The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
September 19, 2016 — 3B

‘M’ pounds MSU, CMU

By ORION SANG 

Daily Sports Writer

It took just over one minute for 

the No. 8 Michigan field hockey 
team to get on the board against 
Central Michigan on Sunday.

With 
the 
Wolverines 
on 

the 
attack, 
senior 
forward 

Sina Lampe fired a pass into 
the crease, finding the stick 
of senior forward Courtney 
Enge, who deflected it past the 
Chippewa goalkeeper.

Enge’s 
goal 
opened 
the 

floodgates for the Wolverines 
(1-0 Big Ten, 6-1 overall), 
who displayed their offensive 
prowess during a 10-0 rout 
of Central Michigan (1-6) — 
Michigan’s second win of the 
weekend after a 4-1 triumph 
over 
Michigan 
State 
(0-1, 

4-3) in the conference opener 
Friday night.

The 
Chippewas 
hardly 

challenged 
the 
Wolverines, 

who tallied 34 shots and 12 
corners. Michigan controlled 
possession 
and 
generated 

scoring opportunities at will 
— though it initially struggled 
with finishing its chances.

Despite spending most of the 

first half threatening to score, 
Michigan tacked on only one 
other goal when redshirt junior 
midfielder Allie Sardo scored 
off a corner.

“After 
coming 
in 
from 

halftime, we had to figure out 
what our mojo was and what 
our passing game was,” Enge 
said. “Getting it down the line 
and into the circle are really 
good things for us, and it was 
just going to take time to finish.”

Finishing wasn’t as much of a 

problem in the second half — the 
Wolverines scored eight times 
to turn the game into a blowout, 
with four coming in the first 10 
minutes of the half.

“In the first half we were 

frantic a little bit when we were 
in the circle,” Enge said. “In the 
second half, we were able to get 

the ball on the stick and figure 
out what we were going to do 
with it next.”

Added 
Michigan 
coach 

Marcia Pankratz: “It takes a 
little bit longer for the attack to 
be firing on all cylinders, so we 
just needed to stay patient and 
continue to try to execute and 
that was what we talked about 
at halftime.

“We have the saying, ‘Slow is 

smooth and smooth is fast,’ and 
(I told them), ‘Make sure you 
just finish your chances,’ and 
that worked out in the second 
half a lot better.”

With 
Michigan’s 
offense 

holding the ball for most of 
the game, the backline didn’t 
face much pressure. Central 
Michigan 
was 
unable 
to 

generate any shots or corners 
until the final seconds of the 
second half.

It was a slightly different 

story 
Friday 
against 
the 

Spartans, but the Wolverines 
still emerged with a relatively 
easy 4-1 victory.

Michigan State tallied 10 

shots, scoring a goal in the first 
half and forcing junior goalie 
Sam Swenson to make five 
saves. Yet the Wolverines held 
a lead throughout the contest, 
avenging a 5-3 preseason loss to 
the Spartans.

“Preseason, 
we 
(were) 

still working on some things, 
working 
on 
lineups 
and 

personnel, and I think we 
played with a lot more energy 
and 
organization 
(Friday),” 

Pankratz said. “We contested 
a lot more plays than we did in 
the preseason.

“When 
we 
get 
circle 

penetrations, we have to be able 
to finish. With Sam being in 

our goal cage and being such an 
extraordinary goalie, putting in 
four goals is going to bode well 
for us.”

It bodes well even more so 

for Michigan, considering its 
defense has surrendered a total 
of four goals in seven games, 
with Swenson already posting 
two shutouts. 

Still, even coming off a game 

in which her team scored 10 
goals, Pankratz knows there’s 
still room for improvement 
in the young Wolverines — 
especially as their schedule 
increases in difficulty.

“Ohio State, Penn State and 

the Big Ten ratchets up your 
ability to have to make decisions 
quickly,” Pankratz said. “So (we 
need to make) free hits quicker, 
(make) decisions quicker and 
just (do) everything we did 
today at a higher level.”

MAZIE HYAMS/Daily

Senior Sina Lampe scored one goal and added four assists to catalyze Michigan’s offense against Central Michigan.

Wolverines fall again

By COLE ZINGAS 

Daily Sports Writer

EAST LANSING — Nearing 

the end of Sunday’s Michigan 
men’s 
soccer 
game 
against 

Michigan 
State, 
freshman 
forward 
Jack Hallahan sent a soaring 
cross into the box. The ball was 
knocked back and forth several 
times by Wolverine attackers, 
but 
eventually 
the 
Spartans 

cleared the ball harmlessly away 
— marking yet another time 
Michigan was close, but could 
not get the finishing touch it 
desperately needed.

The lone Spartan goal came 

eight minutes into the game, on 
a deflected header that landed 
right at the feet of Michigan State 
defender Brad Centala, who did 
not miss the golden opportunity 
to smash the ball into the open net.

