The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 — 11
Front row improvements spur
Michigan past Michigan State
The
No.
18
Michigan
women’s soccer team found
itself in a place it has been
three times this season: tied
at the end of regulation. The
Wolverines (7-1-2 overall, 1-0-1
Big Ten) battled Wisconsin
(7-1-3, 2-0-1) for 90 minutes,
but
staunch
defense
and
limited offensive opportunities
on both sides forced the game
to overtime.
After a lackluster first 90
minutes, the two overtime
periods offered both teams
a chance to gain momentum
and muster out a win. But the
defensive stalemate continued,
forcing the game to a scoreless
tie.
Although
Michigan
has
plenty of overtime experience,
it could not channel that into a
win, settling for one point in a
highly contested Big Ten.
“Our league is really really
difficult,”
Michigan
coach
Jennifer Klein said. “Every
team is going to be tough. Every
game is going to be a battle and
they’re going to push you to the
very, very end. ... I think overall
it’s just we’re getting a point on
the board today which is really
key for us within the league.”
Michigan entered the game
averaging over 23 shots per
game, fifth best in the country.
However,
throughout
the
game, the Wolverines found
themselves searching for shots
on
goal.
Senior
midfielder
Meredith
Haakenson
took
the first shot for Michigan 16
minutes into the game. The
Wolverines only forced the
Badgers to make one save
throughout the game and never
produced any real offensive
pressure.
Despite
junior
defender
Jayde
Riviere’s
breakaway
speed
and
superior
ball
handling, she never created
enough separation to deliver
a
good
shot.
This
was
emblematic of the rest of the
team’s struggles to get good
chances in front of the goal.
The Wolverines had 13 shots
and only one on goal, a far
cry from their usual average.
This was the second game this
season Michigan has failed to
score, despite notching a clean
sheet for the fifth time.
Given
the
sparing
shots
on both sides, neither team
gained any real momentum
throughout
the
game.
The
Wolverines controlled the ball
in the midfield and in their
offensive third for the majority
of the game, but Wisconsin’s
defense thwarted any offensive
attacks.
“Wisconsin’s a gritty team,”
fifth-year goalkeeper Hillary
Beall said. “They’ve always
been a gritty team. I think
that they just bring that extra
step when we play them. Their
energy is pretty good.”
Michigan’s defense was a
key part of why the Badgers
never scored. Wisconsin also
managed only one shot on goal,
with 10 shots in total. The ball
was cleared out of the Badgers’
offensive third quickly and
efficiently
throughout
the
game.
“I think our centerbacks
did
a
phenomenal
job
of
stepping up and really getting
in there with grit,” Beall said.
“(Graduate
defender)
Alia
Martin and (senior defender)
Sydney Shepherd played high
top. I’m so grateful to have
them back there.”
The
Wolverines
relied
on their depth, consistently
rotating players in. The team
returned all of its starters
from last season, enabling it
to jell quickly and get off to a
good start thus far. This helped
the team withstand the 110
minutes of gritty soccer.
“Something that we’ve been
preaching to our team is that
we are a team very fortunate
with depth,” Klein said. “...
We were able to keep going,
put players on, try to rotate.
I think it allowed us to keep
the momentum and push, just
unfortunate that we didn’t get
a goal today.”
Michigan’s depth was tested
in the first overtime period
when Riviere took a hard hit to
the head. Wisconsin midfielder
Emma Jaskaniec received a
yellow card for the hit and
Riviere did not return to the
game.
“Jayde is a player who
is
always
going
to
bring
something special when she’s
on
the
field,”
Klein
said.
“Whether it’s just her tactical
ability or her ability within,
speed and everything like that.
When you lose that player it
definitely
takes
something
away, but I am still really proud
of the players that we put on.”
The most exciting action
came
during
the
second
overtime
period
when
the
Badgers took three consecutive
corner
kicks.
Each
time,
the Wolverines stacked the
box and cleared the ball out
successfully.
Down their best player and
having already played 100-plus
minutes, Michigan looked to
have ceded the momentum.
Still, the Wolverines held their
ground and didn’t allow a goal
despite three close calls. They
took a possibly game-changing
set of plays to force the
momentum back to their side.
With the offense sputtering,
Michigan’s
defense
played
a pivotal role, allowing the
Wolverines to muster out a
point.
“We’re in the hunt for a Big
Ten
Championship,”
Beall
said. “We didn’t drop a game,
we obviously got a point out
of it. Definitely defensively
killing it the past few games.
Defending, we’re just doing
great and I think if we can get
on the board we’re going to be
really great.”
