The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 — 11

One aspect of soccer that is 

often overlooked is moments of 
transition. These are the few 
seconds following a change in 
possession. They are often the 
time when the ball is the easiest 
to win back and hardest to keep. 
They can also be when a defense 
is most vulnerable because their 
players are set up to attack, not 
defend.

People tend to focus on 

what happens near the goals, 
as finishing and goalkeeping 
ultimately 
decide 
the 
final 

score. However, winning the 
transition moments consistently 
is how a team can dominate the 
game. The No. 24 Michigan 
women’s soccer team did just 
that in its 1-0 victory over 
DePaul on Sunday. 

“It’s 
something 
that 
we 

have to work on every day 
within training, so when it 
comes to the game we’re able 
to execute,” Michigan coach 
Jennifer Klein said. “I think 
it’s a mentality, it’s a work rate 
that really puts us in a position 
to do that.”

After 
any 
of 
their 
own 

turnovers, 
the 
Wolverines 

consistently won the ball back 
within a few passes. When 
they didn’t, they ensured that 
they recovered their defensive 
shape quickly enough to avoid 
dangerous counterattacks.

Fifth-year senior midfielder 

Sarah 
Stratigakis 
recovered 

the ball multiple times, chasing 
down the Blue Demons and 
taking 
back 
possession 
for 

Michigan. 
Senior 
defender 

Janiece Joyner was also crucial 
to this process, particularly 
in 
stopping 
counterattacks. 

Any time DePaul tried to use 
its forwards as a quick outlet, 
Joyner was there to either 
intercept the pass or slow down 
the attack enough to give her 
teammates time to recover. 

“It’s 
something 
that 
we 

practice,” Joyner said. “Our 
coach really trains us to win 
the ball back quickly and win 
possession.”

Winning 
the 
defensive 

side of transition helped the 
Wolverines keep a clean sheet, 
while the offensive moments 
won them the game. Joyner 
was also crucial on that side 
of the ball. After winning the 

ball defensively, she constantly 
found the first pass to keep the 
ball and start attacks.

“One of our goals is to connect 

the first pass once we get it 
back,” Joyner said. “If we are 
able to go we want to go quickly 
and create chances, but if not, 
we are totally comfortable with 
just holding it and swinging it 
around the back and waiting for 
the right time to go.”

Quick counterattacks led to 

some of the Wolverines’ best 
chances and, most importantly, 
the goal. The breakthrough came 
following a DePaul turnover 
in the midfield, followed by 
a quick pass down the wing 
before the ball eventually found 
its way to a wide-open fifth-
year senior midfielder Nicki 
Hernandez at the back post to 
score. In the end, winning the 
game came down to winning 
the transitional seconds and 
translating practice sequences 
into the game.

“We build those moments 

into 
training,” 
Klein 
said. 

“There were sequences where 
we won it, we had players in 
right positions and we had 
players running, and I’m happy 
that we’re getting there.”

Transition offense keys win over DePaul 

Fifth-year 
senior 
midfielder 

Sarah Stratigakis felt the pressure as 
she trapped a pass in a sea of DePaul 
defenders. Not wanting to give up a 
prime scoring opportunity, she made 
a short pass to senior midfielder 
Raleigh Loughman at the top of the 
penalty arc.

The Blue Demons moved up, 

charging toward the ball but 
forgetting about fifth-year senior 
midfielder Nicki Hernandez near 
the left corner of the goal area. A 
quick pass to Loughman opened 
up an angle to hit Hernandez as she 
willed her pass around the defense. 
Hernandez took two touches before 
firing the ball safely into the bottom 
right corner, breaking Michigan’s 
goalless streak in its 155th minute.

The Wolverines’ aggressive play 

— shown by Hernandez’s goal — 
persisted on both sides of the ball to 
propel No. 24 Michigan (5-1) to a 1-0 
victory over DePaul (2-3) on Sunday. 
The Blue Demons couldn’t adapt to 
the Wolverines’ pressure, and they 
were outshot 27-5.

But Michigan wasn’t always 

in total control. After sophomore 
forward Sammi Woods got early 
chances to start the game, the 
midfield forced many passes leaving 
the Wolverines’ defensive half. 
DePaul earned quick shots from 

these errors.

As a result, Michigan switched 

up its strategy, focusing on shorter 
range passes between defenders and 
the midfield that it then carried up 
the side of the field. The Blue Demons 
didn’t adjust, and the Wolverines 
generated shot after shot.

