The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 — 7A

Wangler proves progress with first touchdown

With a little more than six 
and a half minutes left in the 
fourth quarter of the Michigan 
football 
team’s 
win 
over 
Maryland on Saturday, Jared 
Wangler trotted onto the field 
and into the offensive huddle.
Per usual, the fifth-year 
senior fullback was joined by 
his position partner, sophomore 
Ben 
Mason. 
And 
while 
Wangler knew 
there 
were 
a 
variety 
of 
plays 
that 
could be run 
with 
both 
fullbacks, 
it 
wasn’t 
until 
junior 
quarterback 
Shea Patterson 
called the play that Wangler 
knew he was going to score.
Moments 
later, 
the 
12th-ranked Wolverines broke 
the huddle. Patterson got the 
snap, and he faked to Mason 
while Wangler leaked into the 
flat. Patterson rolled out and 
hit Wangler near the goal line, 
who fell into the endzone with 
the ball.
“When I caught it, I didn’t 
really know if I was in the 
endzone 
or 
not,” 
Wangler 
said. “But when I saw the 
blue endzone, that’s just kind 
of when I knew. And then, 
obviously, I got pretty juiced 
up after that. I was pretty 
excited.”
That’s when the celebrations 
began. First, as Wangler said, 
he got juiced up, yelling into 
the Michigan Stadium crowd 
while his teammates mobbed 
him in the corner of the 
endzone.
Then he made his way to 
Michigan’s sideline, where he 
was met by all the players who 
have known him over the last 
five years, going crazy for a 
fifth-year senior’s first career 

touchdown.
Wangler’s 
brother, 
Jack 
Wangler, who played for the 
Wolverines from 2013 to 2017, 
had made his way down to the 
front row. Wangler celebrated 
with 
him, 
too, 
for 
good 
measure.
“It was awesome to see 
that,” said senior wide receiver 
Grant Perry, who played with 
Jared in middle school. “You 
know, he’s worked so hard, and 
it was just really 
happy. 
All 
the 
guys were really 
happy for him.”
Wangler’s first 
touchdown isn’t 
exactly a shocker 
— he has played 
increasingly 
more 
snaps 
as 
the season has 
advanced.
Still, even with 
the rest of the season to go, the 
play gave Wangler somewhat 
of a punctuation on a career 
that has been anything but 
routine.
Wangler, 
whose 
dad, 
John, 
is 
a 
former 
Wolverinesquarterback, came 

to Michigan as a three-star 
safety.
Since then, Wangler has 
gone through the firing of 
Brady Hoke — the coach he 
committed to — a position 
change to fullback and even 
a knee injury over this past 
summer.
All that turmoil has driven 
Wangler in to work harder, to 
prove he belongs.
“It feeds in a lot,” Wangler 
said. 
“You 
know, you go 
through 
the 
ups and downs, 
you don’t quite 
play as much as 
you anticipate 
on, like, early 
on 
in 
your 
career. 
And, 
yeah, it’s just 
something that 
sticks to you. 
You really want to be out there 
and contribute for the team, 
and you’re in here busting 
your butt every day just like 
everyone else. So yeah, that’s 
something that plays into it.”
One of the unknown pieces 
of turmoil for Wangler was 

revealed 
on 
Tuesday 
via 
Wangler’s Instagram account.
He 
posted 
a 
picture 
of 
himself 
celebrating 
in 
the 
endzone 
with 
Mason, 
captioned, “ ‘You will never 
play here at Michigan’ -DJ 
Durkin (2015)”
Durkin is the Terrapins’ head 
coach — though he is currently 
on administrative leave — and 
was the Wolverines’ defensive 
coordinator in 2015.
“I guess it’s 
just something I 
appreciated that 
he did for me 
early on in my 
career, was, you 
know, 
he 
was 
tough on me,” 
Wangler 
said. 
“He’s 
a 
tough 
coach. 
That’s 
just kind of his 
style. 
So 
that 
quote just kind of always stuck 
with me in my head, and that’s 
just one of those things, like 
I mentioned earlier, you just 
have to prove people wrong. 
So, you know, I appreciated 
that, that he gave me that extra 
incentive.”

MIKE PERSAK
Managing Sports Editor

AARON BAKER/Daily
Fifth-year senior fullback Jared Wangler scored his first career touchdown against Maryland on Saturday.

“When I caught 

it, I didn’t really 

know if I was in 

the end zone.”

“I appreciated 

that, that he gave 

me that extra 

incentive.”

