8 — Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Abby Wambach visits 
Rackham Auditorium

Many know Abby Wambach 

for her success with the United 
States 
Women’s 
National 

Soccer Team. Almost 11 months 
after the star announced her 
retirement, a new, post-soccer 
Wambach 
visited 
Rackham 

Auditorium on Saturday night to 
discuss her life after retirement 
and her new memoir “Forward.” 

She 
discussed 
her 
book 

with Doug Tribou, the host for 
Morning Edition on Michigan 
Radio, and mentioned how the 
story not only highlights her 
successful career, but also casts 
a light on the darker times in 
her life.

At the event, sponsored by 

Literati Bookstore, Wambach 
discussed times during her 
childhood and growing up with 
six 
siblings. 

She 
said 
she 

searched 
for 

attention 
at 

home 
and 

didn’t 
receive 

it, so in order 
to satisfy her 
craving for the 
limelight, 
she 

became one of 
the 
greatest 

soccer 
players 

of all time.

Wambach didn’t always love 

being in the spotlight, though. 
She describes herself in two 
ways: as “intense Abby” and 
“chill Abby.” One part of her 
would love to compete, while 
the other didn’t necessarily 
have a passion for the game.

Unlike 
many 
athletes, 

Wambach didn’t know right 
away that playing soccer is 
what she wanted to do with 
her life. Growing up, she was 
never able to watch soccer on 
television and didn’t think her 

career was possible.

It wasn’t until she saw the 

U.S. win the World Cup in 1999 
that she knew being on the 
national team was something 
she had to do.

After playing in the 2008 

Olympics, Wambach became a 
household name, and with fame 
came more stress into her life.

In her memoir, Wambach 

doesn’t shy away from her 
struggles 
with 
alcohol 
and 

substance abuse. In fact, it is the 
highlight of her book.

She knew that she wouldn’t 

be able to tell her full story the 
way she wanted to if she wasn’t 
honest.

For Wambach, there was 

not a moment that sparked 
her realization that she had 
a problem. At first, it was her 
crumbling 
marriage 
due 
to 

her intense training and travel 

schedule. 
Then, 
it 
was 

her decreasing 
minutes on the 
soccer 
field. 

And 
finally, 

it 
was 
her 

impending 
retirement and 
the fear of what 
came next.

Her arrest for 

a DUI in April 

was her rock bottom.

Wambach 
described 
her 

feelings of shame and said she 
felt like a fraud.

It may have appeared on 

the soccer field that she had 
everything figured out, but 
that wasn’t the reality. She 
said writing “Forward” was 
therapeutic and has given her a 
chance to look ahead.

Even 
after 
all 
the 

championships and the records 
she 
has 
broken, 
she 
said, 

“Forward” may be the one thing 
she’s the most proud of.

PAIGE VOEFFRAY

Daily Sports Writer

Retired soccer star discusses new book, 
life after retirement, substance abuse

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Abby Wambach scored more goals in her career (184) than any player in soccer 
history. She recently released her new memoir, “Forward.”

Skjodt shows leadership, improvement

After a difficult first set in 

which the No. 23 Michigan 
volleyball team unexpectedly lost 
to Colgate, the Wolverines needed 
a big play to separate themselves 
from the Raiders. With the set 
tied at 18, sophomore libero Jenna 
Lerg served the ball. Players 
watched as it shot off her hand, 
and they began to hit back and 
forth until Colgate outside hitter 
Katie Stebbins jumped to spike 
the ball to the Wolverines’ side.

Senior middle blocker Abby 

Cole and sophomore outside 
hitter Carly Skjodt knew their 
task. The two players anchor 
Michigan’s offense, leading the 
team with enthusiasm from their 
positions in the front row.

Saturday 
night, 
the 
duo 

combined for a powerful block, 
giving the Wolverines a lead 

they would not relinquish en 
route to a set and eventual 3-1 
match victory over Colgate at 
Cliff Keen Arena.

Skjodt finished with seven 

kills, five digs and two block 
assists, despite leaving the final 
set due to a leg injury. In Friday 
night’s game against Auburn, she 
notched eight kills and nine digs. 
As a sophomore on a team with 
seven new freshmen, Skjodt has 
found herself in a leadership role.

“We had a huge freshman 

class, but as sophomores we still 
know the ‘Michigan way,’ ” Skjodt 
said. “(We tell the freshmen) 
what we’re supposed to do and 
help them through.”

