The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 — 7A

In the 11th minute of the 
Michigan men’s soccer team’s 
match against Oakland, spectators 
saw graduate transfer forward 
Nebojsa Popovic fire a shot at 
Golden 
Grizzlies 
goalkeeper 
Sullivan Lauderdale. They saw 
senior forward Jack Hallahan 
bury the rebound in the back of 
the net, and they saw him run off 
celebrating. 
But the most important part of 
the play came before that. Faced 
with a charging defender along 
the sideline, junior forward Umar 
Farouk Osman made a quick 
stutter-step that put his opponent 
on skates, creating space for a 
cross to Popovic to set up the goal. 
The Wolverines’ (3-2-1) ability 
to maintain possession under 
pressure was vital to their 2-0 
win against Oakland (3-2-1) at the 
U-M Soccer Stadium on Tuesday. 
In the first half, Michigan’s 
ball-hawking attack forced the 
Grizzlies 
into 
mistakes 
and 
opened up passing lanes for the 
Wolverines. 
“I thought we were real 
positive, I thought the forwards 

were really lively early on,” said 
Michigan coach Chaka Daley. 
“And that caused their back four 
some problems.”
Those problems on the Oakland 
back line showed themselves 
again minutes after Hallahan’s 
goal. Catching the Grizzlies’ 
defenders out of position, senior 
defender Abdou Samake lobbed a 
perfectly placed ball up the middle 
to Popovic, forcing Lauderdale out 
of goal to challenge the Wolverine 
forward. Popovic struck the ball 
off one bounce, 
cheekily 
floating 
it over the keeper 
into the goal. 
“If you can get 
the second balls 
and turn and face 
the game, Daley 
said, “ … we can 
always be a little 
bit dangerous.” 
Once again, it 
was 
Michigan’s 
patience that created a scoring 
opportunity. Instead of forcing 
a pass through traffic that could 
lead to a turnover, the Wolverines’ 
midfielders cycled the ball around 
and waited for their opponents to 
slip up. 

“The 
two 
central 
guys 
were really good,” Daley said. 
“(Sophomore midfielder Kevin 
Buca) picked up a lot of passes and 
(junior midfielder Marc Ybarra) 
dictated the tempo of the game, 
and I thought those things helped 
us stay on the front foot.”
In the second half, Samake 
anchored a Michigan defense 
that completely stifled Oakland’s 
attack. When the focus shifted 
from 
creating 
offensive 
opportunities 
to 
controlling 
the 
game 
defensively, 
he and junior 
defender 
Jackson 
Ragen 
stepped 
up 
and 
used 
their 
physical 
presence 
to 
keep 
the 
ball 
away 
from 
the 
Grizzlies’ 
attackers. 
“I think our fullbacks do a 
really good job getting balls to 
feet,” Daley said. “They balance 
each other really well. Both are 
really physically tough, physically 
strong, high-level competitors … 
and they’ve been excellent.”

Belief. 
It’s a word Michigan men’s 
soccer coach Chaka Daley used 
a lot after the Wolverines’ (3-2-1) 
2-0 victory over Oakland (3-2-1) 
on Tuesday night. 
More 
specifically, 
Daley 
wanted to take that belief away 
from the Golden Grizzlies. His 
squad had plenty of their own.
The latter was evident from 
the opening touches of the first 
half. Led by senior forward Jack 
Hallahan, 
Michigan 
created 
turnovers 
and 
forced 
early 
attacks into its front third. Just 
a few minutes into the match, 
Hallahan found the back of the 
net — only to have it wiped off the 
board due to a foul off the ball. 
Close calls like this have been 
all too familiar for Hallahan this 
season; he leads the conference 
in shots, but had yet to score.
“The post is like my best 
friend,” Hallahan said of his 
scoring dry spell. 
In 
the 
11th 
minute, 
the 
Wolverines were able to force 
more shots on target and finally 
capitalize. 
Hallahan 
found 
the ball at his feet after a shot 
by graduate transfer forward 
Nebosja Popovic was deflected 
by Oakland goalkeeper Sullivan 
Lauderdale, and he finally broke 
the drought. But when asked 
about what he did best, Hallahan 
was quick to acknowledge his 
achievements on the other side 
of the ball.
“Everyone expects me to do 
stuff in the attack and it’ll come, 
but tonight, I didn’t let anyone 
down 
defensively,” 
Hallahan 
said.
Just a few minutes later, 
Popovic, the former Golden 
Grizzly, 
streaked 
downfield. 
Upon receiving a well-played 
through 
ball 
from 
senior 
defender Abdou Samake, he 
snuck the ball over Lauderdale 
from just outside the box on only 
one touch. Popovic said his goal 