Nothing much has changed after slow start

It’s a case of expectations 
versus reality.
One would expect the No. 
4 Michigan hockey team to 
beat a Vermont team that went 
10-20-7 last season. But reality 
says otherwise.
Similarly, one might expect 
the 
Wolverines’ 
in-practice 
adjustments 
to 
address 
struggles seen in the opening 
game of the season.
Well, reality, once again, 
says 
otherwise. 
Nothing’s 
really 
changed. 
Attitudes, 
maybe, 
but 
Michigan 
is 
sticking to its system, trusting 
that the problems that surfaced 
during 
the 
loss 
will 
sort 
themselves out through time 
and experience.
“I 
really 
don’t 
think 
anything needs to be changed 
to be honest with you,” said 
sophomore center Josh Norris. 
“Compete has been one of 

the things mentioned a lot 
by (Pearson) and I know its 
something he takes a lot of 
pride in, and that’s how he 
wants the team to play, so I 
think as long as we’re really 
competitive 
every 
night, 
I 
think we have 
enough talent for 
the rest to take 
care of itself.”
The 
only 
difference 
in 
the team, which 
showed in the 
Wolverines’ 
rebound game on 
Sunday 
against 
Waterloo, 
is 
the 
demeanor. 
They’ve 
seen 
rough 
starts 
before, so it’s nothing new. 
Instead, they’re focusing on 
shaking off the rust and getting 
acclimated to the systems in 
place that had propelled them 
to success late last season.
“I think it takes a little bit to 
get used to in a game situation,” 

said junior defensemen Griffin 
Luce. “And obviously we got 
surprised there a little bit quick 
early. After that we showed 
more growth, like you watch 
the second period, we didn’t 
give up any goals there, and the 
third 
period, 
we gave up one 
and the empty 
netter, 
but 
I 
think 
it 
was 
pretty evident 
our 
defensive 
zone got better 
through 
the 
game.”
Luce added: 
“It was a little 
bit of a learning 
curve for some guys.”
So, despite the loss, the 
status quo stayed the same. 
Practice didn’t need to be 
changed. It was the attitude 
that did it. It was the verbal 
cues. It was the intensity the 
team practiced with.
“We’re 
playing 
to 
our 

system, which is how we want 
to play. Being on them quick. 
Being aggressive,” Luce said.
And it’s the things that don’t 
need 
practice 
that 
require 
the most repetition. There 
were 
defensive 
drills, 
like 
every practice, but it was the 
communication during those 
drills that was stressed — one 
of the things Luce thought 
factored in the team’s loss. 
You can see defensive zone 
drills, but you have to hear the 
verbal cues to understand the 
difference from last week’s 
practice.
“Making 
sure 
that 
everyone’s 
communicating 
and on the same page in the 
defensive zone so that we can 
have a rock solid defense like 
we want,” Luce said. “Because 
we think that’s going to be 
the backbone of the team, and 
because offense comes off of 
defense, we need to sharpen up 
defensively and tighten up for 
sure.”

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Junior defenseman Griffin Luce saw progress in Michigan’s defensive play throughout the periods of its season-opening loss to Vermont on Saturday.

TIEN LE
Daily Sports Writer

“I really don’t 
think anything 
needs to be 
changed...”

Michigan practiced just the same as usual this week despite losing season opener
‘M’ defense makes it a 
contender in the B1G

Michigan was knocked from 
atop the Big Ten standings 
Sunday afternoon when No. 2 
Indiana (10-2 overall, 4-0 Big 
Ten) came to town.
The 2017 national runner-
up defeated the fourteenth-
ranked 
Wolverines 
(8-2-1, 3-1-1), 1-0, behind a 
clinical 
offensive 
display 
and a resolute and organized 
defensive 
performance. 
Though the game was evenly 
contested, 
ultimately, 
the 
Hoosiers 
were 
just 
better 
when they had to be.
“That was a pretty even, 
50-50 game,” said Michigan 
coach Chaka Daley. “They’re 
a pretty good team. There’s a 
reason there’s a number one on 
their jersey, but we’re a good 
team, too. That’s my takeaway. 
There’s no doubt we were 
challenged though.”
For 
the 
Wolverines, 
a 
noticeable bright spot was 
their 
defense. 
Indiana’s 
goal was scored off a broken 
Michigan attack where the 
full-backs were upfield, leaving 
the 
remaining 
defenders 
exposed at the back. The 
Hoosiers effectively worked 
their man advantage, and Rece 
Buckmaster placed it in the 
only spot he could have, beating 
sophomore goalkeeper Henry 
Mashburn to the far-post.
In 
the 
first 
half, 
the 
Wolverine defense thwarted 
countless Indiana attacks and 
dealt aptly with a barrage of 
crosses from Hoosier wingers.
The centerback pairing of 
senior Daniel Mukuna and 
sophomore 
Jackson 
Ragen 
seemingly didn’t put a foot 
wrong, 
making 
critical 
tackles within their box. The 
success 
and 
reliability 
of 
this partnership has been a 
developing trend for Michigan 
throughout this season and is 
one of the reasons the team 
held the top position in the Big 

