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Sports
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 — 7A

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Wolverines advance in NCAA Tournament 
with 2-1 first-round win over Bowling Green

In 
early 
September, 
the 
Michigan and Bowling Green 
women’s soccer teams faced off at 
the U-M Soccer Stadium. Fittingly 
for one of the season’s early games, 
the halftime entertainment was 
entitled “Pups on the Pitch.”
Last Friday, the two teams 
met again at the same place. No 
puppies were present — an accurate 
representation of the maturity 
that the Wolverines and Falcons 
accumulated between then and 
now. 
The 
early-season 
mistakes 
made by two teams about to 
catch fire through regular-season 
and 
conference 
tournaments 
disappeared. 
Ball 
and 
player 
movement from both sides was 
more 
purposeful 
and 
more 
problematic 
for 
the 
opposing 
defense. Set pieces, performed in 
a premeditated fashion, created 
more substantial opportunities on 
goal.
But when the clock hit zero, the 
result replicated the September 
outcome. With a 2-1 victory, No. 
19 Michigan (16-5-1 overall, 8-2-1 
Big Ten) advanced to the second 
round of the NCAA Tournament, 
eliminating Bowling Green (14-6-3, 
10-1-0).
The Falcons made it clear from 
the onset that they wouldn’t let the 
Wolverines play bully ball again — 
Michigan’s 16-0 shot advantage 
in the last contest took away all 
chances of Bowling Green ever 
climbing onto the scoreboard. On 
Friday, 61 percent of possession 
by both teams was at midfield 
compared to just 51.5 percent 
in the last contest, while the 
Wolverines’ possession in its final 
third fell from just over a third to 
just over a quarter. These statistics 
bear witness to Bowling Green’s 
improved ability to neutralize 
Michigan’s possessions before they 
became dangerous.
On the offensive end, the Falcons 

also 
demonstrated 
increased 
potency. Michigan coach Jennifer 
Klein acknowledged their ability 
to foil the her team’s plans to push 
the ball and players forward in 
possession.
“We wanted to lock them 
into their half and be a bit more 
aggressive in our press,” Klein 
said. “... (In) the first half, their 
movement and interchange caused 
us a little bit of problems.”
That 
scheme 
nearly 
found 
paydirt for Michigan in the fourth 
minute. 
Junior 
defender 
Alia 
Martin received a penalty kick 
opportunity, but grounded it wide 
of the left woodwork. Following 
the miss, Bowling Green recorded 
a combination of six shots, corner 
kicks and offsides calls, signaling 
its intent — and ability — to create 
higher up the field. 
In the 35th minute, the Falcons 
capitalized on this aggressiveness. 
With numbers in their final third, 
Mackenzie 
Reuber’s 
facility, 
including a touch off the chest, gave 
her the control needed to slot the 
ball into the net’s corner, just out 
of junior goalkeeper Hillary Beall’s 
reach. 
“They like to make games 
exciting and difficult,” Klein said. 
“They’ve done it all season, so 
nothing has changed.”
Bowling 
Green 
closed 
out 
the first half and opened the 
second with increased offensive 
confidence which stemmed from 
its draw of first blood. While the 
ball was concentrated around 
midfield, 
any 
possession 
that 
threatened in front of goal belonged 
to the Falcons. The frustration of 
the Wolverines’ inability to create 
and extend possessions that posed 
a serious threat was plastered on 
the face of junior midfielder Nikki 
Hernandez, who was trying to play 
a role in every third of the field. 
“As a forward I know I can’t get 
caught up just in my attacking role,” 
Hernandez said. “The team can’t all 
be an attacking team.”
But just as Bowling Green only 

needed one goal to make Michigan 
and its fans come to the sober 
realization that this game could 
be the last, the Wolverines only 
needed one to renew daydreams of 
a second round. 
With just under an hour to go, 
freshman forward Danielle Wolfe 
slid into the penalty box to poke 
a ball — played in by junior Big 
Ten Midfielder of the Year Sarah 
Stratigakis and then Hernandez 
— into the goal. When asked about 
her contribution, Wolfe, who saw 
limited minutes in relief, was 
quick to defer the results to her 
teammates.
“I just work my hardest for the 
girls who worked the whole 90 
minutes,” Wolfe said. “… Those 30 
minutes are the best 30 minutes 
that I can play.”
The game-tying goal provided 
new life for the Wolverines and 
their faithful. The former notched a 
trio of shots and a quartet of corner 
kicks in the following 12 minutes; 
the latter used their feet to pound 
out an emphatic “Let’s Go Blue” 
on the bleachers. This momentum 

