The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
8 — Wednesday, November 17, 2021 

When the Michigan women’s soccer team 
took the field against Bowling Green on Friday, 
its starting lineup had only one thing that it 
noticeably lacked: 
Underclassmen. 
Of the Wolverines’ 11 starters, three were 
juniors, four were seniors and another four were 
either graduate students or fifth-year seniors. 
And from the way Michigan dominated the 
Falcons en route to a 3-0 victory, it’s clear that 
this leadership is central to the team’s success. 
Every facet of the Wolverines’ lineup is 
anchored by experience. On offense, Michigan 
was led by senior midfielder Meredith 
Haakenson and fifth-year midfielder Nicki 
Hernandez. 
Defensively, 
senior 
Sydney 
Shepherd and junior Jade Riviere stymied 
the Falcons. Even in the net Michigan had 
experience with fifth-year senior and four-year 
starter Hillary Beall posting a clean sheet.

From the game’s opening kickoff, the result 
never looked in doubt. Not only did the Wolverines 
outshoot, out-muscle and outscore the Falcons in 
what would be a physical opening to the NCAA 
Tournament, they flat out out-played them as 
well. Michigan was the aggressor throughout the 
entire game. Offensively, it dominated possession, 
playing the vast majority of the game in Bowling 
Green’s territory and constantly threatening to 
put the ball in the back of the net. Defensively they 
were stifling, holding the Falcons to five shots, 
none of which were on target. 
The poise that the Wolverines played with 
on Friday stems from experience, and that 
experience is part of what separates this team 
from past iterations of itself. They play like a team 

who has been here before — because they have. 
All 11 of the Wolverines’ starters were members 
of the 2019 team that suffered a crushing 
overtime loss in the Big Ten Championship 
and made it to the third round of the NCAA 
Tournament. And it is precisely the experience 
that they carry with them that propels them to 
victory. 
“To have that experience is unbelievable,” 
said Michigan coach Jennifer Klein. “It’s so 
valuable to have players that know what to 
expect. They’re not going to get rattled under 
pressure or when dealing with adversity.” 
This Michigan team isn’t one that gets 
nervous, or at least it doesn’t play like it, 
something that came through in Friday’s game. 
Defensively, the Wolverines didn’t stutter. They 
didn’t make unnecessary passes, they didn’t 
cough up the ball in dangerous situations and 
any time the Falcons approached the net, they 
didn’t shy away from making tackles in their 
own penalty box — because they have been there 
before.
“Their composure has been great,” said Klein, 
speaking of the defense. “They start 
our play for us, and they did a very, 
very good job tonight.”
Offensively, the experience and 
confidence of the Wolverines was 
equally apparent. On all three of 
their goals, the Wolverines played 
meticulously and with patience. 
When 
Haakenson 
opened 
the 
scoring in the 18th minute, it was 
the result of three straight crosses 
into the Falcons box off of a corner. 
When Hernandez stormed down 
the left side of the field and into a 
one-on-one situation with Bowling 
Green’s goalkeeper in the 59th 
minute, she took the time to cut to 
the left at the last moment before 
firing the ball into the top-left 
corner of the net. 
The Wolverines play with the confidence and 
composure of veterans, and this makes every 
player on their team better — underclassmen 
included. In the 77th minute, Haakenson would 
once again take the time to create a better 
opportunity for her team, and it once again 
resulted in a goal, this time for sophomore 
forward Kacey Lawrence’s third goal of the 
season. 
With Michigan’s 3-0 victory, it keeps its title 
hopes alive. As the Wolverines continue their 
tournament run, experience will be necessary. 
Shepherd explained it best:
“We’ve gone through this before, we know 
what it’s like.”

