The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday
September 16, 2019 — 3B
Wolverines draw Nebraska-Omaha
Eight minutes in, disaster
struck
for
the
Wolverines.
They’d fight. They’d keep their
composure. But they’d never
recover.
In that pivotal eighth minute
of the Michigan men’s soccer
team’s match at University
of
Nebraska-Omaha
Friday,
Maverick
forward
Aaron
Uribe hit a header over senior
goalkeeper
Andrew
Verdi.
The shot set the Wolverines
back a goal early, gave Omaha
momentum
and
furthered
a
tense
environment
for
Michigan in their first road
game of the season.
The Wolverines dominated
the
Maverick
throughout
the rest of the match — in
possession, in shots on goal,
in corner kicks and in general
flow of play. But that control
didn’t translate to goals, and
the Wolverines (2-2-1) drew
Omaha (0-3-2), 1-1, in a gritty
battle that ended with two
overtime periods.
“We need to do a little bit on
game management and giving
our team a chance to win and
not have to chase the game so
early,” said Michigan coach
Chaka Daley. “It’s not good to
be down.”
From the first whistle, the
Wolverines led Omaha in shots
on goal — ultimately taking 25
to the Maverick’s nine. The gap
between shots on goal and the
score indicates issues closing
out opportunities in the final
third
of
the
field.
“I don’t think
we were at our
best,”
Daley
said. “We had
some good stuff
from
time
to
time throughout
the game, but
we
carried
possession
to
a
ridiculous
amount and carried chances, so
I was a little disappointed one
wouldn’t sneak in for us.”
But only one did. In the 74th
minute, senior forward Jack
Hallahan beat a defender on the
right wing and served a cross in
the penalty box to sophomore
forward Derick Broche, who
headed the ball into the net.
The game-tying goal came
in the midst of a chippy game,
with yellow cards plauging
each roster — including four for
the Wolverines.
In the 72nd minute, an
Maverick
player
fouled
a
Wolverine, and multiple other
players stepped to his defense.
To ease tensions, the referee
issued yellow cards to players
on both teams.
But
Daley
insists
the
physicality
of
the
game
was
typical.
In
fact,
he
says, it showed
Michigan’s
frustration with
their plethora of
missed chances.
“It
was
just both teams competing,”
Daley said. “The guys were
just looking after each other.
With the amount of possession
we
had,
it
was
definitely
unfortunate, but we’ll get back
to the drawing board, get some
recovery and get ready for
Tuesday.”
Beall solid as Michigan fells WSU
Being a goalkeeper is one of the
most high-pressure jobs in sports.
Nothing between the player
and the net –just a pair of gloves
between the player and a soccer
ball hurtling forward, often at
upwards of 50 miles an hour. An
intimidating task, to say the least.
Not so for Hillary Beall on
Friday.
The junior goaltender was
steady as a rock between the posts
Friday, anchoring the Michigan
women’s soccer team on its way to
a 2-1 defeat of No. 13 Washington
State. The win over the Cougars
marks
the
Wolverines’
first
against a ranked opponent this
season, an encouraging sign as
the team heads into Big Ten play
Thursday.
“Hillary really just came up big
for us,” Michigan coach Jennifer
Klein said. “She’s been solid all
throughout the season, and she’s
been coming up with some big
saves.
“I think it all comes down to
her training and her experience
as a goalkeeper, and she’s done
a great job for us more than
anything.”
The Wolverines got off to
a quick start, scoring twice in
the first four minutes. The first
goal came off the foot of junior
midfielder Sarah Stratigakis, who
lifted the ball over the head of
Washington State goalkeeper Ella
Dederick in the second minute to
put Michigan on the board.
The Wolverines were quick
to strike again. In the 4th
minute, sophomore midfielder
Meredith Haakenson found the
goal on a cross
from
junior
midfielder Nicki
Hernandez,
faking left to
beat
Dederick
before
putting
the ball in the
net,
extending
Michigan’s lead
to 2-0.
“We just had
great
energy
to start the game,” Klein said.
“Really, it was just being prepared
for their directness and how they
move the ball.”
The match was fairly evenly-
paced throughout. Though the
Wolverines finished the game
on top, the Cougars had more
shots, notching 12 on the match
to Michigan’s eight. Washington
State continued to threaten late
into the game, finally beating
Beall in the 71st minute on a
header just past her outstretched
fingertips to get on the board.
The Wolverines held steady,
though, with Beall lights out in
the net for the rest of the night.
She recorded 12 saves on the
match, a career best for the junior,
a native of Laguna Beach, Calif.
The
hours-long
trip
to
Pullman,
Wash.
for the game – and
the
three-hour
time
difference
from Ann Arbor
– proved to be
no
problem
for
Michigan, which
benefited
greatly
from its training
leading up to the
game.
“I thought we
did a great job of finishing the
game strong and finding a way
to get a result on the road against
a very dangerous and difficult
opponent,” Klein said. “I thought
the team did a great job handling
the travel. I don’t think it really
affected us.”
It certainly didn’t affect Beall.
Anna Spieker has mastered
staying
collected
under
pressure.
As the clock began to count
down in regulation on Friday,
the sophomore goalkeeper saved
a shot from No. 3 Connecticut’s
senior forward Seva Boker.
During the block a Michigan
defender fouled resulting in
a corner penalty — putting
Spieker and the Wolverines’
defense to the test.
A series of consecutive corner
penalties ensued as the No. 11
Michigan women’s field hockey
team attempted to fend off the
Huskies at the start of the fourth
quarter (2-1).
“We talk about it a lot before
the game,” Spieker said. “We
have a specific kind of defensive
structure going into the corner,
so we study them. We know
exactly who’s going to shoot. We
anticipate what they’re going to
do.”
