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Sports
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 — 7A
Wolverines upset No. 9 Wisconsin
Due largely to a list of injuries
that seems to only grow, not
much has gone as expected for
the Michigan women’s soccer
team this season.
Sunday’s game at Wisconsin
was no exception — but for a
different reason.
The Wolverines had fought
Minnesota to an exhausting
double-overtime
draw
just
three days earlier, and took the
field against the ninth-ranked
Badgers in sweltering, 90-degree
heat with five starters unable to
play.
But Michigan (2-1-1 Big Ten,
5-2-4 overall) did the unexpected
again, upsetting Wisconsin, 2-1,
in overtime for its first victory
over a top-10 team since 2014
— which also came against the
Badgers.
After surviving being outshot,
39-7, by the Golden Gophers
on Thursday, Sunday’s contest
started much the same way.
The Badgers (2-1, 8-2) took the
first six shots of the game as the
Wolverines attempted to absorb
pressure with an atypical five-
player defensive back line.
However, just as Minnesota
didn’t score until the 76th minute,
Wisconsin similarly struggled to
break through. Despite a 12-2
Badger advantage in attempts,
Michigan led at halftime, 1-0,
thanks to sophomore center back
Jada Dayne’s goal in the 37th
minute.
“Our biggest strength was
really great team organization
and defending,” said Wolverines
coach Greg Ryan. “They just
didn’t give Wisconsin many
chances. That took all 11 of them
to do that.”
Added junior forward Reilly
Martin: “We knew that we were
going to have to defend for 90
minutes to keep this game close,
and our back line really gave an
unbelievable performance.”
The Badgers equalized when
forward Dani Rhodes fired a
penalty
kick
past
Michigan
senior goalkeeper Sarah Jackson
in the 55th minute. However, it
was around that point when the
complexion of the game changed.
After
Rhodes’
goal,
the
Wolverines
took
control,
as
they fired off nine shots and
earned four corners compared
to Wisconsin’s six and zero,
respectively.
This
shift
was
aided
by
Michigan’s defensive strategy
of staying behind the ball and
waiting for scoring chances on
the counterattack. This style
of play allowed the Wolverines
to expend less energy than the
Badgers, and eventually wear
them down enough to gain the
upper hand.
“We got stronger as the
match went on and they faded
as the match went on,” Ryan
said.
“Maybe
they
punched
themselves out a little bit. They
definitely didn’t have the same
level of energy.”
This fatigue could be observed
most in Wisconsin’s back line.
In the late stages of regulation,
Michigan carved out a number
of terrific chances behind the
Badgers’ defense. Martin missed
a volley over Badgers goalkeeper
Caitlyn
Clem
and
redshirt
sophomore midfielder Katie Foug
couldn’t find an open net in the
89th minute.
But despite these near misses,
it was clear that the Wolverines
had momentum on their side
heading into overtime.
“We knew once we got into
overtime that we were going
to finish the game and win it,”
Martin said.
They did — and it was Martin
herself who scored the winning
goal in the 96th minute to finish
off Michigan’s biggest win in
years.
While youth and inexperience
— the Wolverines started four
freshmen against the Badgers —
could have derailed their chances
of an upset, Ryan credited the
play of Cooper, Sarah Stratigakis,
Nicki Hernandez and Samantha
DeVecchi as key to the victory,
calling their execution of the
game plan “perfect.”
“It’s
fabulous
from
a
confidence standpoint knowing
that you can put in a lot of young
players to fill big shoes and
they can do this well against a
top-10 opponent,” Ryan said.
“Confidence for those young kids
is sky high, and confidence for
the whole team is sky high.”
Cooper stood out in particular
for her performance, as she
started at a completely new
position — outside back — on
Sunday.
“She was outstanding all day,”
Ryan said. “She got forward well
and attacked well, she had a great
chance to score a goal and she
defended very well.”
Meanwhile,
Stratigakis,
Hernandez
and
DeVecchi
impressed in the midfield as
well, providing solid offense and
defense for Michigan.
“You
don’t
expect
three
freshmen midfielders ... to be
up to the task against a top-10
team in the midfield,” Ryan said.