From 
that 
point 
on, 
the 

Wolverines 
(0-3-0 
Big 
Ten, 

0-4-3 overall) played catch-up. 
They won the time of possession 
battle handily, controlling the 
ball for the majority of the 
game, tactically seeking their 
opportunity for the equalizer. 
But to the displeasure of the 
Michigan faithful who made the 
trek to East Lansing, that moment 
never came, and Michigan State 
(2-0-0, 5-1-0) took the game, 1-0.

The 
Wolverines 
showed 

patience in their style of play, 
which 
was 
countered 
by 
a 

fast-break style offense for the 
Spartans, who got most of their 
chances on quick rushes. However, 
junior goaltender Evan Louro 
handled the rest of the Spartan 
attacks, with the help of a shot off 
the post and a save by sophomore 
defender Marcello Borges. 

It 
was 
up 
to 
Michigan’s 

controlled style of offense to 
strike back. The first half came 
and went with only one quality 
chance for the Wolverines, which 
came on a cross from redshirt 
junior 
midfielder 
Michael 

Kapitula with less than a minute 
remaining. Sophomore midfielder 
Robbie Mertz headed the ball 
on goal, but the Michigan State 
goalkeeper made his best save 
of the game, sliding to keep the 
Wolverines off the board. 

“Down 1-0 early is always 

tough and you never plan for 
that,” said senior midfielder Brett 
Nason. “We had to be more attack-
oriented and try to push numbers 
forward, and we’re going to give 
up a little defensively of course, 
but we have to get that goal back.”

To open the second half, 

the Spartans slowed down as 
Michigan pushed its offense. 
However, 
Michigan 
coach 

Chaka Daley points to at least 
five opportunities where the 
Wolverines could have scored, 
but didn’t break through.

Within the last 10 minutes, 

the Wolverines put forth a last-
ditch effort to tie the game, but 
even moving a defender up and 
subbing in fresh legs didn’t help 
them convert.

“Margins in college soccer 

are so slim,” Daley said. “You 
have situations where the ball is 
bouncing around the box, theirs 
goes in, ours doesn’t — that’s 
college soccer.”

Added Nason: “It’s not like we’re 

doing anything wrong. It’s just that 
luck hasn’t been on our side.”

On the final play of the game, 

with 15 seconds remaining, senior 
defender Lars Eckenrode found 
himself alone in the box as he 
juggled the ball to himself, and 
booted the ball on the net. The 
shot soared just high of the goal, 
and his impassioned scream of 
agony was echoed by the rest of 
his Michigan teammates as they 
watched the Spartans celebrate 
with the Big Bear trophy for the 
first time since 2013.

But the winless Wolverines 

still have faith in their abilities.

“Honestly, I don’t think we 

played poorly, so you can’t put your 
head down,” Nason said. “You 
can’t hide from it — you just have 
to come out next game stronger.”

MEN’S SOCCER

MICHIGAN
MICH. ST. 

0
1

Michigan 2-0 in Big Ten

Michigan goes 
on road for first 

conference weekend, 
tops Iowa, Nebraska 

By ROBERT HEFTER 

Daily Sports Writer

The Michigan women’s soccer 

team made its Big Ten debut this 
weekend at Iowa on Friday and 
Nebraska on Sunday, swiftly 
prevailing over both teams to 
increase its conference record to 
2-0 (2-0 Big Ten, 6-1-1 overall). 
The Wolverines put their stout 
defense on display yet again, 
allowing only one goal in the past 
two games.

At Iowa, Michigan outshot the 

Hawkeyes, 16-5, in the first half, 
but failed to convert any of those 
chances into goals. 

At 
the 
beginning 
of 
the 

second half, though, sophomore 
midfielder Abby Kastroll buried 
the ball through a scrum off of a 
free kick to give the Wolverines 
a 1-0 lead. 

“We utilize free kicks because 

we work on them every day,” 
said sophomore forward Reilly 
Martin. “We try to execute and 
get our heads on each cross.”

Iowa gained momentum in 

the second half, though, letting 
seven shots fly opposed to 
Michigan’s five.

Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah 

Jackson amassed five saves, 
maintaining the clean sheet. The 
Wolverines would go on to win 
the match 1-0.

“We’re taking every game day 

by day,” said junior midfielder 
and 
captain 
Ani 
Sarkisian. 

“This weekend was a hard road 
trip with a quick multi-state 
turnaround.”

Michigan 
continued 
its 

conference play at Nebraska, 
hoping to increase its shutout 
streak to five in a row. 

“Nebraska 
and 
Iowa 
play 

very different games. Nebraska 
is aggressive,” said Michigan 
coach Greg Ryan. “Our focus 
was defending well as a group, 
and we did a great job of limiting 

Nebraska’s chances to score.”

After 28 minutes of play in the 

first half, Martin was fouled in 
the box, giving the Wolverines a 
penalty kick chance to take the 
lead. Martin capitalized on it, 
firing it into the left corner of 
the net.

