The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 — 11

Trailing 
1-0 
in 
the 
66th 

minute, junior forward Evan 
Rasmussen slid the ball past 
the New Hampshire defenders 
to sophomore midfielder Bryce 
Blevins. Blevins took aim from 
inside the 18-yard box and fired 
a shot into the left-side netting, 
failing to put it on target.

Blevins’s scoring opportunity 

was one of many for the Michigan 
men’s soccer team (2-2-1) in the 
second 
half, 
but 

none 
found 
the 

back of the net. As 
such, No. 12 New 
Hampshire 
(5-0-

0) 
escaped 
Ann 

Arbor with a 1-0 
victory 
over 
the 

Wolverines.

New 

Hampshire’s 
single goal came 
off of a corner 
kick in the 38th 
minute. The ball 
took a deflection 
in Michigan’s box, 
falling at the feet of 
Wildcat junior Bilal 
Kamal, who then 
swiftly placed it in 
the top right corner 
of Michigan’s net.

With the Wolverines losing 1-0, 

Blevins’s opportunity sparked a 
momentum change in U-M Soccer 
Stadium. The fans got louder and 
the offense opened up for the 
Wolverines. A mere two minutes 
after Blevins’s chance, fifth-year 
defender Austin Swiech fired a 
shot on goal after the ball landed 
at his feet following a Michigan 
corner kick. New Hampshire 
goalkeeper 
Jassem 
Koleilat 

saved the shot, but it bounced 
back to Rasmussen for another 
opportunity. Koleilat was there to 
make the save yet again, keeping 
the lead intact for the Wildcats.

“I think we absolutely tore 

them apart (in the second half),” 
Michigan coach Chaka Daley 
said. “They were fortunate to get 
out of here. But, the game is about 
margins. They had a real chance 
to miss in the first half, a half-
chance they scored on, and we had 
five legit chances in and around 
the box in the second half.”

The Wolverines finished the 

game with 10 shots, eight of which 
came in the second half. New 
Hampshire finished with 11 shots, 
five of which came in the second 
half.

Despite the loss, there were 

many positives for the Wolverines 
to build off of going forward.

Rasmussen 
displayed 
a 

knack for finding the ball in 
scoring positions throughout 
the game, as his three shots 
led the Wolverines. His best 
chance came in the 85th minute 
when he found the ball at his 
feet shortly after a Michigan 
free kick was played into the 
box. Rasmussen fired a rocket 
toward the top left corner of 
the net, but Koleilat managed 
to tip it over the crossbar for a 
Michigan corner kick. 

Another bright spot for the 

Wolverines was the talent on 
display by their underclassmen.

Freshman 
defender 
Jason 

Bucknor swept past opposing 
players with the ball at his feet, 
making it look easy in the process. 
After pushing up the field in the 
84th minute, he played a cross into 
the middle of the box that could 
have produced a goal on another 
day.

Despite pushing forward into 

the attack, Bucknor’s most notable 
moment came in the Wolverines’ 
defensive third. With a Wildcat 
pressuring him from behind, 

Bucknor displayed 
some flair, flicking 
the ball into the 
air and clearing it 
with an impressive 
overhead kick.

Another 

underclassman 
with an impressive 
performance 
was 
freshman 

goalkeeper 
Hayden Evans. In 
the 84th minute, 
New 
Hampshire 

forward 
Victor 

Menudier got on 
the end of a long 
pass 
and 
found 

himself one-on-one 
with Evans. Evans 
stayed 
composed, 

managing to deflect Menudier’s 
shot to the right of the net, and 
ultimately finished the game with 
four saves.

Despite 
some 
strong 

performances, 
this 
young 

Wolverine team ultimately fell 
short Friday.

“Everything is not always 

going to go your way. And again, 
that doesn’t mean you need to 
concede goals, right, or concede 
momentum,” Daley said. “You’ve 
still got to be comfortable in your 
own skin if things are against you. 
Just kind of weather the storm, 
a little bit, and that comes with a 
little bit of maturity.”

