The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 — 7A

Wolverines value chance to compete, with 
exhibition against Windsor approaching

With more than 30 regular 
season games slated from fall 
to early spring, the college 
hockey season can be long and 
strenuous. 
Opportunities 
to 
pause and fine-tune during 
games are few and far between.
For the Michigan hockey 
team, there are two chances 
for 
such 
contemplation. 
Sunday’s exhibition against the 
University of Windsor marks 
the first, while the second is 
an exhibition in late January 
against the U.S. National Team 
Development Program. 
To 
the 
Wolverines, 
exhibitions matter. Sunday will 
be the team’s first contest since 
losing in the first round of the 
Big Ten Tournament nearly 
seven months ago.
“(Exhibitions give) you a 
good indication where some 
players are at,” said Michigan 

coach Mel Pearson. “You know, 
you’re just playing someone 
else and it doesn’t count in any 
of those statistics, so it’s good. 
You try some things, you work 
on some things.”
Such 
a 
baseline 
assessment can 
be quite valuable 
for a team. This 
is especially true 
for 
Michigan, 
considering the 
changes it has 
seen since last 
year 
and 
the 
questions 
that 
still must be answered. 
The Wolverines added eight 
new players to their roster — all 
of whom are seen to be viable 
options. Kris Mayotte and Matt 
Hunwick recently joined the 
program, too, as an assistant 
coach and volunteer assistant 
coach, respectively. 
Understandably, it’s not yet 

perfectly clear what role all 
the incoming players will fill. 
It’s still not even certain how 
all the returners will fit in. 
For instance, the goaltender 
position 
still 
seems 
up 
for 
grabs 
between 
sophomore 
Strauss 
Mann 
and 
senior 
Hayden Lavigne.
Thus 
an 
opportunity 
to 
try 
different 
things 
is 
beneficial. 
In 
fact, 
Pearson 
notes he wishes the team had 
more exhibitions.
Sunday’s trial run will be 
meaningful for players, such 
as senior defenseman Luke 
Martin. He injured his left arm 
last February and had to miss 
the rest of the season.
“Anytime you get to put 
on the ‘Block M’ you gotta be 

thankful for (the opportunity),” 
Martin said. “Especially after, 
you know, it’s been a long time 
coming this one. We were done 
pretty early last year, so we’re 
excited. We’ve been practicing 
for a long time, ready to get after 
somebody that’s not ourselves.”
Pearson plans on having 
a 
wide 
focus 
Sunday. 
He 
mentions his team has practiced 
pretty much all its systems and 
that he wants to see how that 
practice translates against real 
competition. 
Pearson notes that he will 
likely start the regular season 
with the same lines that play 
during the exhibition, but that 
the exhibition could make clear 
things that must be improved 
before 
the 
opening 
series 
against No. 10 Clarkson the 
following weekend.
“First and foremost you want 
to win,” Pearson said. “I mean, 
I don’t care if it’s exhibition or 
whatnot. You want to win, but 
more importantly, I think, is to 
get as many players involved in 
the game and you want to see 
them execute the things that 
we’ve been working on.”
With 
experience 
comes 
understanding. 
Entering 
his 
final year, Martin is no stranger 
to growing pains. What he 
wants 
most 
from 
Sunday’s 
exhibition 
is 
for 
his 
new 
teammates to show effort. If 
that comes, the rest will follow.
“It’ll be a little bit sloppy to 
start, I would imagine, they 
always are — you know, systems 
and everything,” Martin said. 
“Guys are going to be nervous, 
you know, first time wearing 
the jersey, everything. But it’s 
a good game to get your feet on 
the ground.
“I’m 
excited. 
We’re 
all 
getting tired of beating each 
other up everyday in practice. 
Ready to take it out on someone 
else.”

Michigan draws with Indiana, 0-0

The Michigan women’s soccer 
team (8-2-1, 3-0-1 Big Ten) tied 
Indiana, 0-0, on Sunday behind 
a strong defensive performance 
anchored by sophomore defender 
Sydney 
Shepherd 
and 
junior 
defender Alia Martin. 
“It was a tough game,” said 
Michigan coach Jennifer Klein. 
“They’re difficult to play against, 
to break down. We had 22 shots 
to their eight and we just have to 
have more production in the final 
third to give ourselves a better 
chance.”
The Wolverines got off to a 
somewhat slow start. The first few 
minutes saw some sloppy passing 
from 
Michigan 
that 
allowed 
Indiana to put together some 
attacks deep in the Wolverines’ 
defensive third. 
Though a solid performance 
from Michigan’s defense saved 
any 
damage, 
the 
Wolverines 
struggled to find rhythm in their 
attacking third. While at halftime, 

though Michigan had outshot 
the Hoosiers, nine to four, the 
score remained tied at zero. The 
Wolverines just barely controlled 
possession at 51 percent and 
spending only 19 percent of their 
possession time in their attacking 
third.
Michigan’s play cleaned up 
significantly after halftime. The 
Wolverines’ passing was much 
smoother, and they moved the 
ball well, spending more time 
in their attacking third. They 
still struggled to finish, though. 
Michigan took ten more shots in 
the second half to Indiana’s three, 
but at the end of regulation time, 
the scoreboard still showed a 0-0 
tie.
“We’re still doing a good job 
defensively,” Klein said. “Moving 
forward, going into next week, 
we need to continue to have a 
strong and aggressive attacking 
personality to give ourselves a 
chance to be better once we get in 
and around the goal.”
Both of the overtime periods 
were much of the same. Though 

