The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 — 7
Meet Nebojsa Popovic, Michigan’s newest star
The Michigan men’s soccer
team has a new player this
season who is lighting up
opposing defenses. His name is
Nebojsa Popovic.
The forward is a graduate
transfer
from
Oakland
University spending his last
year of eligibility in Ann Arbor.
Since stepping on campus, he’s
made an immediate impact,
notching five goals and three
assists in eight games.
The
sports
management
program and overall academics
at Michigan were paramount
in his decision to play for the
Wolverines.
“What I was looking for
was to go to a school that had
a higher education standard,”
Popovic said, “and Michigan
was the best school.”
So far, he’s happy with his
choice, enjoying the University
and its students — debating
which is his favorite.
“The
campus
and
the
facilities
are
beautiful,
it’s
either that or the people,”
Popovic said. “I got to meet
a kid who wrestles for the
Serbian national team, and he
just qualified for the Olympics
in Tokyo in 2020. To me, that’s
crazy. I can’t believe he’s in my
class.”
On the pitch, he’s loving the
team and the game.
“I haven’t enjoyed my soccer
this much in, I can’t remember,”
Popovic said in a team video. “I
think this is the most fun I’ve
had in a very long time.”
The
graduate
student
attributes his enjoyment to his
teammates and their talent.
“I’m around guys who are
just as good as me, if not better,
and I think that makes a big
difference. You always want to
be in those kind of situations
because then you’re going to
grow as a soccer player and
you’re going to get to learn
from them, and it’s going to just
make me better overall, and
that’s just enjoyable.”
Popovic has connected with
his teammates quickly, and
fans watching the team can see
the chemistry between the men
up top.
But he believes the team is
far from its peak.
“As we’re getting to know
each other more
and
getting
to
know
what
we
each
like,”
Popovic
said.
“I
think
that
it
is
going
to
get
better
because then the
communication
aspect
comes
into it.”
That may be a
troubling prospect for opposing
goalkeepers,
with
Popovic’s
offensive ability emerging as a
top weapon for the Wolverines.
With 9 matches still on the
schedule, Popovic is on track to
finish the season with 10 goals
and six assists — staggering
numbers for any forward, and
collegiate
career
highs
for
Popovic.
Recognized for his combined
two
goals
and
one
assist
against Rutgers and Oakland,
Popovic was awarded the Big
Ten Offensive Player of the
Week. It was the first of the
season given out by the Big Ten
— an impressive accolade to
jumpstart his season. But the
forward felt differently about
the praise.
“I
mean
I
think
it’s
great, but that
doesn’t
come
without
my
teammates,”
Popovic
said.
“I think that’s
just a testament
to
how
well
we’re
playing
together and I
think if we keep that up, a lot
of us will be getting those kind
of awards ... Soccer is not an
individual sport at all. If the
team doesn’t do well none of us
will flourish individually”
Still, while he appreciates
the early accolades, Popovic
only has one thing on his mind.
“I just want to win, that’s
all I care about,” Popovic said.
“I don’t care how we win. I
don’t care if I score or assist or
make a run that’s off the ball to
create space for us to score... I
think that’s the biggest thing
for us right now, just to figure
out how we can beat every
opponent we play.”
Michigan is currently 3-2-3
on the season and 0-0-2 in
Big Ten play. Despite a tough
schedule ahead, Popovic has
confidence in the team’s ability
and knows what it needs to do.
“Just keep doing more of the
same thing, getting the right
preparation in before games,
and then following the coach’s
gameplans to a T,” Popovic
said. “I think we still have a
lot of potential that’s not yet
fulfilled, so I think it’s only
going to get better from here to
be honest.”
Why does he feel that way?
To Popovic, it’s simple. And
it’s his favorite part about the
team.
“The way we play,” Popovic
said, “I love that style of play...
I love to be a part of something
like that, if we can keep that up,
I’m just going to keep having
more and more fun.”
‘M’ competes in preview
The
Michigan
men’s
and
women’s cross country teams
faced off against some of the best
teams in the Big Ten on Saturday
at the Buckeye Preview. The
women won their meet — out of 12
teams — with a score of 41 points,
while the men tied for second out
of eight, with Grand Valley State
with 69 points, losing only to Penn
State.
Just a week after freshman
Erika VanderLende came in fourth
place at the John McNichols
invite, youth was once again the
focal point for the Wolverines.
VanderLende won her first 6,000-
meter race — the first time the
women have raced that distance
this season — with a time of 20:17.
Improving on her fourth-place
finish at John McNichols last
weekend.
“Erika was outstanding again,
against a good crew of people in
her first 6K ever, ” said Michigan
women’s coach Mike McGuire.
The rest of the Michigan
women had a strong outing as
well. Junior Kathryn House came
in sixth for the Wolverines at
20:55, followed by junior Maddy
Trevisan in ninth, junior Micaela
DeGenero in 11th, and junior Jena
Metwalli in fourteenth.