Blown fourth set downs Wolverines

With the game in its infancy, 

the Michigan women’s soccer 
team made a rare mistake:

It turned the ball over in 

its defensive third. Cincinnati 
midfielder Lauren Bastian moved 
the ball to forward Vanessa 
DiNardo, who took the first shot 
of the game and scored.

The 16th-ranked Wolverines 

(6-1-1 overall) then found their 
backs against the wall, a position 
that 
felt 
unfamiliar; 
usually, 

they take the ball early and 
relentlessly attack the opposition. 
Cincinnati neutralized that attack 
all through the first half, and 
Michigan looked like it would 
return home from its weekend 
road trip without a win.

Heading into the locker room 

at 
halftime, 
the 
Wolverines 

needed a change.

“We 
were 
kind 
of 
the 

underdogs in that moment, and 
we decided we’ve got 45 minutes 
to change that,” senior midfielder 
Raleigh Loughman said. “It’s a 
Sunday game, so you’ve always 
gotta fight it out. We went into 
that with a fighting mindset.”

That mindset led to a pair of 

second-half goals and guided 
Michigan’s 
approach 
to 
its 

weekend road games. On Friday, 
after tying Louisville (4-1-1) at 
a goal apiece in a game where 
they dominated possession, the 
Wolverines utilized their deep 
roster to battle for a 2-1 win 
against Cincinnati (4-3-1).

Michigan’s offense has found 

a consistent pattern this season. 
It generates dozens of shots 
every game, but struggles to turn 
them into goals. The Wolverines 
addressed those challenges this 
weekend.

Against 
the 
Cardinals, 

Michigan started the game in 
its usual position: the driver’s 
seat. Fifth-year senior midfielder 
Nicki Hernandez scored the 
Wolverines’ goal in the 19th 
minute after Loughman and 
junior midfielder Dani Wolfe 
worked the ball past the defense.

But 
Michigan 
faced 
stiff 

competition following the goal. 
Midfielder Nina Nicosia slipped 
Louisville’s first shot of the game 
past fifth-year goalkeeper Hillary 
Beall in the 21st minute. The 
Wolverines dominated possession 
and made 24 shots, throwing all 
they had on net. But the finish that 
has eluded them all season proved 
absent once again.

Substitutions came early and 

often in both games. A calling 
card of Michigan’s team, those 
decisions kept the Wolverines’ 
energy 
high 
against 
both 

opponents. 
Michigan 
coach 

Jennifer Klein utilized 19 outfield 
players against the Cardinals and 
18 against the Bearcats.

“You’ve 
gotta 
trust 
your 

players,” Klein said. “And you 
have to trust that the work that 
they’re doing every week in 
practice is preparing them for 
those moments.”

In adjusting from its first 

game of the weekend, Michigan 
focused 
on 
maximizing 
the 

danger of its chances against 
Cincinnati. This was a marked 
change from Friday’s match in 
which the Wolverines peppered 
the 
goalkeeper 
with 
lower-

quality threats.

“Sometimes we can have a lot of 

shots, but they weren’t necessarily 
great opportunities,” Loughman 
said. “So I think we actually did 

better (against Cincinnati) with 
creating good opportunities.”

Cincinnati scored its early goal, 

but the Wolverines refused to roll 
over. As the midfield worked the 
ball toward the Bearcats’ goal, 
Loughman played deeper in the 
offensive zone. Senior midfielder 
Meredith Haakenson found a 
break in the Cincinnati defense, 
connecting with Loughman for a 
goal. Michigan had drawn even in 
the 62nd minute.

Loughman wasn’t done scoring 

though. Her deep pressure forced 
a yellow card from Cincinnati 
midfielder Taylor Nuncio that 
resulted 
in 
a 
penalty 
kick. 

Loughman ripped it deep into the 
net in the 64th minute, giving her 
team the lead. After a back-and-
forth battle the rest of the game, 
Beall put the finishing touches on 
the Wolverines’ victory when she 
snagged a penalty kick in the 87th 
minute.

Michigan’s changes had paid 

off.

The result in Louisville wasn’t 

what 
Michigan 
wanted, 
but 

the team switched its approach 
after a slow start in Cincinnati. 
Questions 
about 
finishing 

opportunities came closer to 
answers than they’ve been all 
season, which bodes well as the 
Wolverines enter a tough Big Ten 
campaign.