“Sometimes at the start of the 

game you’ve gotta get into it and 
you’ve gotta settle in,” Michigan 
coach Jennifer Klein said. “I think 
what’s good about them is they don’t 
get rattled in that moment … They 
got into a rhythm and were able to 
find the spaces.”

Energy 
punctuated 
the 

Wolverines’ 
game 
plan, 
and 

they utilized 19 different players 
throughout the game. Relentlessly 
attacking the ball led to countless 
chances for Michigan, and that 
eventually led to the game’s only goal 
in the 34th minute.

“I really like that we have such 

a talented group of players,” senior 
defender Janiece Joyner said. “We’re 
able to rotate a lot of people.”

Woods played a large role in that 

energy, chasing the ball and keeping 
DePaul from settling in. She took 
three shots at the beginning of the 
second half, but the Blue Devils 
cleared the ball out of their zone to 
end her attack.

“(Woods) was threatening in 

some good areas,” Klein said. “ (She) 
had some good interchange with 
different players, and so I think that 

movement really put her in some 
great positions … she’s right there 
knocking at the door.”

The Wolverines looked strong, 

but their problems converting 
ample shots into goals in Friday’s 
loss against Southern California 
continued against DePaul. They 
forced Blue Demons goalkeeper 
Mollie Eriksson to make tough 
saves, but couldn’t find the back of 
the net. 

It looked like Michigan would 

score a second goal in the 56th 
minute when Stratigakis shot the 
ball high above Eriksson. A hollow 
clang rattled through the stadium 
as the ball bounced straight down 
off the crossbar. The Wolverines 
thought the ball went in, but the 
officials did not review it.

Outside of offense, Michigan’s 

back line stood tall. Junior defender 
Jayde Riviere and Joyner cleared 
any DePaul attempts.

Much of this came from closing 

on any Blue Demon attacker with 
the ball. Forwards tried to pass back 
to midfielders and reset plays, but 
they never settled into the tight area 
the defense gave them.

Michigan 
thoroughly 
beat 

DePaul, but still struggled to turn 
lopsided offensive chances into 
multiple tallies on the scoreboard. 
The Wolverines’ biggest question 
— how to capitalize on huge 
shot 
disparities 
— 
remained 

unanswered.

Adaptation leads to victory over Blue 

Devils on Sunday
MATTHEW CHANG
Daily Sports Writer

CONNOR EAREGOOD

Daily Sports Writer

Three 
months 
after 
its 

last competitive match, the 
Michigan 
men’s 
golf 
team 

returned to the course this 
weekend. And after the hiatus, 
the rust showed.

The 
Wolverines 
finished 

3rd 
in 
the 
Island 
Resort 

Intercollegiate, 
their 
first 

tournament of the season. With 
a final score of 880, course 
management and a poor short 
game ultimately led Michigan 
to an underwhelming final 
placement, losing to Michigan 
State and Central Florida. 

The Wolverines opened the 

tournament scoring a group 
290, led by a career-best 69 
from sophomore Will Anderson. 
Senior Patrick Sullivan finished 
his first round with an even 72 
par and matched it in the second 
round. Michigan collectively 
recorded a 285 in round two, led 
by junior Pier Francesco De Col 
and Sullivan’s 72. De Col ended 
the day with a team-best 143. 

With 
a 
few 
individual 

standouts, Michigan showed 
the potential to challenge for 
a top-two finish the next day. 
What came next surprised the 
Wolverines. 

“The first day was fairly 

windy,” Michigan coach Zach 
Barlow said. “I thought we did 
pretty well. Monday was much 
cooler and the course was set 
up much longer. From day one 
to day two, there was quite a 
difference in the course length 
and that caught us off guard.” 

Michigan entered day two 

with Anderson dominating once 
again. Tallying a 74, his score 
proved to be the Wolverines’ 
best. De Col and Sullivan 
followed his lead, both scoring 
a 78 and ending with a 221 
and 222, respectively. In the 
final round of the tournament, 
freshman Yuqi Liu recorded a 
71, ultimately making up for the 
team’s errors throughout the 
match. 

“(Liu) is just getting his feet 

wet in the collegiate scene,” 
Barlow said. “He’ll play a big 
part moving forward.” 

