MOVING IN

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
September 6, 2016 — 5B
SportsTuesday

MEN’S SOCCER
Wolverines, Yale 
finish with draw

Michigan still 

searching for first 
win after one loss, 

three ties

By ROBERT HEFTER 

For the Daily

After dropping its home opener 

to Columbia, the Michigan men’s 
soccer team (0-1-2) returned to 
its 
home 

stadium 
looking 
for its first win of the season. But 
after a whirlwind game filled 
with momentum changes, neither 
the Wolverines nor the Bulldogs 
prevailed 
in 
overtime, 
and 

Michigan ended up with another 
2-2 tie.

The 
Wolverines 
dominated 

the first 35 minutes of the half, 
limiting Yale’s possession. But 
they couldn’t find the back of 
the net, and the half ended in a 
scoreless tie. 

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, had 

trouble even creating offensive 
chances, with pressure coming 
from Michigan’s veteran defense 
whose four starters have amassed 
162 career starts.

“We’re a team that once we get 

a couple chances, we start to build 
our confidence after that,” said 
senior forward Yamann Sahlool. 
“The more chances we got, the 
more we got to try more things 
and be more dangerous.”

During the first half, Michigan 

fired off five shots, two on goal, 
while Yale managed only four 
shots, but three were on goal. 

With leading shot taker and 

freshman forward Jack Hallahan 
absent from Michigan’s starting 
lineup, the Wolverines had no 
leading goal scorer, translating 
into the lack of shots.

But the second half would be 

defined by the holes in Michigan’s 

defense and the Bulldogs’ ability 
to take advantage of their limited 
chances.

“We carried the whole game,” 

said 
Michigan 
coach 
Chaka 

Daley. “They didn’t really have 
anything to offer. Some set-piece 
issues were only the difference.”

The 
second 
half 
looked 

completely dissimilar to the first 
as it began with the Bulldogs 
converting a chance off of a 
Michigan foul. With a slow lobbed 
cross from the 30-yard mark, Yale 
defender Ollie Iselin poked the 
ball into the net out of a scrum.

Michigan 
reversed 
the 

momentum with back-to-back 
unanswered goals. The first was 
from last year’s Big Ten Freshman 
of the Year, Francis Atuahene, 
who buried the ball right under 
the goalkeeper’s arm. 

Just two minutes later, the 

second Wolverine goal came 
from Sahlool, who dangled three 
defenders and pushed the ball to 
the bottom left corner to give the 
Wolverines a 2-1 lead.

With 12 minutes left in the 

game, the momentum shifted 
again as Yale equalized with 
a similar goal to its first. On a 
lobbed ball off of a set piece, a 
Bulldog attacker poked the ball 
past diving junior goalkeeper 
Evan Louro to tie the game, 2-2.

The Wolverines dominated 

the 
first 
half 
of 
overtime, 

controlling almost all of the 
possession, but they were again 
unable to score due to some 
critical offside calls. The second 
overtime period looked much 
like the first, with neither team 
generating many chances.

“Honestly, 
it’s 
confidence 

at this point,” said sophomore 
midfielder 
Marcello 
Borges. 

“Once we get one or two wins, 
we’ll get things going again.” 

Michigan goes on the road 

to Wisconsin on Friday for its 
conference opener and will push 
for more scoring opportunities.

Newsome thrives at tackle

Competition has 
made sophomore 
better as he takes 
over starting role

By KELLY HALL 

Daily Sports Editor

When sophomore left tackle 

Grant Newsome was 10 years 
old, he wasn’t allowed to play 
Pee Wee football. He was too big. 

 His other option was to play 

with 15-year-olds, and his dad 
wasn’t about to let that happen. 
So Newsome’s football career 
officially started his freshman 
year of high school, when he 
was finally allowed to play with 
his classmates. After all of that 
waiting, he was awarded the 
unglamorous position as backup 
left tackle on the junior varsity 
team. At the time, he thought 
he would stick with baseball, 
another sport he excelled at and 
played year-round.

 Soon after, however, he 

realized 
his 
full 
football 

potential when he received an 
offer from Rutgers during his 
sophomore year. Until then, 
he hadn’t spoken with a single 
college coach. He started taking 
the sport more seriously after 
getting the offer.

 Now, at 6-foot-7 and 318 

pounds, it appears he made the 
right choice. 

In Saturday’s 63-3 win over 

Hawaii, Newsome started after a 
steady competition at left tackle 
throughout fall camp. According 
to offensive coordinator Tim 
Drevno, 
Ben 
Bredeson 
has 

been pressuring Newsome at 
the position ever since the true 
freshman stepped onto campus. 

 Newsome was the presumed 

starter going into the 2016 
season because of the in-game 
experiences he gained as a 
freshman, including starting at 
Minnesota on Oct. 31. He played 
in five games last year, but still 
considers himself a raw player. 

 Newsome knew that he 

would have to battle for the spot 
this season. 

“I didn’t really look at it that 

it was my job to lose. But I think, 
obviously, playing first string, 
I had some experience, but 
because I played as a freshman 
last year, I knew that Coach 
Drevno and Coach Harbaugh 
were going to roll the balls out 
and see who the best was,” 
Newsome said. “I didn’t have 
the attitude that I had the spot 
locked down, and I was really 
just 
excited 

to come out 
and 
compete 

for 
the 

opportunity 
and 
I 
think 

that 
I 

definitely 
got 
pushed 

and that I’ll 
continue to be 
pushed.”

 
Though 

Newsome played at left tackle, 
Bredeson did get to see the field 
while sharing left guard duties 
with senior Patrick Kugler as 
senior Ben Braden sat out due 

to injury. Though Braden should 
be 
returning 
for 
Saturday’s 

game against Central Florida, 
Harbaugh said Monday that 
Bredeson showed “very good 
signs for a future at left guard,” 
while also stating that Newsome 
“continues to be one of our top 
linemen.” 

 “I thought it was definitely 

a good start,” Newsome said of 
Saturday’s 
game. 
“Obviously 

there’s a lot left to improve. I 
think I’ll see that when I go over 
the film with coach Drevno. 

Definitely 
a 

lot 
of 
areas 

to 
improve 

on, but it was 
good 
to 
get 

out there and 
get our first 
start under my 
belt.”

 
After 

experiencing 
game 
action 

last 
season, 

it would be easy to approach 
this season with a more relaxed 
attitude. As a sophomore, he’s in 
a unique position. He’s a young 
player, but still experienced 

enough to draw on situations in 
which he has started. 

 Newsome thinks that’s the 

way it should be, and if the 
coaching staff wants to give 
playing time to freshmen, so 
be it. 

“For me, it was really helpful 

last year to get some experience 
in the game,” Newsome said. 
“It’s great to play for a coach 
who you know if you’re the best 
at your position, you’re going to 
play. I think that’s how it should 
be. It should be a meritocracy.” 

 With the pressure Newsome 

has received from Bredeson, it’s 
safe to say that he knows his 
job is never safe. Newsome had 
to climb his way up from the 
backup on junior varsity in high 
school, and after playing as the 
sixth man on the offensive line 
last season, he’s no stranger to 
competition. 

“(Bredeson) really pushed me 

throughout camp and he’s still 
going to push me, and I think it’s 
great for me because I can go out 
and practice every day and know 
that I have to earn a starting 
spot,” Newsome said. “It forces 
me to get better.”

GRANT HARDY/Daily

Sophomore left tackle Grant Newsome emerged from fall camp having won the starting job over Ben Bredeson.

“I think that’s 
how it should 
be. It should be 
a meritocracy.”

YALE
MICHIGAN 

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