made another Michigan goal seem 
inevitable. 
That’s why it came as little 
surprise when Hernandez took 
advantage of Falcon goalkeeper 
Kathleen 
Duwve’s 
abnormally 
high position in the 18-yard box, 
chipping in a goal from 26 yards 
that fluttered over Duwve’s fingers. 
The 2-1 lead in the 79th minute 
would prove to be insurmountable. 
When asked about the crucial 
tiebreaking 
goal, 
Hernandez’s 
response was simple.
“I didn’t think it was going in at 
first,” Hernandez said. “I was just 
really lucky that I got that goal.”
After weathering the Falcons’ 
continued press until all 90 minutes 
had expired, the Wolverines began 
to look forward to next week’s 
second round game against No. 15 
Texas Tech.
Wolfe 
put 
the 
night 
in 
perspective. 
“Nothing better than being 
under the lights, at home, with your 
crowd, and your whole team here,” 
Wolfe said, “and it’s the best feeling 
to be repping Michigan at home.”

In East Lansing, goaltender Hayden Lavigne lends a helping hand

Midway through the final period 
Saturday night in East Lansing, 
the Michigan hockey team (3-7-2 
overall, 0-5-1 Big Ten) went on the 
penalty kill after graduate transfer 
forward Jacob Hayhurst got called 
for roughing.
The ensuing faceoff in the 
Wolverines’ defensive zone resulted 
in notable scoring opportunities for 
Michigan State. First, defensemen 
Dennis Cesana and Jerad Rosburg 
passed back and forth before Cesana 
took a one-timer from the high slot. 
The puck was deflected by the 
goaltender before forward Patrick 
Khodorenko took possession on the 
left side. He skated to the corner 
and stayed behind the goal line 
while attacking the post. At the last 
second, he dished a pass through 
the tip of the crease to Rosburg on 
the other side, who took a shot at the 
gaping hole on the right half of the 
net. A goal looked inevitable, but the 
goaltender extended his glove and 
made the save.
That 
display 
of 
staunch 
goaltending was nothing new. It 
has been Michigan’s staple for most 
of the season and has given the 
Wolverines a chance to win in most 
games. Only this time, it was senior 
Hayden Lavigne who held out the 
hand and not sophomore Strauss 
Mann.
Michigan was down 3-0 with six 
minutes left in the second period 
when Michigan coach Mel Pearson 
decided to pull Mann to change 
things up and potentially rejuvenate 
the team.
“Just basically told him ‘Hayden 
get ready, you’re going in.’ That was 
about it,” Pearson said. “And he 
knows, I mean, he’s a veteran. He 
knows you don’t need a lot of words, 
but I did talk to him after. I told him 
I was happy for him. He played 
extremely well, and I thought he 
was really good.”
The decision put Lavigne on the 
ice for the first time this regular 
season. The last time he stood 
between the pipes was during 
an exhibition game against the 
University of Windsor in early 
October. And though his team fell 
to the Spartans, Lavigne impressed 
with 11 saves and no goals allowed 

during his time in net.
“When you start a game, your 
initial mindset is obviously just do 
what you can to win,” Lavigne said. 
“And then I think going in mid-
game, your mindset is kind of just to 
hold it where it is. You’re not really 
necessarily looking for that win. 
Obviously that’s the goal at the end 
of the day, but going in my goal there 
with 26 minutes left in the game is 
just kind of make sure that we leave 
with three on board and it doesn’t 
increase from there.”
Watching the first 11 games from 
the sideline is likely not a position 
Lavigne would have foreseen a few 
years ago. Not for a guy who, as a 
sophomore, won the starting job 
mid-season and led his team to the 
Frozen Four.
Last 
year, 
though, 
Lavigne 
couldn’t find his peak form and 
thus shared the crease with Mann. 
And at the start of this season, after 
Lavigne let up two goals in the 
exhibition, it was Mann who got the 
final nod.

That brings us to the current 
status. After coming off the bench 
against Michigan State, it took some 
time for Lavigne to settle in. His 
heart raced early, but he mentioned 
that after facing the first few shots 
he found his composure.
“It was good. I mean, I’ve been 
waiting a long time to get in a game, 
working hard in practices to make 
sure I was ready,” Lavigne said. “It’s 
definitely nerve-wracking. Kind 
of felt like a little freshman again, 
playing my first game in a while, but 
it was good. Good feeling to be back. 
Felt like I was seeing the puck well, 
just felt fast, felt good overall.”
Being a backup goalie requires 
you to be on your toes. As Saturday 
showed, Lavigne could be called 
into action at any moment and 
maintain his edge, even on the 
bench.
“I just try and stay kind of 
mentally and emotionally involved 
even though I’m on the bench,” 
Lavigne said. “Just makes it easier 
to get in there so your mind doesn’t 