The new recruits continued 

to show their value as freshman 
Hunter Thomson ended the 
weekend in 39th place, scoring 
a 69 in the second round and 
ending the tournament with 
a total of 228. A highly-rated 
player, Thomson showed why 
his future is bright in Ann 
Arbor. 

“Sky’s 
the 
limit 
for 

(Thomson),” Barlow said. “It’s 
different when there’s added 
pressure playing as a team. 
There’s a lot of pressure but his 
second round held us together. 
Showing the team and bouncing 
back is a big deal.” 

Michigan now has a three-

week break before heading to 
Yale for the Macdonald Cup. 
The Wolverines will have time 
to work on reading course 
conditions, adjusting to weather 
and executing close to the pin.

“This was a step forward 

in that we got in that final 
group,” Barlow said. “It’s a big 
deal. What we learned today 
we will use later on in the year 
… The more time we’re in that 
situation, the better we’ll be.” 

‘M’ finishes third in Island Resort 

Intercollegiate

NICK MOEN

Daily Sports Writer

Monday, 
the 
Michigan 

men’s 
soccer 
team 
hosted 

Loyola University Chicago. The 
Wolverines rallied in the second 
half, overcoming a halftime deficit 
to win 2-1, their first home win of 
the season. 

The first half was largely 

dominated by the Ramblers. They 
struck first, 11 minutes into the 
game. Midfielder Oscar Dueso 
sent a long pass to forward John 
Gates, who beat three Michigan 
defenders to put it in the goal. 

While 
Loyola 
got 
going 

offensively, its defense held the 
Wolverines to only two shots. 
Their defensive scheme forced 
Michigan to take shots from the 
corners instead of getting quality 
chances in front.

In the middle of the first half, 

junior forward Evan Rasmussen 
sent a pass toward the box 
where junior forward Moshtaba 
Al-Hasnawi was wide open, but 
the timing of the pass was off, 
and the chance was lost. These 

mistakes plagued the Wolverines 
as the offense sputtered in the first 
half.

“I think for us it is important 

that 
we 
are 
aggressive 
and 

unselfish,” Michigan coach Chaka 
Daley said. “I think those are the 
two things that we want to remind 
the players about.” 

After the intermission, the 

Wolverines came out of the locker 
room firing on all cylinders. 
Michigan matched its first half 
shot count in the first two minutes 
of the second half. 

Accurate 
passes 
led 
to 

longer possessions and scoring 
opportunities. Fifth-year senior 
midfielder Marc Ybarra drew a 
penalty kick and scored to tie the 
game at one. 

“At halftime, we talked about 

being aggressive in our mindset 
and how we play,” Daley said. “The 
second half was very frantic for 
their back three and as a result, 
they made a couple mistakes. 
Fortunately, we took advantage of 
those mistakes.” 

Michigan held Loyola nearly 

shotless in the second half, with 
the Ramblers lone opportunity 

coming in the 64th minute. The 
Loyola attacker found himself 
one-on-one with the goalie, but 
freshman 
goalkeeper 
Hayden 

Evans came up with a big save to 
keep the game tied. 

Four 
minutes 
later, 
the 

Wolverines 
capitalized 
on 

an opportunity of their own. 
Michigan had good movement in 
front of the opposing net, leading 
to a goal from junior forward 
Inaki Rodriguez on a pass from 
freshman defender Jason Buckner, 
giving the Wolverines a 2-1 lead.

For the rest of the second 

half, Michigan played aggressive 
defense and kept the Ramblers 
outside of the offensive zone. 

All in all, the Wolverines held on 

for the win, but left something to 
be desired. 

“We 
created 
mistakes 
for 

Loyola late in the game and stole 
a goal,” Daley said. “We are now 
creating them in the run of play, 
so now we can put together a full 
performance. We are gonna have 
to start (putting together full 
performances) as our games get 
more challenging, certainly when 
the Big Ten slate starts.”

Halftime adjustments key win for 

Wolverines on Labor Day

MARK PATRICK

Daily Sports Writer

JEREMY WEINE/Daily 

Michigan defender Janiece Joyner initiated multiple deadly counterattacks in its game against DePaul
JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily 

Michigan sophomore attacker Sammi Woods created several chances against DePaul.

FILE PHOTO/Daily 

Michigan men’s golf placed third in the Island Resort Intercollegiate.

MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily 

Michigan junior forward Inaki Rodriguez scored the game-winning goal against Duke on Monday.