“Jenna Metwalli and Micaela
DeGenero had outstanding races,”
McGuire said. “We were solid
throughout.”
Winning shouldn’t come as
a surprise for the Wolverines’
women. They’ve won the Big Ten
three consecutive seasons and are
expected to keep their title this
season. The men’s team is looking
to replicate the success of the
women as they try and improve
upon their fourth-place finish at
the Big Ten meet last season. But
for now, they remain a step behind.
Juniors Jacob Branch and
Jacob Lee led the Michigan men,
finishing in third and fourth
place, respectively. Branch had the
second-fastest time through the
third and fifth kilometers of the
race. They both finished strong as
well, as Lee recorded the second-
fastest time over the final three
kilometers and Branch had the
third fastest time. Branch and
Lee were followed by sophomore
Dominic Dimambro in 20th,
freshman James Gedris in 26th,
and freshman Colton Yesney who
rounded out Michigan’s top five in
29th.
The Michigan men’s team held
back its top lineup on Saturday —
junior Isaac Harding, sophomore
Christian
Hubaker,
and
All-
American junior Jack Aho — and
instead opted to go with a younger
group.
Looking ahead, the women
don’t race again until Oct. 19 at pre-
nationals. McGuire said they’re
going to use this time to ramp up
training, but to also make sure
they properly space out workouts.
As the women move into this
training block, the men are already
prepping for a short turnaround as
they race at Notre Dame on Friday.
This will be a good opportunity for
the men to find their stride before
the end of the regular season.
Wolverines fall to NW
To say Sunday’s field hockey
game
between
Michigan
and
Northwestern
had
humble origins would be an
understatement.
Passes skidded across the
Evanston turf, still wet from
two days of rain, and past the
outstretched sticks of their
targets.
Possession
deep
in
enemy territory was incredibly
rare.
Shots
on
goal
were
nonexistent.
But when the dust cleared,
after 60 minutes of regulation
and
20
of
sudden-death
overtime,
followed
by
a
penalty shootout that extended
into
sudden
death,
No.
7
Northwestern
(10-2
overall,
3-0 Big Ten) edged out No.
9 Michigan (6-3, 1-1), 1-0 on
Sunday.
After the dreary defensive
gridlock that was the first
quarter, the game began to open
up for both squads. Buoyed
by a group of forwards with
elite stick technique and ball
security, as well as legs that
refused to turn into jelly, the
Wildcats became dangerous in
transition at a moment’s notice.
The coast to coast capabilities
of Northwestern forward Bente
Baekers, among others, meant
that the Wolverines’ back three
had their work cut out for them.
That’s not to say Michigan
didn’t do its own damage on
offense. The Wolverines worked
as a unit to gain an edge in
time of possession and spent
significant
portions
of
the
game with numbers in Wildcat
territory.
Michigan
coach
Marcia
Pankratz thought the team’s
success
stemmed
from
“(focusing) on basics to keep
possession and making good
decisions around the ball.”
As regulation expired and
teams shrunk from eleven to
seven players, per the rules of
overtime, common sense would
have it that Northwestern and
its talented group of attackers
would have an advantage.
“(They) play really fast,” said
senior
midfielder
Guadalupe
Fernandez Lacort. “On defense
(we tried to) get to the ball first.”
Michigan’s
aggressiveness
in only playing two at the back
put the Wildcats on the ropes in
the first overtime period. Led
by senior midfielder Fay Keijer,
junior midfielder Kayla Reed,
and Lacort, the Wolverines
tacked on four shots on target
in the first golden goal session
alone. Northwestern appeared
to find their offensive footing
in the second half of overtime,
controlling possession thanks
to
their
aforementioned
ability to change fields on
even the smallest of turnover
opportunities.
But
when
overtime
was
over, neither unit had landed a
decisive punch.
In the penalty shootout, four
Wolverines and four Wildcats
scored. The lone Michigan miss,
originally a score by Fernandez
Lacort, was wiped away because
of a goalkeeper obstruction foul
confirmed by video referral.
With a chance to win for
Northwestern
on
the
10th
stroke of the penalty session,
Wildcat Kayla Blas had the ball
knocked away by sophomore
goalkeeper Anna Speiker at the
last moment.
Then it was onto sudden
death, in which video referrals
would haunt the Wolverines in
a fatal way. Saar de Breij opened
the scoring for Northwestern.
Needing a goal to stay in the
contest, Michigan sophomore
Kathryn Peterson made junior
Wildcat
goalkeeper
Florien
Marcussen miss and appeared
to score well within the eight
allotted seconds. But when
Northwestern asked for a replay
review, the goal was negated
after it was determined that the
ball struck Peterson’s foot.
After a long sigh, Lacort
talked about some positives she
and the team will take away
from Sunday. “I think we really
had them,” she said. “We didn’t
get the win, so it hurts, but I
think today we got a little bit
better.”
NICHOLAS STOLL
For The Daily
JACK WHITTEN
For The Daily
SPENCER RAINES
For The Daily
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
The Michigan cross country team went to the Buckeye Preview last weekend.
