Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Wednesday, October 28, 2015 — 7A

Wolverines fall in 
ITA quarterfinals

Michigan finishes 
on Sunday with no 
semifinal berths

By RILEY NELSON

For the Daily

The Michigan men’s tennis 

team made its way to South 
Bend, Ind., on Thursday to 
compete in the ITA Midwest 
Regional Championships. And 
while 
the 

Wolverines 
ended 
their 

run on Sunday, 
failing to make 
it 
past 
the 

quarterfinals, 
Michigan 
coach 
Adam 

Steinberg saw 
his team play some of its best 
tennis since he took over the 
program in June 2014.

It was the first full team event 

of the fall, with six Michigan 
players in the singles main draw.

“There 
were 
some 
good 

moments,” Steinberg said, “and 
then some moments in singles 
that I feel we really have to 
work on. I was really happy with 
the freshmen — I thought they 
competed great.”

Sophomore Carter Lin fell to 

No. 2 seed Chris Diaz of Ohio 
State in the quarterfinals of the 
singles main draw after playing 
very competitive matches in 
the earlier rounds. He was the 
highlight of the Wolverines’ 
singles competition, but it was 
the doubles efforts that really 
stood out in Steinberg’s mind.

“The best moment I’ve had in 

coaching here at Michigan was 
the other night … when (the) 
doubles teams were playing 

on the courts at Notre Dame,” 
Steinberg said. “It was awesome. 
They were pushing each other, 
playing with amazing energy. 
That’s what we do in practice 
every day, and we took it to the 
tournament, so I was really 
pleased 
with 
the 
doubles 

overall.”

The two teams — redshirt 

sophomore Alex Knight with 
sophomore 
Runhao 
Hua 

and junior Kevin Wong with 
freshman Gabe Tishman — each 

made it to the 
quarterfinals 
before falling 
to 
the 
No. 

1 
and 
No. 

2 
seeds, 

respectively.

Despite not 

making it to 
the final day 

of competition, Steinberg was 
happy with his doubles teams’ 
level of competition.

“I thought it was the best I’ve 

ever seen us play doubles since 
I’ve been here,” Steinberg said. 
“We competed really well. Even 
the matches we lost, we played 
great — it didn’t feel like we even 
lost them because of how well 
we played, competed, and our 
attitude.”

In the fall tennis season there 

are no team results, because all 
athletes compete as individuals 
or in pairs. It’s an opportune 
time for players to fine-tune 
their skills and perfect their 
game.

“Our 
doubles 
has 
really 

improved, but as singles players 
I think everyone needs to really 
commit to their game styles, so 
by the end of the fall that’s set 
in stone,” Steinberg said. “It’s 
not there yet, but it’s definitely 
getting better. Way better.”

MEN’S TENNIS

“It’s not there yet, 
but it’s definitely 
getting better.”

Michigan battles to draw 
with Western Michigan

By BETELHEM ASHAME

Daily Sports Writer

Tempers 
flared 
throughout 

the Michigan men’s soccer team’s 
hotly contested affair against 
Western Michigan on Tuesday, 
adding 
even 
more 

tension 
to 

an already-
tough encounter between two 
evenly matched teams.

Through physical possession 

battles in the midfield and hard 
tackles to break up the other 
team’s attack, the two sides fought 
to a scoreless draw in double 
overtime.

While the Wolverines (2-2-2 

Big Ten, 7-4-4 overall) — second 
in the Big Ten in goals per game 
— initially struggled to find their 
feet offensively, their defense 
stepped up to neutralize the 
Broncos’ effort to start fast and 
draw blood in the early stages. 

“How organized we were (at 

the back) took them out of the 
game,” said Michigan junior 
defender Rylee Woods. “Our 
confidence rose after we broke the 
first 20 minutes, and we did well 
the rest of the game.”

The Broncos (1-1-1 MAC, 8-3-4 

overall) kept the ball in their 
attacking third for much of the 
first half, dominating the run of 
play and creating the majority 
of the chances. An endless foray 
of crosses into the box and shots 
on goal forced a response from 
Michigan’s defensive unit, which 
put together a strong defensive 
stand to keep the offense at bay.

Aware that Western Michigan 

would prove to be a handful, 
Michigan coach Chaka Daley 
stuck to his game plan, believing 
his players would be able to handle 
the onslaught. The Wolverines’ 
defense had allowed only one goal 
over the previous three matches 
and continued its run of recent 
success by producing another 
shutout against the Broncos.

“We knew they had some good 

pieces to the puzzle,” Daley said. 
“They have a lot of busy, active 
attacking players, and we thought 

those guys were definitely factors 
in the game. They were kind of 
neutralized tonight and didn’t 
really show their faces too much, 
which is good for us. Our guys on 
defense gave everything and did 
outstanding.”