‘M’ utilizes adjustments to come 
away from road trip with win, draw

JACK GLANVILLE

For The Daily

CONNOR EAREGOOD

Daily Sports Writer
Victory 
against 
North 

Carolina was in their hands 
in front of an energetic crowd 
at 
Crisler 
Center. 
Leading 

the match 2-1 and building a 
comfortable 23-18 lead in the 
fourth set, all the Wolverines 
needed was two points to hand 
the Tar Heels their first loss of 
the season. 

But two points were evidently 

too much for Michigan. 

Instead, 
the 
Michigan 

volleyball team (4-2 overall) 
crumbled under a punishing 
7-0 run from North Carolina. 
Despite 
calling 
multiple 

timeouts and making difficult 
digs to extend points, the 
Wolverines had no answer 
for 
outside 
hitter 
Mabrey 

Shaffmaster’s aerial assault. 

The freshman carried out 
four demoralizing kills in the 
final seven points to secure 
the set that would propel 
the Tar Heels to a five-set 
victory.

“(Shaffmaster) started just 

teeing off,” Michigan coach 
Mark Rosen said. “... And 
next thing you know, now all 
of a sudden the momentum’s 
spinning.” 

Before 
Shaffmaster’s 

mastery at the net, however, 
Michigan was cruising in the 
would-be-clinching fourth set.

Early in the set, junior 

middle blockers Jess Robinson 
and May Pertofsky combined 
for an emphatic rejection of 
a Shaffmaster attack. Their 
block traveled near the back 
line of the court, soaring past 
the North Carolina defense and 
out of reach. 

Senior outside hitter Paige 

Jones, who was quiet earlier 
in the match, was starting to 
heat up. Following a clean set 
by sophomore setter Scottee 
Johnson, Jones ran up the 
sideline 
and 
took 
flight, 

launching the volleyball into 
the face of North Carolina 
outside hitter Parker Austin for 
a savage kill that tied the game 
at four. 

Two 
points 
later, 
Jones 

continued her display of force, 
attacking Austin once again. 
This time, Austin managed to 
get a hand on the ball, but it 

shanked out of bounds and into 
the stands. 

Jones entered into a serious 

rhythm 
by 
the 
middle 
of 

the game. At 12-9, she was 
commanding the outside with 
multiple strong attacks that 
had the Tar Heel defense 
scrambling. She then ran in 
for a finishing blow following 
another great set from Johnson 
to finish the lengthy point. 

The array of kills from 

Jones had the defense on their 
heels. Eyeing a clean set, Jones 
leaped into the air and cocked 

her hand back. Expecting yet 
another strong attack, North 
Carolina retreated, only for 
Jones to roll-shot the ball over 
the net, landing on the floor 
before a sprawling Tar Heel 
could dig. The crafty kill put 
the Wolverines up 16-12, and 
momentum was squarely with 
them. 

“We have four really good 

scoring positions,” Rosen said. 
“We were playing very well. … 
We were playing phenomenal.” 

The 
phenomenal 
play 

continued for Michigan as 
sophomore outside hitter Jess 
Mruzik, coming off a career-
high 
31 
kill 
performance 

on Friday, painted the back 
corner of the court for an ace, 
forcing North Carolina to call a 
timeout. 

The 
Wolverine 
lead 

continued to grow, but at 23-18, 
a block by Austin and middle 
blocker Skyy Howard on an 
attack by Jones turned the tide, 
sparking the 7-0 run that ended 
the game. Following Michigan’s 
collapse, it was clear the tables 
of the match had turned. 

With 
the 
Tar 
Heels 

rallying, 
the 
crowd 
grew 

loud 
in 
response, 
but 
a 

miscommunication 
involving 

Jones led to a service ace by 
defensive specialist Karenna 
Wurl, 
whose 
serve 
landed 

relatively slowly onto the floor 
with no defender there to pass, 
bringing the margin within 
two.

With the score tied at 23, 

Robinson’s attack was rejected 
by outside hitter Kaya Merkler. 
Next, it was none other than 
Shaffmaster who ended the 
furious comeback with yet 
another kill. 