MILES MACKLIN/Daily
Graduate transfer Nebojsa Popovic has given a spark to Michigan’s attack since coming over from Oakland.
I think this is
the most fun
I’ve had in a
very long time.
FIELD HOCKEY
Similar but different, York is no Quinn Hughes
One hand carried his stick.
The other rose to his lips,
motioning outward in a big,
exaggerated wave as he glided
to a stop in the corner of the
rink.
Cam York had skated down
the ice at Yost Ice Arena
— empty to all except the
Michigan hockey team and a
few spectators. The team was
practicing a continuous two-
on-zero drill, and the freshman
defenseman received the puck
at the blue line. Skating toward
the goaltender, he shot the puck
and found the back of the net.
And then came the celebration
— the blow of an unmistakable
kiss to a nonexistent crowd.
He pretended to bathe in the
limelight before continuing to
practice.
But make no mistake. Where
there was emptiness, there
will soon be a crowd, shouting
and cheering in response to his
celebration. After all, people
had done the very same a year
before for Quinn Hughes —
the player York is expected to
replace.
And it’s hard to not compare
the two. They were both highly-
touted defenseman who were
products of the U.S. National
Team Development Program.
They were both first-round
picks, and they were both
similar-framed
offensive-
minded players that everyone
pointed to as difference makers.
But despite their similarities,
Cam York is no Quinn Hughes.
“I don’t think there has to be
this big ‘Oh, Cam and Quinn’
thing,” said senior defenseman
Luke Martin. “Because they’re
different players.”
Cam York, in his final year
with USNTDP, set the record
for amount of points tallied by a
defenseman with 65 points. His
skill set includes his vision and
passing abilities, but his shot is
also at an elite level.
“Cam?
…
He
is,”
said
Michigan coach Mel Pearson
when asked if York was a
pass-first
defenseman.
“But
he can score too. Like I’m just
watching today, and he’s so
smooth. He’s got a really good
stick. I think Yorkie set the all-
time record (at the USNTDP) as
far as points. There’s a reason
for that.”
His ability to create on
offense is one of his strong
suits, and subsequently, people
expected him to fill the role
left by Hughes. But there are
differences in their approach.
Whereas
Hughes
would
be a puck-centric
top-tier
skater,
preferring
to
bring the puck
through
the
zones
himself,
York
likes
to
pass the puck
around in give-
and-go
type
fashion and then
push forward without the puck.
“Cam will pass and follow up
ice,” Pearson said. “Cam’s not
afraid to just move it up and
then join the rush but Quinn
liked to have it on his stick,
maybe leading the rush.”
And the different styles of
bringing
the
puck
forward
furthers their differences as
players.
As a result of carrying the
puck through the zone, Hughes
jeopardizes
his
defensive
positioning
in
ways
York
doesn’t.
“Yorkie’s a little different
though,” Pearson said. “I don’t
think he’s as — I don’t want to
say high-risk, that’s not the
right way to put it, but (not)
looking to get up the ice as
much. Cam will join, but he’s
not leading.”
Hughes
would
dominate
the puck and lead the offense.
Players
and
coaches
alike
knew
that,
leading them to
pair him with
someone
who
knew the way
Hughes
liked
to
play
and
cover
for
his
displacement —
a player who was
more defensive-
minded and didn’t like to push
up. And as a result of his far-up
positioning, Hughes’ defense
was spotty, ending the season
with a plus/minus of negative-
two despite leading the team in
points.
On the other hand, York has
the option to sit at the blue line
and watch the play develop. It
prevents him from jeopardizing
his positioning as someone who
doesn’t push with the puck.
“Cam
is
really
strong
defensively,” Martin said. “I’m
playing on him in practice right
now. And we were working
really well together on the blue
line.”
York’s role is to support, and
not spearhead the offense.
“I think the main thing that
(differentiates them) is Quinn
was more the skater,” Pearson
said. “And where York’s more,
‘Well, I’m going to give you that
pass even if it’s a short pass I’m
going to give it to you.’ ”
And even though he’s pitted
to take on the responsibilities
that Hughes once held, Pearson
thinks it will take time for
York to transition into that
spot. After all, Hughes was a
second-year defenseman with
collegiate experience under his
belt. But Martin doesn’t see it
that way.
“For him, I don’t think he
has to be focused on replacing
anyone,” Martin said. “I think
you know, he’s a great player,
and he does things really well.
And I think he needs to continue
to do those really well, for us.
“But I think for him, just, you
know, not really listening to any
of this outside noise.”
It’s not the outside noise he’s
trying to hear, but the noise
inside of Yost. And with every
goal scored and kiss blown, it’ll
come.
TIEN LE
Daily Sports Editor
COURTESY OF RENA LAVERTY/USA HOCKEY PHOTOS
Freshman defenseman Cam York has an offensive-minded skillset but with subtle differences to Quinn Hughes’ game.
He’s just so
smooth. He’s
got a really
good stick.