‘M’ battles to scoreless draw
LILY ISRAEL
Daily Sports Writer
Down 24-23 in the second set,
sophomore outside hitter Jess
Mruzik stepped up to serve.
She took a deep breath, tossed
the ball up and promptly hit it
into the tape. As the ball came
crashing down to the ground, a
look of disappointment washed
over the Michigan players’
faces. After cutting an 11-point
deficit to one, the issues that
had plagued the Wolverine’s
outside hitters early in Sunday’s
match returned to cost them.
Plenty
of
hitting
errors
stemming
from
Michigan’s
outside hitters, combined with
inefficient blocking, constantly
put the Wolverines behind
early in sets. It didn’t help that
Michigan State outside hitter
Sarah Franklin rarely missed
her kills early on, further
highlighting the issues on the
Michigan front row.
But
despite
early-set
struggles,
the
Wolverine’s
front swung momentum back in
their direction. Led by Mruzik
and senior outside hitter Paige
Jones, who combined for six
kills and a service ace in the
span of 14 points, Michigan
nearly came back from a 21-10
deficit
in
the
second
set,
ultimately succumbing to a
25-23 defeat, tying the match at
one set apiece.
“I
wasn’t
swinging
aggressively and that kind of
got me into trouble,” Jones said.
“(Michigan coach Mark Rosen)
came up to us and told us that
we need to start banging it out
in trouble. Most of the time
you get some good touches off
of that ... so I just went up and
swung away.”
Michigan’s
front
row
continued to improve in the
later sets, building off the
momentum
that
they
had
created on their second set run.
Junior middle blocker May
Pertofsky began to get more
involved, recording eight kills
and four blocks.
“Late in the game May did
a great job of coming in and
helping block a couple times,”
Rosen said. “Even though there
was speed around her, she was
able to ignore that speed and go
get the big hit.”
The Wolverine front row
finally brought it all together
at the end of the fourth set.
Tied 25-25, freshman middle
blocker Jacque Boney showed
her mettle. Boney got up close
and personal with the Spartan
attackers, earning the point
on a powerful block. Just two
points later, Boney did it again,
giving Michigan a 27-26 lead.
The Wolverines closed it out
on the next attack, claiming
the fourth set and the 3-1
victory.
“She’s a young player and
she still has a lot of things to
learn, but she just has an innate
ability to block balls.” Rosen
said. “Those were huge points
... but she does that a lot. It’s too
many times to be an accident.”
Michigan’s slow start up
front led to a dropped set and
a heavily contested match. The
front row’s turnaround then
became the anchor to their
victory. For the Wolverines
to find success, their middle
blockers and outside hitters
need to begin each match at the
level they ended it on Sunday.
BECCA MAHON/Daily
Paige Jones had 16 kills in Michigan’s win over Michigan State.
DOMINICK SOKOTOFF/Daily
Michigan fifth-year goalkeeper Hillary Beall kicks the ball.
NOAH KINGSLEY
For The Daily
After a successful road trip
to Ithaca, N.Y, the Michigan
field hockey team (8-0 overall,
1-0 Big Ten) enjoyed a return to
Ocker Field as they faced No.
25 Michigan State (6-2, 0-2)
and No. 23 Kent State (5-3).
The two games played vastly
different for the Wolverines,
but ultimately they swept the
weekend series, beating the
Spartans 6-1 and the Golden
Flash 2-1, to remain undefeated
on the year.
Against Michigan State on
Friday, Michigan burst out
of the gate with a familiar
aggressiveness, scoring twice
within the first five minutes
of
the
game.
Sophomore
midfielder Anouk Veen added
the second goal via a penalty
corner shot inserted by senior
midfielder Kathryn Peterson.
“The past few weeks I’ve
had some frustrating misses
off corner shots,” Veen said. “It
was good to finally score and
finally convert.”
Mere seconds before the
halftime buzzer, the Spartans
took advantage of a blocked
shot bouncing back to their
forward Hannah Jarvie, who
sent it to the back of the net
and cut the score to 2-1. That
score would hold until Veen
converted
another
penalty
corner shot in the 40th minute
to make it 3-1. From there,
the
floodgates
opened
for
Michigan’s scoring, as three
different players added goals.
By the end of the game, a tight
contest became a 6-1 blowout.
“We’re a very deep and
versatile
team,”
Michigan
coach Marcia Pankratz said.
“We ask the girls to give it their
all as long as they can because
we have the depth to relieve
them when they get tired.”
In contrast to the offensive
performance that won out
against Michigan State, the
Wolverines
seemed
unable
to find a consistent posture
against the Golden Flashes.
