The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
February 16, 2015 — 3B

‘M’ sweeps FSU, weekend

Wolverines avenge 
Super Regional loss 
in 5-0 weekend at 

Florida State

By TED JANES

Daily Sports Writer

With two outs, the tying run 

on third and the winning run 
on second, Michigan softball 
coach Carol Hutchins turned 
to 
sophomore 
right-handed 

pitcher Megan Betsa.

“Are you ready? Go up there 

and strike them out,” Hutchins 
said, with Michigan leading No. 
6 Florida State, 6-5.

It took just nine pitches for 

Betsa to retire the final two 
batters, striking out the first 
and forcing a flyout to end the 
game.

With those nine pitches, 

Betsa earned her first career 
save and the eighth-ranked 
Wolverines’ (8-1) first of two 
victories against the Seminoles 
on the weekend. For Betsa, the 
night was still not done — it was 
her turn to start in the second 
game 
of 
the 
doubleheader. 

Allowing just two hits and one 
run, she pitched a complete 
game, helping Michigan take a 
2-1 victory in the game Saturday 
night.

“She 
was 

outstanding,” 
Hutchins said. 
“She’s 
the 

one you want 
at 
the 
end 

of the game 
because she’s 
a 
strikeout 

pitcher. When 
they have the 
winning run on second base, the 
best thing you can do is strike 
them out.”

Including the crucial back-to-

back wins over the Seminoles, 
Michigan swept through all 
of its opponents this weekend, 

dominating both at the plate 
and in the field.

Saturday was highlighted 

by the pitching duel between 
Betsa and Florida State’s Lacey 
Waldrop, the same pitcher who 
eliminated 
the 
Wolverines 

from the NCAA Tournament 
last year. Waldrop pitched the 

final 
three 

innings 
in 

the day game 
and the entire 
second 
game 

on 
Saturday, 

but she still 
had 
the 

energy to keep 
going.

“She 
has 

the ability to 

throw a lot of innings,” Betsa 
said. “She’s one of the best 
in the country. It felt good to 
get that win against her. My 
job was to put zeroes on the 
board, and I did that as best as 
I could.”

Added sophomore left fielder 

Kelly Christner: “(Hutchins) 
came out afterwards and said 
we had great energy going out 
last night and hitting well off 
of (Waldrop). She’s an amazing 
pitcher. We went out there, hit 
her pretty well and shut them 
down.”

Christner, who has gotten on 

base in every game this season, 
is one of many reasons that 
the Wolverines succeeded on 
offense this weekend.

After last weekend’s four-

game series, Hutchins said her 
team was underachieving with 
its bats.

A week of practice certainly 

changed that.

In 
just 
five 
games 
in 

Tallahassee, three of which 
were cut short by the mercy 
rule, the Wolverines pounded 
out 36 runs.

To mercy an opponent, a 

team must be ahead by at least 
eight runs after five innings. 

Michigan 
did 
that 
against 

Western Kentucky and twice 
against Georgia Tech.

Friday, 
the 
eighth-ranked 

Wolverines defeated Western 
Kentucky and Georgia Tech 
by scores of 8-0 and 10-0, 
respectively. Sunday morning, 
Michigan battled with Georgia 
Tech again, this time winning 
10-2.

The 
batting 
surge 
came 

from multiple outlets. Against 
Western Kentucky, freshman 
first 
baseman 
Tera 
Blanco 

registered four RBI. Senior 
catcher Lauren Sweet got the 
ball rolling in the second game 
against Georgia Tech, powering 
a grand slam over the walls of 
JoAnne Graf Field in the first 
inning.

Sunday morning, Michigan 

went up against the Yellow 
Jackets again. Taking a four-
run lead after the first inning 
put Michigan well on track to a 
similar result.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Sophomore pitcher Megan Betsa earned her first career save in Michigan’s first win over Florida State this weekend.

“We went out 
there, hit her 
pretty well and 

shut them down.”

Michigan falls to
top-ranked Iowa

By CHLOE AUBUCHON 

Daily Sports Writer

In its final match of the Big Ten 

dual season, the No. 16 Michigan 
wrestling team learned that when 
it faces off against the best, it has 
to bring its best to the mat.

While 

the 
Wolverines 
hung 
in 

with No. 1 Iowa (9-0 Big Ten, 14-0 
overall), they were unable to pull 
off the upset, falling 22-9.

For 
Michigan, 
the 
night 

consisted of a series of close 
battles with several disappointing 
endings. Though the Wolverines 
(4-5, 6-6) had a strong showing 
— all but one of their seven losses 
came by six points or fewer — they 
never led at any point in the meet, 
even with their three individual 
wins.

“(Iowa is) a tough place to 

wrestle, 
and 
it’s 
a 
physical 

team,” said Michigan coach Joe 
McFarland.

Sophomores Brian Murphy, 

Domenic Abounader and Adam 
Coon all put Michigan on the 
board with decision wins in 
the 157-pound, 184-pound and 
heavyweight classes, respectively. 
Abounader 
and 
Coon 
each 

defeated 
higher-ranked 

opponents.