With a one-goal lead, the 

Wolverines focused on their 
defense, something they set out 
to achieve considering Nebraska’s 
aggressive attack, which averages 
10.1 shots per game. 

Nebraska 
nearly 
converted 

during the beginning of the 
second half as junior goalkeeper 
Megan Hinz tipped a potential 
equalizer over the net. However, 
just four minutes later, Kastroll 

netted an insurance goal off of 
a pass through the center of the 
defense from Sarkisian to put the 
Wolverines up by two.

Just as the prospect of five 

straight shutouts was in sight, 
Nebraska scored a header from 
a corner kick with eight seconds 
remaining in regulation. The 
Wolverines went on to win, 2-1.

The 
Cornhuskers 
outshot 

the Wolverines, 13-6, but the 
Michigan defense dominated the 
game, and the coaches awarded 
the whole unit the Player of the 
Game award.

Michigan looks to continue 

its Big Ten win streak against 
Michigan State at home next 
Saturday.

WOMEN’S SOCCER
‘M’ wins home invite

By ETHAN WOLFE 

Daily Sports Writer

Mark Rosen had never seen 

anything like it in his 18 years as 
Michigan’s coach.

According to the Michigan 

volleyball team’s coach, Friday 
night’s packed and energetic 
crowd at Cliff Keen Arena 
reached a decibel level that set 
the tone for the Wolverines (11-
1) throughout the three matches 
of the Michigan Challenge.

No. 23 Michigan swept the 

tournament, claiming victories 
in all three matchups and 
dropping only one set — the 
first set against Colgate (4-7) on 
Saturday night.

On 
Friday 
night 
against 

Auburn (6-7), the Wolverines 
downed the Tigers handily 
and 
held 
an 
advantage 
in 

almost every facet of the game, 
especially on the offensive side. 
Spearheaded by senior middle 
blocker Abby Cole, who had 13 
kills, Michigan won the kills 
battle, 48-33, in a 3-0 sweep.

Michigan’s front row for 

most of the match, composed of 
Cole and middle blockers Cori 
Crocker and Claire Kieffer-
Wright, 
were 
in 
complete 

harmony and accounted for 
more than half the team’s kills.

Saturday’s 
early 
matchup 

against 
Eastern 
Michigan 

(5-8) was much of the same 
as the previous contest. The 
Wolverines took control from 
the get-go to take their second 
3-0 victory.

Rosen dug deep into the 

depth chart against the Eagles 
to give his typical starters a 
breather before the third game 
later on Saturday. But evidenced 
by the score, Michigan didn’t 
skip a beat.

“It was to get some people some 

experience, to see some people in 
different situations,” Rosen said. 
“If there’s only six or seven players 
who can play at a high level, you’re 
not going at a level that’s going to 
make you better.”

Freshman 
outside 
hitter 

Sydney Wetterstrom and fifth-
year 
senior 
outside 
hitters 

Kelly Murphy and Ally Davis 
combined for 19 kills against 

Eastern Michigan.

Saturday’s 
nightcap 
against 

Colgate began much differently 
than the previous two matchups 
for Michigan. The Raiders took 
control of the first set, winning 
25-22, to jump out to an early lead.

But the set quickly became 

an outlier of an impressive 
weekend for the Wolverines, 
as they managed to control the 
tempo for the rest of the match.

Michigan 
roared 
back, 

trouncing Colgate in the third 
set, 25-9. Cole, once again, was 
the star of the match, tallying an 
impressive 19 kills.

“I thought the difference was 

in the third and fourth set,” 
Rosen said. “Our defensive level 
took a big jump, our blockers 
finally made the adjustments, 
we started to cap on their 
hitters and then it changed the 
game. They hit -.187 in the third 
set, and that’s exactly what we 
were hoping to do.”

The sweep at the Michigan 

Challenge 
capped 
off 
an 

impressive 11-1 start for the 

Wolverines in non-conference 
play. 
In 
all 
three 
games, 

freshmen MacKenzi Welsh and 
Tiffany Clark made promising 
contributions on an already 
young team, but for Rosen, it 
was the seniors who impressed 
him the most.

“(The freshmen) are good, 

but I think I’m most proud of 
the three seniors,” Rosen said. 
“Those older kids have put a lot 
of time and work in, and I think 
they’re doing a great job of the 
volleyball side of it, but also the 
leadership and the intangibles.”

While the Wolverines have 

reason to celebrate after their 
dominant non-conference play, 
they also know that games in 
the Big Ten — which boasts 
eight teams in the top 25 — will 
pose a much greater challenge.

“We feel really good,” Cole 

said. “It’s definitely a confidence 
booster, but at the same time we 
understand it’s not going to be 
much like this (against the Big 
Ten). We have a lot to work on 
this week in practice.”

SINDU KILARU/Daily

Mark Rosen’s team won three matches this weekend to move to 11-1.