Connecticut took its shot,
and the Wolverines blocked
it. Yet, this block came strings
attached, tying it to another
corner penalty for the Huskies.
“It’s
always
a
stressful
situation,” said Spieker. “But,
I have full confidence in our
corner defense.”
Connecticut again aimed for
the goal and again fell short.
Spieker, calm and collected,
saved the shot. Though, in
mirroring
the
first
corner
penalty’s play, the Wolverines
allowed the Huskies another
consecutive
corner penalty.
“Anna’s
an
experienced
player,
and
she’s
smart
and
poised,”
said Michigan
coach
Marcia
Pankratz. “We
have enormous
confidence
in
her being back
there. We trust her.”
Despite this faith in Spieker,
tensions in the stadium built
with each corner penalty, as the
probability of an impending goal
increased.
For
the
third
time,
Connecticut readied itself to
score, as the Wolverines again
prepared their defense. The
Huskies’ senior back Antonia
Tiedtke
carefully
took
her
third shot. Spieker, living up to
the trust placed in her, saved
it. Connecticut collected the
rebound quickly and impulsively
took another shot at Spieker —
missing wide.
“I am confident, but I do get
nervous and jittery,” Spieker
said. “I just try to flush it out and
be confident in what I can do.”
This
calm
and
collected
attitude
under
pressure coupled
with
careful
preparation
gives
Spieker
her mastery over
corner penalties,
a
game-winning
skill for Michigan
on Friday night.
The
Wolverines
prevented the Huskies from
scoring
a
goal
that
would
have ultimately tied the game.
Michigan won 3-2.
“I thought Anna played quite
well today,” Pankratz said. “Our
team’s defense was solid and
organized.
“I just couldn’t be more proud
of our team and how hard we’ve
played defensively.”
Anna Spieker and the No.
11 Michigan defense were in a
tough spot.
With 13 minutes remaining
and a one-goal lead on Friday,
the
sophomore
goalkeeper
faced three consecutive penalty
corner attempts from No. 3
Connecticut
(4-1).
Spieker
stayed focused, making two
more saves to preserve the
Wolverines’ lead, en route to a
3-2 victory over the Huskies.
“Anna’s
an
experienced
player,” said Michigan coach
Marcia Pankratz. “We have
enormous confidence in her
being back there.”
Added Spieker: “It’s always a
stressful situation going into it
but I have full confidence in our
corner defense that we’re going
to do well.”
The Wolverines (3-2) opened
the scoring five minutes into
the second quarter. After a shot
by sophomore midfielder Sofia
Southam was saved, Michigan
was awarded a penalty corner.
Southam received the pass off
of the corner and took a shot,
which was deflected in by
senior midfielder/forward Fay
Keijer for her first goal of the
season. The Wolverines tacked
on another goal with 1:30 left
in the half on junior midfielder
Kayla Reed’s second goal of the
season.
Halfway through the third
quarter, Connecticut cut the
lead to 2-1 with a top-shelf goal
out of Spieker’s reach, giving
the Huskies some momentum.
They got another prime scoring
chance with time expiring in the
third. A high shot forced Spieker
to make an impressive save,
deflecting the shot and kicking
it out from in front of the net.
After keeping Connecticut
scoreless
on
the
three
consecutive
corners,
the
Wolverines
regained
momentum and played well
defensively, leading to more
scoring opportunities. With just
under five minutes left in the
game, freshman forward Sarah
Pyrtek took a one-timer off of
a rebound and potted a much
needed insurance goal, giving
Michigan a 3-1 lead.
With a two-goal lead, the
Wolverines
played
a
more
defensive-minded game. The
Huskies had difficulty breaking
through for a while, but in the
last minute a cross got past
Spieker, allowing an unmarked
Connecticut player to score an
easy goal.
“Unfortunate goal,” Spieker
said. “We should’ve been there
defensively probably a little
better. That goal needs to be
marked.”
Despite the goal, Michigan
continued its strong defensive
play
when
the
Huskies
threatened as time expired,
giving them no space to get
a shot off. The win gave the
Wolverines their best win of
the young 2019 season and
a
confidence
booster
going
forward.
“I’m very excited about the
win,” Pankratz said. “UConn
is an excellent team and I just
couldn’t be more proud of our
team and how hard we’ve played
defensively.
“Even though we’ve had a
couple of losses early we just
keep instilling that it’s a process
and we’re trying to get better
every day. We’re just trying to
instill confidence in all of the
players. I thought they played
with that today beautifully.”
With Spieker and the rest of
the Michigan’s defense playing
at this caliber, the team looks
poised to take the confidence
that it gained from this game
into the fast-approaching Big
Ten season.
Spieker makes statement
Sophomore goaltender Anna Spieker leads Wolverines past third-ranked Huskies, 3-2, in Friday night upset
ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer
MEGAN CHAPELLE
Daily Sports Writer
JACK KINGSLEY
Daily Sports Writer
LILY FRIEDMAN
Daily Sports Writer
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said she has “enormous confidence” in goaltender Anna Spieker after Friday’s win.
KATELYN MULACHY/Daily
Sophomore goaltender Anna Spieker stayed collected under the pressure of UConn’s corner penalties.
I just try to
flush (nerves)
out and be
confident.
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Junior goaltender Hillary Beall anchored the Michigan women’s soccer team in its 2-1 win over Washington State.
I thought we
did a great job
of finishing the
game.
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan coach Chaka Daley insisted the physicality of Friday’s draw with Nebraska-Omaha was typical.
We’ll get back
to the drawing
board, get some
recovery.