Murphy and Abounader ended 

the Big Ten dual season with a 7-2 
record each, while Coon went 7-1.

Murphy, ranked No. 10 in 

his weight class, earned the 
Wolverines’ first win of the 
night in a 7-2 decision over the 
Hawkeyes’ 16th-ranked Michael 
Kelly. After four losses to start 
off the meet, Murphy cut Iowa’s 
lead, 13-3. The sophomore came 
out strong, finishing with two 
takedowns, a reversal in the third 
period and 1:42 in riding-time 
advantage.

Riding time proved to be an 

issue for Michigan, with Murphy 
being the only wrestler to take the 
advantage while the Hawkeyes 
did so five times. Freshman Alec 
Pantaleo fell, 2-1, at 149 pounds 
after his opponent gained 1:27 
in riding-time advantage for the 
winning point.

“We could all work on the mat 

with top and bottom wrestling,” 
Abounader said. “In that aspect, 
we didn’t do very well this 
weekend, myself included.”

At 
184 
pounds, 
No. 
12 

Abounader held on to earn a 
3-2 decision over Iowa’s eighth-
ranked 
Sammy 
Brooks. 
The 

match was deadlocked as each 
wrestler attempted to finish on 
single-leg 
attacks. 
Abounader 

eventually countered a flurry with 
a successful single-leg attack to 
earn the decision with 20 seconds 
remaining in the match.

In the final bout of the 

meet, Coon, ranked No. 7, took 
home a thrilling decision in 
overtime against second-ranked 
heavyweight 
Bobby 
Telford. 

After 
back-and-forth 
escapes 

during regulation, Coon fought 
off a single-leg attack in the last 
20 seconds of the sudden-victory 
period. Going into the tiebreaker 
periods, Coon capitalized on his 
opponent’s exhaustion, earning 
the decision on a reversal in the 
second tiebreaker frame.

“You just have to trust your 

training,” Coon said. “Going into 
the tiebreaker situation, you just 
have to keep your mind straight 
and trust your training that you’re 
better conditioned and you know 
what to do in that situation.”

Despite the loss, the Wolverines 

were pleased with their tenacity 
against 
the 
Big 
Ten’s 
top 

contender. As they head into the 
Big Ten Championships, they will 
look to turn their tenacity into 
results.

WRESTLING

Michigan starts 
2-0 for first time

By BRANDON CARNEY

Daily Sports Writer

Detroit may not be the 

Michigan men’s lacrosse team’s 
biggest 
rival, 
but 

that didn’t 
stop 
the 

Wolverines from bringing loads 
of intensity into Saturday’s 
matchup.

Sophomore 
attacker 
Ian 

King led Michigan in scoring, 
setting a program record with 
six goals in the game. King’s 
efforts, combined with strong 
defense in the second half, were 
enough for the Wolverines to 
earn a 15-6 victory and move 
to 2-0 for the first time in 
program history.

No one was happier to see 

King 
score 
than 
Michigan 

coach John Paul, who gave 
the attacker grief after going 
scoreless against Bellarmine.

“I knew King was going to 

get his goals,” Paul said. “Last 
week was kind of an anomaly. I 
thought he played a smart game 
too and didn’t take any bad 
shots or make any mistakes.”

King’s 
fellow 
starting 

attackers, 
seniors 
David 

McCormack and Will Meter, 
also found the back of the net. 
Sophomore midfielder Mikie 
Schlosser followed a four-goal 
outing 
against 
Bellarmine 

last week with two more as 
Michigan’s 
offense 
had 
no 

trouble figuring out the Titan’s 
defense.

“We just cut out and got 

open,” 
said 
redshirt 
junior 

midfielder 
David 
Joseph. 

“When (Detroit) pressed out, 
we used it to our advantage. 
That opened up our attack for 
easy goals and finishes.”

The Wolverines jumped out 

to an early 5-1 lead thanks to 
junior faceoff man Brad Lott’s 
perfect seven-for-seven first-
quarter performance.

Lott 
faced 
two 
different 

Detroit players, but regardless 
of the challenger, he was able 
to get the job done. Lott’s 
dominance in the faceoff circle 
led to Michigan’s complete 
control 
of 
possession 
and 

allowed its offense to settle in.

“The first period’s big because 

you want to get into a rhythm,” 
Lott said. “As a unit we were 
getting together and figuring 
out everything we needed to do, 
so no matter who we faced, we 
were getting it done.”

While the Wolverines’ attack 

continued to cruise in the 
second half, Michigan’s defense 
stepped up to shut down any 
hopes of a Titan comeback. The 
Wolverines would continue to 
maintain possession throughout 
the period.

Redshirt 
sophomore 

goalkeeper Gerald Logan earned 
six saves en route to giving up 
only one second-half goal.

“(Logan) was seeing the ball 

better in the second half,” Paul 
said. “Our offense was getting 
long 
possessions. 
(Detroit) 

really didn’t have the ball that 
much. That’s defense, through 
having a great offense.”