Wolverines’ experience shows in 
its 3-0 victory over Bowling Green 

In old EA Sports NHL games, every 
roster included a “hero line” that you 
could use in close games or in tough 
road environments. Each team’s best 
players would all take the ice together, 
and you could wreak havoc by ripping 
shot after shot on goal.
Against Penn State last weekend, 
the No. 1 Michigan hockey team 
played with a hero line of its own.
Michigan coach Mel Pearson 
broke 
up 
sophomore 
forwards 
Thomas Bordeleau and Brendan 

Brisson — a duo that had struggled 
to create 5-on-5 chances. Instead, 
Brisson took the ice with sophomore 
forwards Kent Johnson and Matty 
Beniers. The trio combined for six 
out of the Wolverines’ 11 goals on the 
weekend against the Nittany Lions.
Most teams can’t afford to put their 
best shooter with their best facilitator 
and hottest hand. They might send 
them out on a power play, but throwing 
them into a 5-on-5 situation puts all 
the offensive eggs in one proverbial 
basket. If they can’t get the job done, 
the offense is out of luck.
But the Wolverines aren’t like 
most teams. With depth scorers 
like Bordeleau, junior 
forward Johnny Beecher 
and freshman forward 
Mackie 
Samoskevich 
— all valuable NHL 
prospects 
— 
the 
Wolverines can afford to 
concentrate their offense 
on one line.
The on-ice product 
looks 
astonishing, 
with slick tape-to-tape 
passing that utilizes all 
players on the ice. It’s 
like a big game of keep-
away, and Michigan’s 
got the puck. A sheer 

abundance of scoring options permits 
that movement, and teams like Penn 
State can’t just choose to shut down 
one shooter.
“It’s pretty easy to play with 
guys like that because they get 
open well,” Beniers said. “You don’t 
really have to ever call for pucks 
because they know you’re there. 
They’ll just pass it to you.”
Despite the trio’s success last 
week, the Wolverines need to ensure 
they can find opportunities four 
lines deep. Teams with experienced, 
skilled forwards like Notre Dame 
and Minnesota will find the right 
aggressive backcheckers on the ice to 
shut down one good line.
That’s something that Western 
Michigan exploited, stymieing the 
Beniers-Johnson-Brisson unit when 
they played together on the man 
advantage. The Wolverines scored 
once on 11 power plays over the series, 
losing the first game and barely 
squeaking out an overtime win at 
Lawson Arena. If those three struggle 
to score, it can be game over for the 
offense.
Shutting down that line bodes 
well for other teams, but the added 
attention opens up chances for other 
players to score. As a result of Penn 
State’s defensive mistakes — which 

came from shadowing the top line 
all series — Beecher tallied a goal 
and an assist this past weekend.The 
Wolverines are a deep team, and 
Pearson knows someone in their ranks 
can step up and feed the scoresheet.
“I like to run a team where you 
have 12 guys that can score,” Pearson 
said. “There’s really not a bottom six 
or top six even though numbers might 
indicate there is.”
It’s risky to frontload an offense, 
but as long as they’re scoring, it all 
works out. Sending out Johnson-
Beniers-Brisson 
worked 
against 
Penn State, and there’s little reason 
to break up their chemistry if that 
success continues. They’re scoring 
and backchecking hard, and that’s 
something opponents have to pay 
attention to.
“I’m not saying no one can shut us 
down,” Beniers said. “But I think it’d 
be really difficult.”
Michigan showed what its top 
dogs can do when they play together, 
proving it can kill opponents with a 
brutal offensive onslaught. In close 
games down the road, the Wolverines 
will likely find themselves needing a 
goal.
When that time comes, Michigan 
doesn’t need to make its own hero 
line. It’s already on the ice.

