The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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