The 
momentum 
North 

Carolina carried after its late 
surge was too much for the 
Wolverines to overcome in the 
final frame, as they lacked a 
consistent attack and made a 
handful of unforced errors in 
the 15-9 fifth-set loss.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Hey let’s 

just move on to the next set,’ ” 
Rosen said. “But that’s a hard 
hurdle to kind of get over. … 
(This was) hopefully a good 
learning opportunity for us.”

Poor first half spells doom for 
Michigan in ranked matchup

PAUL NASR

Daily Sports Writer

Confirming its newly minted 

No. 1 national ranking, the 
Michigan field hockey team 
made a statement in a 12-0 rout 
of Ball State in its home opener 
on 
Friday. 
The 
Cardinals 

were 
prevented 
from 
even 

attempting to make a dent in 
the score, finishing with zero 
shots and zero corners in the 
game.

In contrast, the Wolverines 

posted 39 total shots, 33 of 
which were on goal. Notably, 
none 
of 
Michigan’s 
goals 

came off a corner shot, despite 
the Wolverines receiving 14 
opportunities to do so. In the 
three games since their 3-2 
dogfight over former No. 1 
North Carolina, Michigan has 
scored 22 unanswered goals and 
allowed only six shots.

While 
seven 
Michigan 

players joined in on Friday’s 
scoring, senior midfielder Sofia 
Southam provided the plurality 
of the goals, scoring five and 
breaking the Michigan record 
for goals in a single game, 
previously set at four by Rachael 
Mack in 2013. 

“It feels great, but it’s a team 

sport, there’s no one single 
person,” Southam said. “We’ve 
always had this great team 
connection.”

Asked about the dominant 

start to the season, Southam 
emphasized 
the 
team’s 

mentality.

“We’re not focusing on the 

outcome, we’re focusing on 
doing the right thing every 
practice, every play,” Southam 
said. “We’re keeping it day-by-
day, game-by-game.”

For the Wolverines, any fears 

of fatigue from their springtime 
national runner-up campaign 
appear to be unfounded. With 
this year’s finals being hosted 
in Ann Arbor in the 20th 
anniversary year of Michigan’s 
lone national title win, Michigan 
coach Marcia Pankratz — who 
has led the team to all five of 
its Final Four appearances — 
welcomed her team’s early-
season play as they look toward 
a formidable Big Ten conference 
season and beyond.

“We’re a very deep and 

versatile team, so we can run 
lines almost like an ice hockey 
game,” Pankratz said. “(The 
team is) going to play as hard 
as they can until they get tired 

and switch out. In practice, the 
younger players are getting reps 
at a high tempo against some 
of the country’s best players. 
They’re 
getting 
better 
and 

better and better.”

In addition to Southam’s 

five goals, senior forward Tina 
D’Anjolell 
also 
scored 
two 

goals in two shots. Freshman 
midfielder Abby Tamer led 
the team with two assists, 
adding a goal for three points 
in total. Redshirt senior mid-
back Emma Tamer and redshirt 
senior 
back 
Halle 
O’Neill 

finished second and third on 
the team in shots with six and 
five, respectively, but both 
players were unable to find the 
back of the net. Freshman back 
Emmy Tran and sophomore 
forward Katelyn Clarke scored 
their first career goals in the 
third 
and 
fourth 
quarters, 

respectively.

With this being Michigan’s 

first home game with fans 
since the 2019 season, emotions 
were high, both in the stands 
and on the field. Following the 
game, Pankratz summed up her 
elation:

“What a great night to play 

field hockey in Ann Arbor, 
right?”

No trouble for new No. 1 as Wolverines 

easily blow out Ball State

DAVID WOELKERS

For The Daily

GRACE BEAL/Daily 

Michigan senior outside hitter Paige Jones dominated the start of fourth set.

JEREMY WEINE/Daily 

Michigan senior midfielder Raleigh Loughman built chances through the 
midfield.

BECCA MAHON/Daily 

Michigan junior forward Evan Rasmussen failed to capitalize on 
chances.

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily 

Michigan freshman fullback Emmy Tran scored her first goal in the rout of Ball State.