Wolverines’ top line carries offensive weight

CHARLIE PAPPALARDO
For The Daily

CONNOR EAREGOOD
Daily Sports Writer

STATE COLLEGE — The inevitability 
had set in. 
After leading by eight points for more 
than a full quarter of play, the No. 6 
Michigan football team found itself trailing. 
Moments earlier, Penn State had taken 
a three-point lead after a strip sack from 
defensive end Arnold Ebiketie led to a field 
goal. One drive before that, the Nittany 
Lions had converted on three fourth downs 
as part of a 15-play, 53-yard touchdown 
drive that tied the game. 
As junior quarterback Cade McNamara 
trotted onto the field for a comeback 
attempt with just under six minutes 
remaining, echoes of the Wolverines’ 
loss to Michigan State two weeks prior 
reverberated through Beaver Stadium. 
Michigan — especially Jim Harbaugh’s 
Michigan — couldn’t do it. It didn’t have the 
playmakers to pull out a comeback win on 
the road. 
And yet, it did. 
Six plays into perhaps the Wolverines’ 
season-defining 
drive, 
McNamara 
connected with junior tight end Erick All 
on a crossing route. As All cut up the field 
for what would become a 47-yard, game-
winning touchdown reception, one thing 
became abundantly clear: 
This 
Michigan 
does 
have 
the 
playmakers. 
Despite the Wolverines’ struggles to 
put the game away throughout the second 
half, they made big plays — on both sides 

of the ball — when they most desperately 
needed them. In those situations where the 
Michigan teams of the last six years would 
have folded under pressure, the Wolverines 
found the ability to make game-changing 
plays. 
“I think we got the most talent in the Big 
Ten,” senior edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson 
said. “Guys who stepped up this game and 
made a play.”
On the offensive side of the ball, 
McNamara was that playmaker. Regardless 
of any occasional missteps — he failed to 
connect on a few deep balls throughout 
the game — he made the right decisions 
and threw accurate balls when the offense 
needed him to. 
That was true even before the game-
winning touchdown pass. Early in the 
second quarter, after the Wolverines failed 
to convert a single first down on their initial 
two drives, McNamara orchestrated a 
15-play, 90-yard drive that consumed 7:30 
minutes of game clock. Seventy-eight of 
those yards — including a 21-yard dart to 
sophomore receiver Roman Wilson for the 
touchdown — came through the air. 
“He threw the ball before I was even 
looking,” Wilson said. “That was probably 
the best ball I’ve seen — I mean, he throws 
a lot of good passes — but at least that 
I’ve caught from him. I mean, that was 
beautiful.”
On defense, too, Michigan’s playmakers 
stepped up when they were needed most. 
On Penn State’s opening possession, after 
a pair of runs from quarterback Sean 
Clifford and a successful fake punt put the 
Nittany Lions in prime scoring position, 

Hutchinson and freshman linebacker 
Junior Colson sacked Clifford to force a 
field goal. It was the defense’s third sack on 
that drive alone. 
In moments where the Wolverines’ 
offense continued to sputter, the defense 
continued to make plays. Hutchinson 
ended Penn State’s third drive with a strip 
sack; junior edge rusher David Ojabo did 
the same on the final possession of the first 
half. After McNamara’s fourth quarter 
fumble gave the Nittany Lions the ball 
at Michigan’s 16, fifth-year safety Brad 
Hawkins put a hit on Clifford that forced 
another field goal. 
The defense rarely gave Clifford the time 
to make plays of his own. When the dust 
settled, the Wolverines had tallied seven 
sacks. 
“It gives us confidence,” McNamara 
said. “It makes us want to do well for them 
even more. We know it’s our job to go down 
the field and score points, but when they 
give us that extra momentum, it just gives 
us more confidence to go do it even more.”
That playmaking on both sides reflects 
a message that Michigan has preached all 
year: complementary football. Time and 
again this season, the defense has picked 
up the offense in moments where it has 
struggled. In most scenarios, the offense has 
been there to do the same for the defense. 
It’s been visible throughout the season. 
It was most visible in Saturday’s game. It 
was even visible after the postgame press 
conference, when Hutchinson expressed 
his faith in McNamara as the two stood up 
to leave:
“That’s my quarterback!”