With the help of her strength 

and conditioning coach Mike 
Favre, Skjodt spent the winter 
and spring terms in the weight 
room improving her physicality 
and strength. And it looks like 
her work is beginning to pay off. 

Skjodt averages 2.79 kills per 
game — 0.91 more than last year 
— and improved her attacking 
accuracy by .63.

Her coach and teammates have 

noticed her efforts. Michigan 
coach Mark Rosen emphasized 
her tremendous physicality and 
versatility on the floor, while 
Cole detailed Skjodt’s passion for 
competition. After their dynamic 
block, the duo high-fived and 
embraced their teammates.

“She’s touching higher. (She is) 

more physical with everything 
she does, and she’s hitting the 
ball harder so it’s allowing her 
to compete in those situations,” 
Rosen said. “One of the things 
we look for in her on the court is 
her full game. She’s a six-rotation, 
five-skill-set type player who can 
do everything.”

Added Cole: “(What stands 

out is) her ability to compete . . . 
she’s coming in and competing 

her hardest every single match. 
She’s just doing a very good job of 
competing and I think that’s an 
edge that we haven’t always had 
on our team.”

Though 
Skjodt 
is 
just 
a 

sophomore, she has asserted her 
status as a veteran teammate 
throughout 
Michigan’s 
non-

conference schedule. Even from 
the sideline, she could be seen 
yelling words of encouragement 
and giving high-fives as players 
returned to the bench.

Heading into Big Ten play — a 

conference that both Cole and 
Rosen termed the most difficult 
in the country — the Wolverines 
will look to Skjodt to help mentor 
the younger players through 
vocal leadership during games.

And if she continues this 

guidance 
and 
continues 
her 

physical presence at the net, it 
bodes well for Michigan’s future 
this season.

AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer

HALEY MCLAUGHLIN/Daily

Sophomore outside hitter Carly Skjodt now ranks second on the Wolverines behind Abby Cole with 106 kills this season.

Diverse attack leads 
Michigan in easy win

When sophomore forward 

Marleise Emrhein scored her 
second goal Sunday for the 
Michigan field hockey team, 
it didn’t change much in terms 
of the game. The Wolverines 
were 
already 
up 
9-0 
on 

Central Michigan with less 
than 10 minutes remaining, 
and the outcome had long 
been decided.

But the goal came from an 

unusual scorer, one of many 
contributions 
from 
bench 

players Sunday.

Six different players scored 

for Michigan (1-0 Big Ten, 6-1 
overall), and all 
22 on the roster 
saw 
playing 

time 
against 

the Chippewas. 
And with tough 
matchups 
approaching 
this 
weekend 

against 
Ohio 

State and No. 4 
Penn State, that 
kind of spread 
out attack is 
exactly what the Wolverines 
were looking for.

“We need everybody’s fresh 

legs,” said Michigan head 
coach Marcia Pankratz. “So 
getting experience and having 
people play in positions that 
we’re going to need this 
weekend was good practice 
for them.”

The bench players did more 

than just relieve tired legs, 
though. In the midst of one of 
the toughest stretches of their 
schedule, the Wolverines were 
given a confidence boost that 
could prove valuable in the 
long run.

“It’s actually really fun when 

the goals keep coming back 

and back,” said senior forward 
Courtney Enge. “We get more 
hype, and we know what the job 
is — we know that we need to 
stay cool and composed. But once 
we get more goals, it’s like we feel 
more comfortable and we have 
more confidence on the field.”

Added 
junior 
midfielder 

Katie Trombetta: “Being able 
to see everyone get thrown 
into these positions and keep 
the level of intensity and the 
style of play that we started 
with — no matter who’s in, the 
level is still the same.”

The 10 goals on Sunday were 

the most scored in a game 
by Michigan since 2013, and 
it came thanks to a diverse 

scoring output. 
Along 
with 

Emrhein’s 
offensive 
outburst, 
freshman 
midfielder Meg 
Dowthwaite 
earned her first 
career 
goal, 

while freshman 
goalkeeper 
Claire Stemper 
was 
called 

upon to preserve the shutout at 
the end of the game. 

But even with the positive 

results the Wolverines enjoyed 
this weekend, the team knows 
the road gets harder from here.