have to turn on as well as your 
body when you get in.”
From 
the 
bench 
Lavigne 
stays vocal, always pointing 
out to teammates what they’re 
doing well as this helps him stay 
focused on the game. What’s 
more, he looks for tendencies 
in the opponent’s game and 
imagines how he would handle 
the various situations if he were 
playing. This routine paid off, as 
he was well prepared for the heat 
in the third period against the 
Spartans.
“I expected Khodorenko to 
just kind of drive it to the net 
since he had that little lane, 
so I went down on that post,” 
Lavigne said. “As soon as he 
released it, I just kind of knew 
that I had to get over there as fast 
as I could. Stretched my hand out 
as far forward as I could to kind 
of cut down that angle.
“It’s one of those plays where 
you play the odds and know 
where the angle is likely to be 

and then just kind of hope that it 
hits you, and that was the case. 
Just made sure I got over there 
fast and got over there aggressive 
and then luckily held on to it.”

Though it’s unclear when 
he’ll play next, Lavigne is still a 
key asset for the team. After all, 
you never know when you might 
need a helping hand.

‘M’ locks in 12th-
ranked class in 2020

In her eighth year at the 
helm of the women’s basketball 
program, 
Michigan 
coach 
Kim Barnes Arico raked in 
the 
12th-ranked 
recruiting 
class in 2020 to join the 
Wolverines, highlighted by the 
No. 30 recruit in the country — 
forward Cameron Williams.
Williams is one of four 
players to sign her letter of 
intent, and is joined by No. 40 
ranked Seattle native, guard 
Meghan Fiso, and two local 
Michigan players — guard Elise 
Stuck and forward Whitney 
Sollom.
Williams’ decision to join 
the Wolverines adds her to the 
long list of impact forwards 
recruited by Barnes Arico.
“Those kids as high school 
kids want to go to a place 
where they’re going to have 
an opportunity to learn from 
one of the best,” Barnes Arico 
said. “Naz Hillmon wanted 
to come to Michigan because 
she watched Hallie Thome 
develop over the years and 
she wanted an opportunity to 
learn from her and have a year 
to spend with her. The same 
was true when (Williams) was 
going through the recruiting 
process.”
Similar 
to 
what 
Thome 
meant 
for 
recruiting 
bigs, 
Williams could prove to be the 
catalyst for a new recruiting 
ground.
“Whitney 
Young 
High 
School is traditionally one 
of the best (basketball) high 
schools in the country,” Barnes 
Arico said. “(Williams’) head 
coach there — her husband is 
Mac Irvin, who runs the AAU 
program. They traditionally 
have one of the best AAU 
programs in the country. Year 
in, year out, they have shown 

consistency and they just do 
a tremendous job developing 
their players and building high 
character kids.”
The acquisition of Sollom 
and Stuck, from Hartland and 
Charlevoix, respectively, marks 
the Wolverines’ first addition 
of players from Michigan since 
Deja Church transferred after 
last season.
“That has really been a 
point of emphasis since I’ve 
been here is to try and get the 
best players in the state to 
stay home,” Barnes Arico said. 
“When you want to build a 
program and you want to build 
a championship culture, you 
want to do it with Michigan 
kids that really bleed maize and 
blue, were born that way and 
want to win a championship for 
their home state.”
Sollom 
and 
Stuck 
were 
also recruited by Michigan 
State, whose roster currently 
contains eight players from the 
state. Three of the Spartans 
were four star recruits in the 
2019 class and are making 
impact plays for the Spartans 
this season.
What all four recruits bring 
to the Wolverines is what 
Barnes Arico mentions every 
time she talks about recruiting 
— the experience of winning. 
Each player has moved far 
in 
their 
respective 
state 
tournaments, winning all-state 
honors along the way.
In order to win at this level, 
Michigan needs more talent to 
break into the upper echelon of 
teams, and recruiting impact 
players and gaining a foothold 
in a fertile recruiting ground is 
vital if it wants to take the next 
step. Over the last few years, 
with the acquisition of star 
recruits like Amy Dilk, Izabel 
Varejão, Hillmon and now 
Williams and Fiso, it’s slowly 
moving in that direction.

JACK WHITTEN
Daily Sports Writer

ROHAN KUMAR
Daily Sports Writer

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
Junior midfielder Sarah Stratigakis won Big Ten midfielder of the year.

KENT SCHWARTZ
Daily Sports Writer

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ALEC COHEN/Daily
Senior goaltender Hayden Lavigne entered the game in relief on Saturday.