Michigan was held out of
the goal column the entire
first half, a first in the young
season.
“They played tough, and we
knew they would,” Pankratz
said. “We had to stay patient
when we weren’t getting the
opportunities we wanted.”
Kent State dominated the
second quarter’s possessions,
holding
Michigan
to
zero
shots
while
adding
four
unsuccessful shots of their
own. Ultimately though, it was
the third quarter that provided
the majority of the game’s
scoring,
with
a
Michigan
penalty corner from senior
midfielder
Sofia
Southam
being quickly answered by
a Kent State equalizer. The
game was finally put away on
a 52nd minute penalty corner,
converted again off the stick of
Southam.
Southam
finished
the
weekend at 13 total season
goals, tied with North Carolina
forward Erin Matson for the
most in Division I.
“Most of my goals have
come off great team work and
team passing,” Southam said.
“Having that team dynamic is
huge for us.”
Wolverines sweep weekend on
Championship anniverary
DAVID WOELKERS
For The Daily
ANNA FUDER/Daily
Michigan Anouk Veen scored two goals in Michigan’s two weekend wins.
The Michigan hockey team
has learned to take nothing for
granted.
Six months ago, on the eve
of the beginning of NCAA
tournament play in Fargo, N.D.,
its season abruptly ended due
to COVID-19 concerns within
the program. The cancelation
was a devastating blow for
the Wolverines, who had a
promising season and overcame
multiple
pandemic-related
pauses to make it to that point.
Eyeing the start to what is
expected to be its first full
season in over two years,
Michigan isn’t looking back.
The team is controlling what
it can control, starting with
practice.
“The practices that we’ve had
have been very competitive,”
Michigan coach Mel Pearson
said. “Very high paced, very
high spirited, right off the get
go. This (is my) 40th year now
at the Division 1 level coaching
… and I can say that this year,
it’s been as competitive on the
ice as any of them.”
For a team loaded with
NHL talent — including five
2021 first round picks — but
lacking postseason experience,
intense practices are vital to
preparing the team for the
demands of the season ahead.
Given that the previous two
NCAA
tournaments
were
canceled
due
to
COVID-19
and the Wolverines failed to
qualify in 2019, a vast majority
of Michigan’s roster has never
partaken in NCAA tournament
action.
Moreover, the Wolverines’
young
core
—
featuring
sophomore defenseman Owen
Power,
sophomore
forward
Matty
Beniers,
freshman
defenseman
Luke
Hughes
and sophomore forward Kent
Johnson — have yet to play a
college game in front of fans.
To
compensate,
Michigan
has relied on its leadership to
set the tone throughout the
preseason.
“You have so many guys who
just want to get better every
day,” senior defenseman and
captain Nick Blankenburg said.
“That’s huge just coming into
practice because you see how
hard guys are working and how
hard guys are trying to earn
spots on the roster and you love
to see it every day.”
With such a deep roster,
Pearson will have to make
difficult decisions each game
as to who to dress. Players
further in the depth chart are
hyperaware of that and are
spurring improvement amongst
the star-studded first lines in
the process.
“I
think
tensions
might
get a little high sometimes,”
Blankenburg said. “Just because
guys are so competitive, but
that’s a good problem to have.”
Seemingly
secure
roster
positions, such as the goalie
position,
remain
a
daily
competition at practice and are
exasperated by the heightened
competitive nature. Although
sophomore Erik Portillo is the
expected starter, sophomore
Noah West and senior Jack
Leavy are both capable players
vying for playing time.
Michigan will battle Bowling
Green
on
Saturday
in
an
exhibition, with the regular
season beginning the following
weekend in a series versus Lake
Superior State. The Wolverines
look
to
balance
intense
practice sessions with tactful
management of their bodies as
the first full season nears for
many members of the roster.
“Our biggest concern right
now is to just make sure we stay
focused on the task at hand,
and control all we can control,”
Pearson said.
At least for the immediate
future, the task at hand for
Michigan
is
practice.
As
preparations wrap-up for the
Wolverines, their added edge
leads the way.
“I’ve seen it the last few
weeks,” Beniers said. “We’ve
been going hard. … We were
going off the ice one day and
some of the guys were like, ‘I
think our practices are harder
than some of the games we play,’
which is kind of just a testament
to how it’s been going so far.”
Added edge at practice fuels
Michigan as season looms
PAUL NASR
Daily Sports Writer
JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily
Michigan sophomore forward Matty Beniers has 24 points in the 2020-21 hockey season.