“But they really, really held their
own.”
Michigan now has four days
to recover from a grueling two-
game stretch and prepare to
take on Iowa at home Friday. But
after an unexpectedly successful
road trip, there’s no doubt the
Wolverines have earned the rest.
Michigan notched its first win over a top-10 team since 2014 on Sunday.
JACOB SHAMES
Daily Sports Writer
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Junior forward Reilly Martin scored in the 96th minute to seal an upset over the ninth-ranked Badgers on Sunday.
FIELD HOCKEY
Way’s clutch scoring
leads ‘M’ once again
Junior forward Emma Way
is no stranger to netting game-
winning shots. In fact, she’s
no stranger to scoring game-
winning goals against rival
Ohio State either, having scored
the go-ahead goal against the
Buckeyes her freshman year
during the regular season finale.
On Friday, Way and the
Michigan field hockey team (3-0
Big Ten, 7-2 overall) shocked
Ohio State (0-3, 4-5), again
scoring the game-winning goal
with just 20 seconds remaining
in
overtime
to
give
the
Wolverines a 1-0 victory.
Over
the
course
of
her
Michigan
career,
Way
has
managed to score or assist on an
astounding six game-winning
goals, netting five of them herself.
As a freshman, Way scored or
assisted on two overtime goals
in the Big Ten Tournament,
marking the beginning of her
game-winning tendencies. From
then on, she has not only provided
the Wolverines with a clutch
X-factor, but has contributed a
steady offensive effort as well,
finishing last season with six
goals and four assists. Against
the Buckeyes, Way managed
to connect despite Michigan’s
offensive struggles throughout
the match.
“The
game
was
out
of
character for us,” said fifth-year
forward Carly Bennett. “We
weren’t as aggressive as we had
been, but we luckily ended up
winning.”
The
Wolverines
definitely
looked
more
in
character
offensively Sunday, decisively
beating No. 3 Penn State (2-1,
8-2), 3-0. Bennett, a captain for
Michigan, relied on her work
rate to set the tone when other
elements weren’t clicking for the
Wolverines.
“I just always give 100 percent
effort,” Bennett said. “I think
everyone sees that and steps
up. I actually also had a word
with (sophomore forward) Meg
Dowthwaite after the Ohio State
game. I told her that we needed
her to step up.”
That’s
exactly
what
Dowthwaite
did.
Scoring
once in the match against the
Nittany Lions, Dowthwaite was
instrumental in the Michigan’s
statement win against Penn State.
The Wolverines’ game plan has
consistently been to score early
and often, with success coming
when Michigan can effectively
run its offense in the circle — a feat
the Wolverines achieved Sunday.
“We just had great team
cohesion,” said senior goalkeeper
Sam Swenson. “We followed the
game plan well and our transitions
were sharp — everyone on the team
just plays really well together.”
On the other side of the
field,
Michigan
has
played
tremendous defense, as it has
maintained shutouts in its past
five contests. This weekend’s
matchups cemented the team’s
stellar defensive reputation as
Swenson had eight saves against
Ohio State and seven saves
against Penn State.
“Sam Swenson was huge
today,” said Michigan coach
Marcia Pankratz. “She made
some huge saves. The whole
team was great defensively and
we shut them down today.”
The
defense
has
shaped
up to be the anchor for the
Wolverines.
Regardless
of
how well the offense has been
performing, Swenson and her
teammates
consistently
shut
their opponents down and kept
Michigan competitive at any
time during a match, placing
itself among the country’s most
elite field hockey teams.
“This is what we practice,”
Bennett said. “We need to forget
about how we played in the past
and just come out and do our
jobs.” Against the Buckeyes, they
did just that. The defense bought
time, then Way repaid them for
it.
JACOB KOPNICK
For the Daily
Evans finally makes his case
in running back competition
Chris Evans said Saturday
at Ross-Ade Stadium felt like a
homecoming.
For
the
Boilermakers,
it
literally was. But it was Evans
— the Indianapolis, Ind. native
— who took the spotlight like it
was his, finishing with a team-
high 14 carries, 97 yards and two
touchdowns.