Paul believes the Wolverines’ 

performance against the Titans 
was one of the most balanced he 
has ever seen. Michigan outshot 
Detroit 52-28, and Paul credited 
the margin to playing mistake-
free lacrosse.

Not 
only 
was 
Michigan 

pleased with the result on the 
field, but also for what the 
victory means off the field 
too. Ever since the Titans took 
Michigan to overtime last year, 
many players have taken the 
in-state matchup personally.

“So much for us right now is 

about confidence,” Paul said. 
“We’re coming out of these first 
two games pretty confident. 
When we have a team that 
hasn’t really proven anything 
yet, confidence is the step you 
need to start actually proving 
it.”

MEN’S LACROSSE

MICHIGAN
IOWA 

9

22

DETROIT
MICHIGAN 

6
15

Wolverines smacked by Florida

Michigan drops 

first game of 

second season in 
blowout fashion

By KATIE CONKLIN

For the Daily

Preparing for season number 

two for the Michigan women’s 
lacrosse team was no easy task, 
especially when the opening 
game 
was 
against 
national 

powerhouse Florida. Ranked 
fourth in the nation by both 
the IWLCA Coaches and Inside 
Lacrosse 
polls, 
the 

Gators play 
a 
strong, 

quick game that is hard to beat.

Coming into this season, 

Michigan remains a young team 
comprised of 23 sophomores 
and and 12 freshmen. Florida, 
on the other hand, boasted 
many veteran players, including 
redshirt junior Nicole Graziano 
and senior midfielder Nora 
Barry. 
Combined, 
the 
two 

scored a total of five goals in 
Florida’s 21-0 victory over the 
Wolverines 
on 
Saturday 
in 

Gainesville.

The Gators snuck their first 

goal 
past 
Michigan 
goalie 

Allison Silber after just 28 
seconds of play. Fifteen more 
were recorded in Florida’s favor 
to round out the first half.

Three 
Florida 
players 

finished the game with a hat 
trick and nine other players 
contributed to the score as well. 
It was the Gators’ first shutout 
win since 2012.

“Today, I have to say this is 

probably the worst performance 
of our program’s history,” said 
Michigan coach Jennifer Ulehla. 
“I’m proud of the fact that they 
didn’t give up and that we had a 
much better second half, but it’s 
definitely disappointing the way 
we came out.”

The 
Wolverines 
have 
a 

difficult road ahead in the 
inaugural year of Big Ten 
women’s lacrosse. They will 
be 
competing 
against 
the 

likes of No. 1 Maryland, No. 5 
Northwestern, and other top-20 
teams. Ulehla, though, expects 
her team to rise to the challenge.

“This year, we’re going to 

have a big growth spurt, and it 
will be sooner than the one we 
had last year,” Ulehla said.

To do so, the team will focus 

on draw controls and getting 
more looks on the net.

“We’ve got 

to get more 
shots off to 
give 
us 
an 

opportunity 
to 
obviously 

score 
some 

goals,” Ulehla 
said.

Another 

aspect 
of 

improvement 
is Michigan’s 
new defensive style. After going 
down 16-0 in the first half of 
the game, the Wolverines came 
out in a backer-style defense for 
the remainder of the game. In 

this formation, six of the seven 
defenders 
control 
one-sixth 

of the 12-meter arc, while the 
backer follows the ball around 
the eight-meter.

Florida was able to break 

this defensive setup just five 
times, and was unable to run 
individual drives to the net from 
the outside.

“We were excited to try 

(backer 
defense) 
today 
and 
I 

thought 
that 

it went really 
well. As the 
season 
goes 

on, we hope to 
improve it and 
perfect it,” said 
sophomore 
defensive 
backer Brooke 

Pancoast.

Another important feature 

of Team Two is sophomore 
goaltender 
Allison 
Silber. 

Though surrendering 21 goals 

was difficult, there were some 
bright spots. With eight saves 
this Saturday, Silber was able 
to stop Florida attackers from 
scoring for nearly 10 minutes by 
making four straight saves.

“Allison is really positive 

and she’s a great supporter,” 
Pancoast said. “She’s really 
great to have as a leader.”

As a big part of the rise of 

the Florida program from 2008 
to 2010, Ulehla knows what it 
takes to become a nationally 
competitive team. Leadership, 
she says, is a crucial part of 
“building 
a 
championship 

foundation” for the future.

“We have a group approach 

to leadership,” Ulehla said. 
“I think (the players) have to 
recognize it themselves and 
really take ownership of the 
differences they can make.

“We’re working hard to get 

better every day and today was 
obviously not, by far, our best 
day. But we have no doubt in the 
future this program.”

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Sophomore defensive backer Brooke Pancoast and her teammates surrendered 21 goals to Florida this weekend.

MICHIGAN 
FLORIDA 

0
21

“I’m proud of 
the fact that 

they didn’t give 

up.”

