Ryan’s adjustment 
powers Wolverines 
to four second-half 

goals at home

By BETELHEM ASHAME 

Daily Sports Writer

At first, it seemed to be 

inconsequential.

It was about the 55th minute 

in a scoreless affair when UC 
Riverside committed a foul in 
its attacking third, giving a free 
kick to the Michigan women’s 
soccer team. So far from the 
goal, nothing usually comes 
from these types of plays. Teams 
typically send the ball forward 
and hope someone finds a way to 

maintain possession.

The Wolverines did just that, 

kicking the ball up the field 
toward a sea of jerseys. But 
something else happened prior 
to that free kick, something that 
might have been easily missed 
upon first glance.

“Everybody up, in our half!”
The 
voice 
belonged 
to 

Michigan coach Greg Ryan. 
Standing at the edge of his 
technical area, Ryan began 
yelling 
at 
his 
players 
to 

remind them of their halftime 
discussion.

The Wolverines followed his 

direction almost immediately, 
positioning themselves further 
up the field and embracing an 
uptempo style of play. The shift 
worked wonders for Michigan, 
which scored four goals in 

the second half to earn a 4-0 
victory.

The first half hadn’t gone 

the Wolverines’ way, as they 
struggled to hold onto the 
ball at the back and create 
meaningful scoring chances at 
the front. After the game, Ryan 
admitted the Highlanders came 
out with a system Michigan 
hadn’t expected to see, and 
consequently 
struggled 
to 

handle.

“They played a 4-4-2, and so 

they outnumbered us in midfield 
in the first half because we only 
had three in there, and they had 
four,” Ryan said. “So by playing 
five at the back (in the second 
half), we were able to deal with 
their two forwards.

“We had three against the 

two, two against two (on the 
outside), two against two in 
the middle and three against 
four (at the top), so it’s a lot 
of pressure for them to deal 
with.”

Ten minutes into the second 

half, 
the 
Wolverines 
still 

hadn’t fully implemented their 
revised game plan, so when the 
stoppage of play gave Ryan an 
opportunity to make in-game 
adjustments, the normally soft-
spoken coach made sure his 
voice was heard. 

“When we heard (Ryan) start 

yelling at us, we’re just like, 
‘Next five, next five,’ and took 
it five minutes at a time and 
went hard,” said sophomore 
midfielder Abby Kastroll.

Pushing 

numbers 
forward 
into 

the 
attack 

and 
pressing 

higher 
up 

the 
pitch, 

Michigan 
dramatically 
shifted 
the 

run of play in 
its favor. Like 
a light switch, Ryan’s call for 
renewed emphasis on offense 
electrified the Wolverines, who 

responded with a level of energy 
and intensity that UC Riverside 

couldn’t 
restrain.

Just 
three 

minutes later, 
Michigan 
found the back 
of 
the 
net. 

Sprinting into 
space out wide 
on the right 
side 
of 
the 

field, Kastroll 

beat her defender to the ball 
and sent a low cross across the 
mouth of the goal that sat well 

for sophomore forward Reilly 
Martin, who made a smart 
run toward the far post. After 
sliding the ball through the 
legs of Highlander goalkeeper 
Alanna Guzman, Martin gave 
the Wolverines their game-
winner.

And after tasting a goal, 

Michigan wanted more. The 
Wolverines kept their feet on 
the gas and kept the pressure 
on UC Riverside, which didn’t 
have an answer for Michigan’s 
revitalized offense.

The Wolverines added three 

more goals to their tally in the 

final 10 minutes to put the game 
completely out of reach.

Reflecting on his message to 

the team in that pivotal moment 
in the 55th minute, Ryan put it 
candidly.

“‘Look, we’re changing the 

way we’re playing,’” he said 
of that moment. “That was 
probably a good moment for 
us, recognizing, ‘Let’s just get 
forward. Let’s get after these 
guys.’”

Five words out of Ryan’s 

mouth was all it took for 
Michigan to completely change 
the outcome of the game.

8 — Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

System change lifts Michigan to win

ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily

Sophomore midfielder Reilly Martin’s goal opened the floodgates for Michigan after a key halftime adjustment.

“Let’s just get 
forward. Let’s 
get after these 

guys.”