In crucial moments, Michigan finds its playmakers

BRENDAN ROOSE
Daily Sports Editor

Sitting in the visiting media room 
at Beaver Stadium following the 
Michigan football team’s comeback, 
Jim Harbaugh was asked about the 
Wolverines’ performance in familiar 
territory.
Saturday had the makings of a 
textbook example of a game Michigan 
would lose in years past. Hell, even 
in weeks past. The sixth-ranked 
Wolverines blew an eight-point lead 
over Penn State midway through the 
fourth quarter and found themselves 
trailing less than a minute later. But 
instead of wilting the way Michigan 
did under similar duress in East 
Lansing two weeks prior when the 
Wolverines blew a 16-point second-

half lead, they responded with a game-
winning knockout blow on the next 
drive.
In doing so, they showed just 
how 
far 
they’ve 
come. 
More 
importantly, 
Saturday’s 
outcome 
revealed something important about 
Michigan’s makeup.
“This is a great win,” Harbaugh 
said on Saturday. “No doubt this team 
is full of all the championship qualities 
in guys, in football players. They were 
born to do this. They approach it like, 
‘We’re born for these kinds of days. 
Let’s go have at it.’ ”
Asked 
about 
his 
team’s 
championship qualities again on 
Monday 
afternoon, 
Harbaugh 
doubled down:
“I do believe they have those 
traits,” Harbaugh said. “I think 
they’re developing them. I know 

when I’m there on the sidelines, just 
the togetherness that our football 
team has. They’re for each other, and 
I’m sure it probably comes through 
on the TV, at least (for) people that 
watch the game. They saw the same 
thing coming through the TV: the 
excitement our team has and the 
togetherness.”
That wasn’t the case against 
Michigan State, but Michigan used 
its loss to the Spartans as a learning 
experience. The Wolverines met 
for a players-only meeting 48 hours 
after returning from East Lansing, 
determined 
to 
prevent 
similar 
downfalls in the future.
Michigan’s 12-player leadership 
council, which is responsible for 
communication between the team and 
coaches, called the meeting. All season 
long, it has allowed certain players to 

emerge as prominent voices within 
Schembechler Hall.
“We have a lot of great leaders,” 
senior linebacker Michael Barrett said 
Monday. “We have a lot of guys trying 
to win. We have a lot of guys trying to 
win. We have a lot of guys that like to 
play together, and just like (Harbaugh) 
said, that togetherness and having 
all those guys coming together, 
buying in and locking into it, that’s a 
championship team to me.”
Since Harbaugh’s winter staff 
overhaul, the program has become 
increasingly player-driven by design. 
According to Barrett, players made a 
pact during January workouts to hold 
each other accountable this season. 
Last year’s frustrating 2-4 campaign 
taught players there’s a big difference 
between saying they’re buying in and 
actually buying in.

“You can feel it, just with all the new 
changes,” Barrett said. “Everybody’s 
coming together. I feel like a lot of guys 
feel like it’s a brotherhood. It’s a little 
different than it has been before.”
Regardless of age or position, the 
Wolverines agreed to take a new 
approach this season. So far, the 
results are showing. Michigan could 
control its own destiny atop the Big 
Ten standings by Thanksgiving, 
though a looming showdown against 
No. 3 Ohio State still stands between 
the Wolverines and Harbaugh’s first 
trip to the conference title game in 
Indianapolis — let alone a College 
Football Playoff berth.
But with both still on the table, 
Michigan plans to ride its self-
proclaimed “championship qualities” 
as far as it will take them.
“(We have) our ability to handle 

adversity, and we definitely have 
enough talent,” junior quarterback 
Cade McNamara said. “I think overall, 
our mentality as a team has shifted. 
This team is ready to finish this season, 
and by the end of it, we should be 
competing for a championship if we do 
what we’re supposed to do.”

Why Jim Harbaugh sees ‘championship qualities’ in his Michigan team

DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Editor

EMMA MATI/Daily 
The Michigan women’s soccer team has no shortage of experi-
ence, which could fuel a deep NCAA Tournament run.

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily
With a game saving fourth quarter touchdown, Erick All and Cade McNamara proved that Michigan does have playmakers.

TESS CROWLEY/Daily 
Michigan’s offense hinges on the ability for its 
‘hero line’ to create goals.

ALLISON ENGKVIST/Daily 
After preventing a comeback win at 
Penn State, the Wolverines believe they 
have what it takes to compete for a 
championship