Ten prior to Sunday’s game.
“They’re great players,” said 
junior attacker Jack Hallahan. 
“When someone scores a goal 
on them, they’re absolutely 
gutted and that shows a lot 
about their character. Those 
guys work really hard.”
Emphasis 
on 
“when 
someone scores on them.” The 
Wolverines have allowed just 
seven goals in 11 games this 
season, and contributed to 
five clean sheets. Ragen and 
Mukuna started at the back in 
all of these contests.
The two dependable and 
physically imposing central 
defenders 
are 
flanked 
normally 
by 
seniors 
Peter 
Brown and Marcello Borges, 
though versatile sophomore 
Austin Swiech has also seen 
significant time at full-back. 
This continuity at the back has 
had a favorable effect on the 
team as a whole.
“I think it’s really nice,” 
Hallahan said. “Especially as 
an attacker knowing we have 
such a solid defense behind 
us. It gives us the freedom up 
front to be creative.”
Despite 
the 
success, 
Michigan’s stellar defensive 
performances will have to 
continue if it hopes to rebound 
from the loss against Indiana. 
The Wolverine attack was 
ineffective against a superior 
opponent like the Hoosiers, 
especially when they packed it 
in late in the game.
Michigan’s 
remaining 
schedule doesn’t get any easier 
with No. 15 Notre Dame and 
No. 13 Michigan State still to 
come. The Wolverines will 
rely heavily on their defense, 
like they did against Indiana, 
to keep them in these games.
“We got this opportunity 
and we played a team of that 
caliber 
now,” 
Daley 
said. 
“Going 
down 
the 
stretch, 
we know what we are, and 
what we can continue to do 
and build upon. Learned a lot 
today, for sure.” 

CONNOR BRENNAN
Daily Sports Writer

MEN’S SOCCER

Despite strong defense, 
Michigan defeated, 1-0

In a matchup of the Big Ten’s 
top two teams, the No. 14 Michigan 
men’s soccer team fell to No. 2 
Indiana in a defensive battle that 
ended with a final score of 1-0. 
Michigan (8-2-1 overall, 3-1-1 Big 
Ten), which entered the game riding 
a nine-game unbeaten streak, looked 
upon its defense to halt the Indiana 
attack, and through the majority 
of the game the back line held 
strong. But Indiana (10-2-0, 4-0-0) 
only needed one defensive lapse to 
capitalize.
Ten minutes into the second half, 
following 55 minutes of organized 
and composed defending by the 
Wolverines, the Hoosiers earned 
their chance to break the scoreless 
game open. Indiana midfielder 
Griffen Dorsey made a run into 
Michigan’s third of the field and 
slipped past two defenders to find 
midfielder Rece Buckmaster trailing 
behind in open space. With nobody 
marking him, Buckmaster fired 
the ball into the bottom corner of 
the net, past Michigan sophomore 
goalkeeper 
Henry 
Mashburn’s 
outstretched glove.
“In our moment of — if you call it 
a moment of weakness, it’s not really 
a moment of weakness — (Dorsey) 
does a good job,” said Michigan 
coach Chaka Daley. “He’s a big-time 
player, (he) tucks in, beats a guy, skips 
by (sophomore defender Jackson 
Ragen) and sets (Buckmaster) over 
here and he scores a great goal.”
Despite giving up the goal, 
Michigan’s 
defense 
remained 
composed 
and 
organized 
throughout the game. Ragen and 
senior defender Daniel Mukuna 
were especially impressive; both 
consistently 
making 
well-timed 
tackles, 
blocks 
and 
clearances 
that stalled Indiana’s attack time 
and time again, while both senior 
Marcello Borges and sophomore 
Austin Swiech did a good job of 
containing Indiana’s attack on the 

wings. Mashburn also had a solid 
game, tallying four saves.
Indiana’s back line found a way, 
however, to outshine Michigan’s and 
conceded no space for the attack to 
create meaningful chances. There 
were moments when Michigan 
tested the Hoosier defense, but these 
occasions were extinguished. 
“Down the stretch, while we 
had a lot of the ball, while we put 
them under duress, I don’t know if 
we really gave them a ton of, what 
I would call, stress or working 
the goalkeeper late in the game,” 
Daley said. “Although we had a lot 
of the ball, and we started to put 
it in, I think they did a good job of 
protecting the lead…But certainly 
we’re disappointed we didn’t find a 
way today.” 
Overall, the match was well-
balanced and competitive until 
the final whistle. Neither team 
dominated possession early on, as 
both played back-and-forth with 
each defense curtailing attacking 
chances. Indiana’s counter-attack 
showed flashes of danger at times, 
but the Wolverines maintained their 
shape and protected the net — until 
the goal in the 55th minute. 
After Indiana scored, though, 
Michigan adjusted its attack to be 
more proactive. With more urgency, 
the Wolverines got the ball into the 
box and did what they could, but 
Indiana conceded few opportunities 
other than a handful of chances that 
failed to test sophomore goalkeeper 
Trey Muse. 
“There’s nothing to improve 
upon, except just staying sharper, 
you know what I mean, in those big 
moments,” Daley said. “They played 
in the national final, they have 
five redshirt seniors, eight seniors 
starting. 
“When you kind of knock it down, 
it’s a pretty experienced group, and 
we had our way at ‘em. We had a go 
at them. They found a way today, and 
that’s what, you know, experience 
will do sometimes, and we’ll get 
better as a result of this.”

MEN’S SOCCER

COLIN MCGRATH
For the Daily