The dynamic of the game 

changed 
dramatically 
in 
the 

60th minute. After two previous 
breakaway 
runs 
down 
the 

pitch came up empty, Michigan 
freshman 
forward 
Francis 

Atuahene 
sprinted 
toward 
a 

long ball played forward by the 
defense.

Western Michigan’s goalkeeper 

charged toward the top of the box 
in the hope of catching the ball 
before Atuahene could reach it. 
The goalie jumped in the air and 
clutched the ball in his grasp, but 
Atuahene crashed into him with 
questionable intent, sending them 
both to the turf.

With the goalie writhing on 

the ground, the referee had no 

choice but to issue Atuahene a red 
card, disqualifying him from the 
match.

With just 10 men, Michigan 

played stifling defense despite 
several dangerous near-misses 
by the Broncos, managing to 
hold out for the rest of the half 
and all of overtime to earn a 
hard-fought tie.

“From the standpoint of going 

down to 10 players in a tough 
game against a Western Michigan 
side that is a very senior-laden 
team whereas a lot of our guys 
are freshmen and sophomores, 
it’s really outstanding to see the 
commitment and physicality of 
our guys to grind it out,” Daley 
said.

Considering 
the 

circumstances, 
Michigan’s 

resiliency and determination to 
still come away with a point will 
prove to be a real asset for the 
team with the biggest games of 
the season coming up next.

Murphy makes return

Rather than take 
medical redshirt, 
senior returns for 

final games

By KATIE CONKLIN

Daily Sports Writer

It was Sept. 6, the second 

game of the Michigan men’s 
soccer season against Niagara, 
and 
the 
crowd 
was 
tense. 

Entering overtime, the score 
was tied at one.

Stepping toward a rebounded 

ball in the 99th minute, senior 
midfielder 
James 
Murphy 

buried the ball in the back of 
the net. The Wolverine faithful 
erupted in celebration, only to 
be silenced by the blow of the 
referee’s offside whistle. The 
game went to double overtime.

Just two minutes into the 

second period, a foul on top of 
the 18-yard box led to a perfectly 
placed set-piece opportunity. 

Murphy, as he did a few minutes 
prior, 
found 
twine 
with 
a 

powerful header to capture a 
sudden victory.

The following game against 

Maryland, Murphy went down 
with a torn medial collateral 
ligament. He has not seen the 
field since.

Making 
his 
return 
seven 

weeks 
later 

against 
in-state 
rival 

Western 
Michigan 
on 
Tuesday 

evening, 
Murphy 
entered 
the 

game 
with 

four 
minutes 

remaining 
in 

the first half, 
and played a large chunk of the 
second half and overtime period 
in the Wolverines’ scoreless 
double-overtime tie.

“It’s 
been 
really 
tough, 

obviously, my senior year, and 
to sit out most of the season,” 

Murphy said. “It’s great to get 
back in it and just do whatever I 
can do to help this team out and 
help to finish the season strong.”

Though he had the chance 

to take a medical redshirt this 
season, 
Murphy 
declined, 

instead 
opting 
to 
join 
his 

teammates for the final and most 
crucial part of the campaign.

Murphy 

has made an 
impact 
on 

the Michigan 
squad 
ever 

since 
he 

crossed 
the 

pond 
from 

England 
and 

stepped 
on 

the field his 
freshman 
year, earning 

a spot on the 2012 Big Ten All-
Freshman team.

“Whatever he’s got to give this 

team, he wants to offer it,” said 
Michigan coach Chaka Daley. 
“He’s a selfless young man.”

Three years later, Murphy has 

a captain band wrapped around 
his arm, and he plays as selflessly 
on the pitch as he behaves off of 
it.

After playing for just three 

short stints in his comeback 
game, Murphy’s goal is to play 
and enjoy every minute he gets 
on and off of the field with his 
teammates.

“This team means a lot to me, 

and I want to give everything 
I’ve got to help these boys out,” 
Murphy said. “And hopefully 
we’ll win something this year.”

And with two important Big 

Ten games in their future, the 
Wolverines still have a shot to 
do just that. To the excitement 
of both Daley and Murphy, he 
will be back and ready to make 
an impact — as he has in the past 
with 37 career goals.

“He gives everything for the 

team and he’s all about the team 
first,” Daley said.

And Murphy hopes to give 

what he has, whether there are 
two games left in the season 
or 10. Every game after Nov. 4 
could be his last.

“We’ve missed him,” Daley 

said. “Big time.”

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

Junior defender Rylee Woods helped lead a Michigan back line that withstood Western Michigan’s attack, even while playing with 10 men for almost half the game.

W. MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN 

0
0

The anatomy of a goalie fight

By JUSTIN MEYER

Daily Sports Writer

The No. 10 Michigan hockey 

team brought in a permanent 
goalie coach for the 2015-16 
season 
after 
struggling 
with 

consistency at the position for 
the past few years. Steve Shields, 
an 
ex-Wolverine 
netminder 

and a 10-year NHL veteran, is 
also notorious for being a bit 
of a brawler. One of Shields’ 
altercations 
from 
the 
1990s 

will stand out to old-time fans 
everywhere. The Michigan Daily 
talked with Shields to break down 
the fight.

The following transcript has 

been edited for continuity.

* * *

It was May 3, 1997 in Buffalo, 

New York. Shields was hot as the 
Sabres’ backup goalie, filling in 
competently for the injured Dominik 
Hasek in the NHL playoffs. Buffalo 
won a first-round series against the 
Ottawa Senators before running 
into the Philadelphia Flyers and 
goaltender Garth Snow.

The Michigan Daily: Buffalo 

has pretty colorful jerseys back 
then.

Steve Shields: Oh yeah.
TMD: What was it like for you 

playing in the playoffs?

SS: 
It 
was 
really 
nerve-

wracking at the — a lot of pressure. 
Because we have the best goalie in 
the world — Hasek. He gets hurt, 
and I’m not going to be as good. 
So can we win without having 
our best goalie in there? I played 
well enough for us to win. It was 
a great experience playing playoff 
hockey as a goalie.

With 2:55 to go in the second 

period, a scrum breaks out in front 
of the Flyers’ net.

SS: I’m in the other end — it’s a 

five-on-five brawl.

Garth Snow has been egging 

our team on all year, picking on 
Hasek. Now he’s involved, so he 

would outnumber our guys. I start 
skating down because now he’s in 
it and I gotta go even it up.

We’re jonesing to go at each 

other because we’ve been at it all 
year, and this is the playoffs.

TMD: What’s your attitude 

when 
you’re 
skating 
toward 

center ice?

SS: Like, I hope I don’t fall. Now 

it’s loud and our crowd’s cheering 
and it’s the playoffs. I can’t fall, 
and I can’t go down when I get 
punched.

Shields meets Snow in the corner 

and the two start jawing at each 
other before a teammate breaks up 
the escalating situation.

SS: Bob Boughner is right here 

— he reminds me that we have no 
other goalies. We have a third-
string goalie but nobody else. So 
I’m like, ‘OK, I’ll back off.’

But I know he wants to get a 

piece of me.

Shields skates off to the side, but 

stays just close enough to continue 
the action. Before long, the two 
are back at each other, toppling a 
linesman in the process.

SS: I’m standing at the blue line 

giving him the head nod, and now 
he sees me right here. He comes 
up to me and pulls my mask off 
real easy.

TMD: Now it’s on.
SS: Your eyes just kind of roll 

back into your 
head and it’s 
on.

TMD: That 

poor linesman.

SS: So if I get 

(Snow’s) mask 
off right here, I 
might have the 
best knockout 
in history. And 
I break the top 
of my knuckle 
on his mask.

TMD: And you played after 

that with a broken knuckle?

SS: Yeah, oh yeah. There’s my 

roommate right there, Wayne 
Primeau, yelling at him.

TMD: What’s he yelling?
SS: Every bad thing you can 

imagine. It lasted about a minute, 
the whole scene, and I was just 
gassed.

TMD: 
Did 

you get a five-
minute (major 
penalty) 
for 

that?

SS: I thought 

I 
was 
done, 

that’s 
why 
I 

kind of sold out 
in the fight. But 
now I have to 
go back.

That was a 

whole season in the making. Dom 
(Hasek) was in a scrap earlier on. 
And I’m friends with (Snow), but 
when it happens you gotta go.

I’m not going to say I wasn’t 

excited about it.

TMD: When the refs separate 

you at the end, what’s going 
through your head? Is it like, 
‘Thank God this is over?’

SS: No — I was so tired. I 

felt my hand was hurting, and I 
immediately was thinking, ‘God, if 
his helmet had popped off earlier, 
it would have been an all-time 
great knockout.’ And I was happy I 
didn’t get punched really good.

TMD: Who won that fight?
SS: Come on, I don’t need to 

answer that one. There’s a couple I 
haven’t won, but everyone knows 
about that one.

Shields’ Sabres lost the series in 

five games. Even though Shields 
didn’t get his knockout, the Game 1 
goalie fight went down in history as 
an all-time great playoff moment.

Michigan is 3-0-1 this season and 

plays its second home series against 
Robert Morris this weekend.

JAMES COLLER/Daily

Steve Shields recalled Tuesday a legendary hockey fight he had in 1997.

“There’s a couple 
I haven’t won, but 
everyone knows 
about that one.”

“Whatever he’s 
got to give this 
team, he wants 

to offer it.”