“Obviously, winning 10-0, 

it’s a fun game,” Pankratz said. 
“But we still have to focus on 
the things that will make us 
better for the next match. So 
that was kind of the focus.”

Still, the experience gained 

by Michigan’s depth player’s 
left the team with a good 
feeling in the end. And if 
nothing else, that confidence 
has the Wolverines feeling 
poised to take on the next 
portion of their schedule.

MIKE PERSAK
Daily Sports Writer

‘M’ can’t capitalize on 
shot advantage at MSU

EAST LANSING —If soccer 

games were decided by shots 
instead of goals, the Michigan 
men’s soccer team would be 6-1 
this season.

But 
they 
are 
not, 
and 

instead, the Wolverines are 
still searching for their first 
win. Sunday, Michigan (0-3-
0 Big Ten, 0-4-3 overall) once 
again outshot its opponent, by 
a margin of 16-10, but still fell to 
Michigan State (2-0 Big Ten, 5-1 
overall), 1-0. A goal in the eighth 
minute by Spartan defender 
Brad Centala proved decisive.

“(Soccer) is a game of inches 

and margins,” said Michigan 
coach Chaka Daley. “We had 
four or five chances down there 
and the goal is cursed. That’s 
college soccer.”

In the first half, Wolverine 

freshman 
forward 
Jack 

Hallahan created the majority 
of Michigan’s scoring chances.

In the 14th minute, Hallahan 

found senior defender Rylee 
Woods, but Woods’ shot went 
high. Later, Hallahan found 
redshirt 
junior 
midfielder 

Michael Kapitula in the 38th 
minute but was blocked by a 
Spartan 
defender. 
Hallahan 

tallied three shots for the day.

“We’re able to get in and 

around the opponents’ net,” 
said senior midfielder Brett 
Nason. “It shows that we’re 
looking to score. Some games, 
unfortunately, we’ve not scored. 
The only way you can score is by 
shooting. A lot of shots is not a 
bad thing for sure.”

Sophomore midfielder Robbie 

Mertz also threatened to cause 
problems for Michigan State.

With less than one minute 

before halftime, Mertz got 
his head on a cross from 
Kapitula in an attempt to 
walk into intermission tied 
at 
one. 
Unfortunately 
for 

Michigan, Spartan goaltender 
Jimmy Hague was perfectly 
positioned to intercept the 

header and preserve his team’s 
1-0 advantage.

Mertz did not have to wait 

long into the second half for 
his next opportunity. Three 
minutes 
after 
intermission, 

Mertz 
came 
up 
with 
an 

interswinging 
service 
from 

the left that found Kapitula. 
Once again, Hague successfully 
defended it and the Wolverines 
remained scoreless.

Michigan was largely devoid 

of shots after that until the 75th 
minute when Mertz kicked the 
ball from the left side to Hague. 
The Wolverines got a better 
chance three minutes later 
when Mertz earned a corner 
kick, but they were unable to 
capitalize on it. Mertz finished 
Sunday with four shots.

“We’re young in a lot of 

places,” Daley said. “We’re 
youthful in a lot of ways, but it 
still doesn’t excuse what I think 
was a missed opportunity with 
the quality of chances we had.”

Sophomore 
midfielder 

Francis Atuahene — who was 
Michigan’s lead scorer last 
season — saw his first scoring 
opportunity in the 81st minute 
when he made a toe poke shot 
that was caught by Hague.

Senior 
defender 
Lars 

Eckenrode 
was 
nearly 
the 

Wolverines’ hero, but his volley 
with 1:20 remaining in the game 
went just above the goal.

For 
Michigan, 
the 
task 

moving 
forward 
will 

undoubtedly be turning its shot 
advantage into a goal advantage.

“We 
just 
need 
to 
fight 

harder,” Nason said. “There 
were a couple of shots late in the 
second half where the ball hit 
the crossbar and the ball was 
just bouncing in front of the 
net. Just fight harder, be in the 
right spot at the right time. Just 
keep to the game plan and on 
forward from there.”

The Wolverines will get a 

quick opportunity to capitalize 
on their shots when they return 
home to face Western Michigan 
on Wednesday.

NATHANIEL CLARK

Daily Sports Writer
Ten goals come from six different 
players against Central Michigan

FIELD HOCKEY
MEN’S SOCCER

“Once we get 

more goals, it’s 

like we feel more 

comfortable.”

She said 
writing 

“Forward” was 

therapeutic.