Michigan put together a few 
runs in their attacking third, the 
Wolverines were still unable to 
find the back of the net.
It wasn’t as if they weren’t 
taking shots – they totaled 22 on 
the match, and they’ve had similar 
shot totals in several games this 
season. But as the sun set on 5779 
and the Jewish New Year began 
anew, Michigan still could not put 
the ball past the goal line.
The dreary weather seemed at 
times to put a damper on the pace 
of play. Rain drizzled throughout 
the match resulting in more than a 
few slips on the field. Despite this, 
both teams played a fairly physical 
match, contesting on the 50/50 
balls and staying attached to their 
marks.
“Anytime the ground is as slick 
as it is, the ball is going to slip a 
little bit,” Klein said. “I think from 
that sense, that’s really what it 
was as far as bounces. I thought 
we moved the ball really well and 
were good in possession. We just 
didn’t have enough production in 
the final third.”

Beall holds key to Michigan season

Hillary Beall came to Ann 
Arbor typifying what it means 
to be a highly-touted prospect. 
The No. 1 goalkeeper in the class 
of 2017 according to Top Drawer 
Soccer, Beall was expected to 
become an elite keeper for the 
Wolverines. After all, the shot-
stopper was a five-star prospect 
and had already accumulated an 
impressive junior international 
resume as an 18-year-old.
When prospects come with 
the kind of laundry list of 
accolades that Beall did, people 
view them as a sure thing. 
Consequently, everyone hears 
the stories of uber-talented 
busts: 
four- 
and 
five-star 
prospects that plateau, that get 
beat out by competition, that 
can’t shake the injury bug. Blue-
chip prospects don’t always pan 
out. 
Hillary Beall did.
After 
making 
a 
solid 
impression as a freshman and 
an injury-shortened sophomore 
year, Beall is proving in her 
junior year exactly why she 
earned that high ranking.
“She’s 
been 
great,” 
said 
coach Jennifer Klein. “I mean 
she’s been really solid for us. I 
think she’s done a great job as 
far as, you know, being a great 
goalkeeper and keeping the 

ball out of the back of the net 
and helping in our defensive 
organization.”
This season, Beall has started 
all 11 games and given up just 
six goals. This while putting up 
as many clean sheets — five — as 
the team recorded last season 
and not allowing more than one 
goal in any game.
“You 
can 
tell 
that 
she’s 
continuing to grow and mature,” 
Klein said.
Beall’s 
numbers prove 
her 
coach 
correct as she 
has 
made 
an 
impressive 
leap 
in 
save 
percentage from 
.756 in 2018 to 
.854 
in 
2019, 
along 
with 
a 
significant goals 
against average 
drop from 1.06 to .52.
This impressive improvement 
on already solid numbers begs 
the question: What changed?
“I went home,” Beall said. “I 
played a lot, worked a lot on my 
confidence to make sure that 
every game I’m locked in and 
here for the back line. I trained a 
lot during the summer.”
As she continues to put on 
great performance after great 
performance, including a four-
save, 110-minute clean sheet 

in Sunday’s 0-0 draw against 
Indiana, Beall’s work continues 
to show itself. The improvements 
she sought to make are plainly 
visible, as Klein recognized.
“The big thing is just the 
confidence that she has,” Klein 
said. “She’s making really good 
saves, she’s keeping us in good 
games. She’s just doing a good 
job all-around.”
Beall’s play has propelled 
Michigan to an 8-2-1 record and 
its first coaches 
poll votes since 
2017, even with 
the 
offense 
managing 
to 
score more than 
two goals only 
once thus far.
With 
the 
offense 
scoring 
1.78 
goals 
per 
game 
through 
September 26th, 
a number that ranks 101st in the 
NCAA, Beall’s exceptional play 
has been all the more important. 
She has stolen game after game 
for Michigan.
If the expectations for a five-
star prospect are to be the team’s 
X-factor, it’s pretty safe to say 
Beall has reached that level. 
Beall is the lynchpin of her team, 
and the Wolverines’ aspirations 
to end a 20 year Big Ten title 
drought draw life largely from 
her skill as a backstop.

JACOB COHEN
Daily Sports Writer

ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer

MICHIGAN

HOCKEY
new additions

Players

Cam York Freshman Defenseman

Eric Ciccolini Freshman Forward 

Shane Switzer Graduate Transfer Defenseman 

Jacob Hayhurst Graduate Transfer Forward 

Johnny Beecher Freshman Forward 

Keaton Pehrson Freshman Defenseman 

Emil Öhrwall Redshirt Sophomore Forward 

Nick Granowicz Freshman Forward

Coaches

Kris Mayotte Assistant Coach

Matt Hunwick Volunteer Assistant Coach

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior defenseman Luke Martin said he and his teammates are eager to play another opponent after weeks of practice.

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

We’re all 
getting tired of 
beating each 
other up...

ALLISON ENGVIST/Daily
Sophomore defender Sydney Shepherd anchored a strong defensive performance in a 0-0 draw on Sunday.

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Freshman goalkeeper Hillary Beall came to Michigan as the No. 1 goalkeeper in her recruiting class.

The big thing 
is just the 
confidence that 
she has.

