year, as it faced
a few top-ranked opponents,
including then-No. 10 BYU and
No. 15 New Mexico.
Michigan coach Kevin
Sullivan looks to use the
experience gained at Notre
Dame in this week's competition.
"We want to keep doing what
we are doing since it has been
working," Sullivan said. "The
team as a whole has been doing
really well, and we keep rallying
around each othe
Dame was a va
work we were
during the first
the season."
Even though
to the team'sc
he is no strange:
Wisconsin. As a
former runner
at Michigan
himself,
Sullivan's
familiar with
this course,
though he
notes he's yet
to see this
current course
and looks to his
upperclassmen fo
"When I was i
a totally differet
the one we will r
"This will be my
I will actually se(
some of my uppe
actually have a I
the course than I
"We hope
experience that
older guys hav
to carry over in:
younger guys tht
here."
r. I think Notre
lidation of the
able to put in
eight weeks of
Sullivan is new
coaching staff,
r to running in
Sullivan is also excited for
the strong competition. The
Wolverines hold their highest
ranking since 2008, when
they were as high as eighth. So
Michigan will look to leverage
the ranking to continue to push
itself this week.
"We plan
on carrying
those high
"We want to keep expectations
and any
doing what we are experiences
doing, since it's we bring to
competitions,"
working." Sullivan said.
"I think we are
set up well this
week and for
r experience. the season going forward."
n school, it was This meet, though, will be
nt course than the first chance to prove their
un on," he said. ranking, and it will offer a
first time that chance for Sullivan to make a
e the course, so statement in his first year.
rclassmen will "I think it's going to be good
better sense of to see a few good teams that we
will. didn't see last meet," Sullivan
to use the said. "A couple of teams will
some of the be ranked higher than that we
e racing here saw at Notre Dame, and we are
to some of the definitely interested in exposing
at haven't been our team to other top teams
across the country."
The Michigan men's cross country team enters Friday's race as the No.,11 team in the country against its toughest test.
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