and the game’s final outcome 
“confirmed (he) made the right 
decision” in choosing to come to 
Michigan after being recruited 
by 
the 
school 
on 
several 
occasions. 
The Golden Grizzlies’ fast-
paced and aggressive play proved 
to all in attendance that they 
were down, but not out. They 
played a lot of balls into the air 
in hopes of forcing some chances 
on goal, but the Wolverines’ back 
four worked as a unit and didn’t 
let balls get over their heads. 
Thanks to their 
efforts, 
senior 
goalkeeper 
Andrew 
Verdi 
only 
had 
to 
attend 
to 
two 
shots on target. 
The 
second 
half proved that 
a game against 
Michigan’s 
in-state 
counterparts 
would be far from a tune-up 
before Big Ten play. The Golden 
Grizzlies made several crucial 
adjustments to stay competitive 
and 
give 
themselves 
every 
chance to score. They played 
with three in the back, allowing 
their supplemented front to 
force 
extended 
stays 
deep 
in Wolverine territory. They 
favored a ground attack over 
playing balls in the air because 
Michigan had been so effective in 
forcing turnovers and otherwise 

interrupting Oakland’s first half 
aerial exchanges. 
Aware of the dangers of this 
revamped attack, Daley could 
be heard exhorting his forwards 
to hustle on defense. A bevy of 
Golden 
Grizzly 
substitutions 
with a baker’s dozen or so 
minutes remaining confirmed 
their commitment to attacking 
with fresh legs until the final 
whistle.
In some ways, according to 
Daley, that means the Wolverines 
failed.
“We 
were 
trying 
to 
get 
a third (goal) 
first,” 
Daley 
mused. “Can we 
end the game, 
or can we end 
their 
belief?” 
The answer on 
Tuesday 
was 
no. 
Instead, 
Michigan 
had 
to “see the game 
out and manage the game to the 
end.” 
That meant neutralizing the 
playmaking impact of Golden 
Grizzly junior midfielder Noah 
Jensen, according to Daley. And 
in the last 10 minutes, his men 
succeeded in doing just that. 
After watching the Wolverines 
build their lead in the first 15 
minutes and protect it in the last 
75, Michigan fans can be assured 
that there is much to believe in 
for the upcoming campaign.

Wolverines maul Grizzlies
Buoyed by possession, Michigan tops Oakland, 2-0, to move above .500 on the season

BRENDAN ROOSE
Daily Sports Writer

JACK WHITTEN
For the Daily

Michigan thrives at Inverness Club

To anyone deep in the golf 
world, Inverness Club is more 
than just a course.
Located in Toledo, Ohio, the 
historic club has hosted some 
of the sport’s most prestigious 
events, including four U.S. Opens, 
a pair of PGA Championships and 
the U.S. Amateur.
And Monday and Tuesday, 
women collegiate golfers walked 
the fairways during the Glass 
City Invitational. Among the pack 
was the Michigan women’s golf 
team, which shot 10-over par for 
a second-place finish in its first 
competition of the season. Florida 
got in the clubhouse four strokes 
better than the Wolverines to best 
the 13-team field.
“It’s a great start to our season,” 
said Michigan coach Jan Dowling. 
“It was pretty special to be 
playing at such a historic venue as 
Inverness.” 
Sophomore Sophia Trombetta, 
freshman Hailey Borja and senior 
Hannah Ghelfi were Michigan’s 
three keys to success, finishing 
third, tied for fourth and tied for 
ninth, respectively. Sophomore 
Ashley Lau and junior Ashley 
Kim also started for the team 
and finished 37th and 40th, 
respectively.
“Our returners worked hard 
and we have a strong freshman 

class,” Dowling said. “The group 
of nine of them are really pushing 
each other to be better. Our hard 
work is already starting to pay 
off.”
Distance is a critical aspect of 
Trombetta’s game. This week, 
her length off the tee helped 
turn short holes into scoring 
opportunities by providing wedge 
shots into many of the greens.
“She’s a really good wedge 
player,” Dowling said. “She had 
wedges in her hand a lot and just 
took advantage of it.”
Trombetta sat in sixth after 
Monday’s 
opening 
two 
rounds at one-
over 
par. 
She 
carded 
a 
71 
on 
Tuesday, 
though, to jump 
three spots on 
the leaderboard. 
Her jump fueled 
the 
team’s 
movement from 
fourth place on 
Monday to runner-up.
Meanwhile, Borja excelled in 
the first event of her collegiate 
career. She led the team on the 
first day, with a 143 (71-72) after 36 
holes, at third overall. 
“It’s a nice start to her collegiate 
career,” Dowling said. “She’s a 
really solid ball-striker — doesn’t 
miss many fairways, doesn’t miss 
many greens.”

Dowling 
had 
seen 
Borja 
compete in person prior to 
Monday while recruiting her, but 
this was her first time watching 
up close, and Dowling enjoyed the 
new perspective. The freshman’s 
steadiness stood out to the coach, 
and she was also pleased that 
Borja was in contention to win her 
first event.
“She’s got a very mature 
process of how to hit golf shots,” 
Dowling said. “She seems like 
she’s a veteran out there already. 
Nothing seems to faze her at all.”
When playing a landmark 
course 
like 
Inverness, 
rewriting history 
is a tall task — 
there are too many 
major Sundays to 
compete with.
Yet 
Michigan 
still made the most 
out of the outing. 
This tournament 
marked 
the 
Wolverines’ 
best 
finish since the 2016-17 season.
Dowling hopes to use this 
performance as a building block 
for the rest of the season.
“It shows a lot of the talent 
this team has and what they’re 
capable of,” Dowling said. “We 
got in contention to win a golf 
tournament, and it was just a 
really great experience for our 
team.”