Prior to Saturday, though,
the Michigan sophomore back’s
season hadn’t been running
according to his plan. Coming
off a stellar freshman campaign,
Evans was essentially pegged
as
the
Wolverines’
next
starter after an Orange Bowl
performance that saw him give
Michigan the late lead with a
30-yard touchdown run before
Florida State’s comeback.
And in Michigan’s season-
opener,
everything
went
according to that script.
Evans took the field for the
Wolverines’
first
snap,
and
turned in 88 yards on a team-
high
22
carries.
The
only
problem, though, was that fifth-
year senior Ty Isaac outdid him
— turning 11 carries into a team-
high 114 yards.
After
that
game
and
in
the week that followed, Jim
Harbaugh was relatively mute
about if Isaac’s performance
had earned him the starting nod
over Evans. Against Cincinnati,
everyone got an answer.
Isaac took the first snap. He
got 19 more. Evans got five.
Against Air Force, it was the
same story. Evans carried the ball
six times. The rest of the team
rushed a combined 36 times.
And
even
after
Isaac
sustained a minor injury against
the Falcons, Evans wasn’t given
his starting role back.
Instead, it was passed to
fellow sophomore running back
Karan Higdon in Michigan’s Big
Ten opener against Purdue this
past weekend.
But finally, Evans got his
chance to be the premier back
again.
Higdon’s
fumble
midway
through the third quarter ended
his day, as he didn’t receive
another carry for the rest of the
game. Evans filled the void, and
he didn’t let the opportunity
slip.
The first touchdown rush,
Evans admitted Monday, never
looked good during the practices
leading up to Purdue. But they
tried it anyway, and Evans
reaped the benefits — taking a
toss 10 yards, untouched into
the end zone to put Michigan
ahead, 14-10, with just under
two minutes to play in the third
quarter.
“Every time we ran (the) toss
that game they bit on it,” Evans
said. “They would bite on it fast
and break hard. We just creased
them up the middle.”
From
there,
Michigan
slammed on the gas pedal
and Evans provided the final
exclamation point.
With
just
under
seven
minutes remaining, Evans lined
up in the backfield. He took the
handoff from fifth-year senior
John O’Korn, and the hole
opened up.
“I know that it was bonus,”
Evans said. “Everytime I hear
‘bonus’ I know everybody is
gonna get blocked. … I just knew
I trusted my coach and my
landmark and all my coaching
that I had all week. They left one
dry, and I just — you know, that’s
my job, to make people miss in
space.”
Evans did his job, beating
the safety and taking off for
a 49-yard touchdown that —
barring a miracle — put Purdue’s
hopes of an upset in West
Lafayette out of reach.
The
Wolverines’
affinity
for
scoring
in
the
fourth-
quarter has become a risky, yet
encouraging, trend. Michigan
is outscoring opponents 43-0
in the final frame through four
games, but more often than not,
there hasn’t been much scoring
up to that point.
“I feel like it comes down to
the workouts over the summer,”
Evans said. “When we gotta run
16 gassers and it comes down to
the 14th one, the 15th one, and
everybody’s tired, and we know
that everybody else is doing this
so we gotta make sure we get
the time. It just carries over to
the game.”
As for Evans’ role with the
Wolverines, there’s no telling
who will be out there for the
first snap against Michigan
State. Harbaugh has been vocal
in saying that he is willing to go
with the hot back. Right now,
that’s Evans, but the rotating
door could still keep turning.
As
for
the
impact
a
performance
like
Saturday’s
can have for Evans personally,
he stressed that it simply makes
him push himself more — not
because of the stable of backs in
Ann Arbor, but because of the
ones he will be facing from Penn
State and Ohio State.
“It’s gonna make me work
harder,” Evans said, “because I
know that Saquon (Barkley) and
J.K. (Dobbins), they out there
working too.”
KEVIN SANTO
Managing Sports Editor
That’s my
job, to make
people miss in
space.
Carries
Yards
Rushing
TDs
Yards
per
carry
Yards
per
game
57
47
33
356 220 136
1
2
2
6.2 4.7
4.1
89.0 55.0 34.0