‘M’ starts slow under Zach Barlow

There were many firsts this 
weekend for the Michigan 
men’s 
golf 
team. 
First 
tournament of the season. First 
tournament for a first-year 
head coach. With pre-match 
jitters and undeniable growing 
pains under the direction of 
Zach Barlow, the Wolverines 
looked to break out of a three-
year rut and again become a 
competitive team.
But there’s no denying the 
struggles 
Michigan 
faced 
in 
the 
Windon 
Memorial 
Tournament 
in 
Illinois 
on 
Monday 
and 
Tuesday. 
Ultimately finishing 13 out 
of 14 teams, the Wolverines 
recognize 
their 
potential 
and are working on ways of 
harnessing a “refuse to lose” 
mindset to be a competitive 
team this year. 
Michigan came out of the 
gates strong in each of the 
three rounds, but settled into 
a lull in the middle of each. 
Once the Wolverines started 
digressing, they couldn’t stop 
the bleeding. Barlow, hired just 
four months ago, points to the 
new season and coaching staff 
as a part of the problem.
“We showed stretches of 
what 
our 
potential 
could 
be, but we couldn’t sustain 
that throughout the entire 
tournament,” 
Barlow 
said. 
“The sky’s the limit for these 
guys.”
Barlow’s experience from 
the well-established Illinois 
golf team will surely aid him 
in 
this 
process. 
Over 
the 
past decade, he was both an 
assistant coach and player 
for the Illini. As an assistant 
coach Barlow helped the team 
win five consecutive Big Ten 
titles, three NCAA regional 
championships and advance 
to five straight NCAA finals. 
Last season, he was a finalist 
for the Assistant Coach of the 
Year award. 
While their lulls lingered in 
the rounds longer than desired, 
the Wolverines’ driving was a 
highlight for the tournament. 

Senior and top scorer for 
the tournament Brent Ito hit 
almost 70 percent of fairways. 
His solid driving skills helped 
him secure an overall score of 
one-under par, as he birdied 
a short par five on the 17th 
hole. While the driving was a 
strength, Michigan’s Achilles 
heel for the tournament was its 
short game. 
Both 
Ito 
and 
Barlow 
think 
this 
tournament 
was reflective 
of the team’s 
overall 
performance 
both early in 
this season and 
last year. Their 
biggest point of 
emphasis going forward will 
be consistency. 
“They are as talented as any 
team I’ve coached,” Barlow 
said. “I just think today and 
this week was a microcosm of 
what they have been struggling 
with in the past.”
This season is more personal 
for Ito, as he is five months 
into recovering from an ankle 
injury. On Monday, he played 
36 holes, a feat challenging 
for anyone. Ito admits it’s 
always tough to walk 36 holes. 
However, 
after 
undergoing 
rehad for his injury over the 
past five months, he was 
only able to compete in one 
tournament this summer. 
Ito looks forward to the 
challenges 
his 
senior 
year 

holds with a new coaching staff 
and weighing the possibility of 
turning pro after graduation. 
He wants it to be a learning 
experience. 
“Hopefully 
(the 
new 
coaching staff) will be a breath 
of fresh air,” Ito said. “Practices 
already 
feel 
different. 
It’s 
more team oriented. He makes 
practice 
about 
finishing a job 
as a team rather 
than necessarily 
getting your two 
and a half hours 
of work in.”
As a senior, 
Ito has turned 
his focus to what 
comes next. His 
ultimate goal is 
continuing 
to 
play after graduation.
“I want to take this last year 
as an assessment of where I’m 
at,” Ito said.
If he continues to play as 
well as he did at the Windon 
Memorial, there’s no stopping 
Ito from turning professional 
shortly after graduation. 
Once the Wolverines and 
coaching staff gets over the 
hump of the getting-to-know-
you stage, Barlow is certain 
Michigan 
will 
find 
great 
success. 
“My goal is to get to know 
each one of these guys down 
to their core,” Barlow said. 
“Figure out what makes them 
tick. We will be a much better 
team and I will be a much better 
coach once that happens.”

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Sophomore Sophia Trombetta finished third in the Glass City Invitational on Monday and Tuesday.

(Trombetta) 
just had wedges 
in her hand a 
lot.

LILY ISRAEL
For the Daily

FILE PHOTO/Daily
The Michigan men’s golf team struggled at the Windon Memorial Tournament.

My goal is to 
get to know 
each one of 
these guys.

CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Forward Jack Hallahan scored one of Michigan’s goals against Oakland.

Tonight, I 
didn’t let 
anyone down 
defensively.

CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
Graduate transfer forward Nebojsa Popovic scored against his former team, helping Michigan to a win.

I thought the 
forwards were 
really lively 
early on.

