Big Ten Network : Michigan Top Stories

Boilers card first Big House win since 1966

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 09:05:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Joey Elliott did what no Purdue quarterback since Bob Griese had done at Michigan Stadium. He won. Elliott threw for a career-high 367 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, leading Purdue to a 38-36 comeback win over the Wolverines for its first win at the Big House since Griese did it in 1966. "He's an Evansville [Ind.] native, just like myself," Elliott said with a grin. While the Boilermakers were smiling, the Wolverines were crying because their 4-0 start might turn into a 5-7 flop. "Anytime you invest so much time and effort into something, you're bound to cry," Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko said. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez got very emotional after his news conference when retiring athletic director Bill Martin tried to share him some encouraging words. The Boilermakers (4-6, 3-3 Big Ten) trailed 24-10 at halftime. The Wolverines collapsed in the third quarter again, allowing 21 points for the second week in a row. Purdue took the lead for good with on Elliott's 54-yard pass to wide-open receiver Cortez Smith with 5:04 left in the third, one play after surprising Michigan with an onside kick. "We had that play greased up all season long, but never used it," coach Danny Hope said. "You have to wait for the right moment." Michigan (5-5, 1-5) pulled within two points with 2:10 to go on Brandon Minor's third TD, but Tate Forcier was sacked on a 2-point conversion it was forced to attempt because of a missed extra point. Purdue recovered the onside kick, punted and held on to end its 11-game road losing streak that was tied with Utah State for the longest active skid on the road. The Boilermakers, who beat Michigan and Ohio State in the same season since 2000, can rally to a bowl bid from a 1-5 start if they close with wins against Michigan State and at Indiana. "It's huge for our football team," Hope said. The loss might prove to be devastating for Michigan, which is in danger of going two straight seasons without a bowl for the first time since the 1973-74 seasons. "The season is not over," Rodriguez said. It will be finished if the Wolverines don't win at Wisconsin or against Ohio State at home. "We can handle this mentally," Minor insisted. "I don't think none of us need to see Dr. Phil or Oprah." Rodriguez, though, probably could use somebody to talk to about his frustrations. He endured a school-record nine losses last year in his debut season with college football's winningest program. This season started strong, but might end awfully and potentially could be compounded by more problems. The NCAA is investigating the Wolverines to find out if they violated rules regarding practice hours and offseason workouts. Rodriguez is focused on Michigan's many on-the-field challenges, none of which he says can be corrected overnight. "I don't have a magic wand," he said. Rodriguez would need one to fix his defense. In the past three games, the Wolverines have been outscored 75-12 in the second half by Purdue, Illinois and Penn State. "It's embarrassing," Michigan defensive end Brandon Graham said. "But we know we're better than that. We're just trying to prove it." Forcier showed he could win as a freshman in September, but he and the Wolverines are 1-5 since going undefeated in the first month. He threw a TD pass and ran for a score, but fumbled on an option pitch that Purdue recovered early in the second half to sparked its comeback. "It hurts," Forcier said. "I've never lost this many games in my life. It's going to be my job to get this team back to play like it did before."

No. 1 Miami pastes Michigan, 5-1

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 22:39:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team's early one-goal lead over top-ranked Miami stood for only 1:39 before the RedHawks scored the first of five unanswered goals in a 5-1 U-M loss on Saturday at Yost Ice Arena. After a scoreless first half of the opening period, sophomore left wing David Wohlberg (South Lyon, Mich.) deflected the puck to beat goaltender Cody Reichard on his right side at the 10:43 mark in the first period. Sophomore right wing Robbie Czarnik (Washington, Mich.) collected the puck from the right corner and then fed it back to senior defenseman Steve Kampfer (Jackson, Mich.), who launched a shot from the right point. Wohlberg redirected it in for his first tally of the season and Michigan's first shot on goal in the game. The RedHawks recorded the equalizer with 7:38 remaining in the opening frame during four-on-four play. Miami center Pat Cannone beat junior netminder Bryan Hogan (Highland, Mich.) glove side on a shot from below the right faceoff dot to even the game up at one goal apiece. Miami grabbed its first lead of the evening 7:32 into the middle frame thanks to the efforts of center Andy Miele. The junior forward dug the puck out of the left corner, sending it through a Michigan player's legs to the bottom of the faceoff circle. Miele then cut across the front of the net from left to right and fell to one knee while maintaining control of the puck to backhand it toward the net, where Hogan's kick-save attempt pushed the puck past the goal line. The RedHawks padded their lead to make it a 3-1 game when Smith posted his first marker of the season with 5:10 remaining in the second period. A goal from Curtis McKenzie 4:46 into the final stanza extended the RedHawks' lead to three. With defenseman Tristin Llewellyn (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and junior center Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) in the box, Smith flicked a Miami rebound up into the cage for his second marker and Miami's fifth of the game. As tempers flared after the goal, a scrum broke out behind the Michigan net making for two crowded penalty boxes 6:26 into the final stanza. The heated contest featured 34 total penalties for 95 minutes as the rivals recorded a combined 147 PIM in the weekend series. The Wolverines remain at home to host in-state rival Michigan State next Friday (Nov. 13) at Yost Ice Arena. The puck will drop at 7:35 p.m. and FS Detroit will broadcast the action.

Michigan rides double-doubles to win over NU

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 22:03:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The No. 15-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team had three players post double-doubles on Saturday night (Nov. 7) in a 3-1 (21-25, 25-17, 25-12, 25-17) win at Northwestern inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. Sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) notched 15 kills, senior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) tallied 13 kills and junior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) racked up 43 assists as each earned 11 digs. Senior Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) added 10 kills to join Hunt and Paz in double figures. The Wolverines held off a comeback bid by the Wildcats midway through the fourth set, using seven straight points to build a 22-13 lead in a 25-17 victory, claiming the match. Paz had the hot hand in the deciding stanza, posting five kills while adding three service aces. In set one, the Wolverines found themselves out-blocked 8-0 and held to a -.023 attack percentage in a 24-21 loss. Hunt tallied four kills to lead all Wolverines but hit at a negative clip in the frame. Down early in set two, the Wolverine offense started to awaken, using kills from Rood, senior Megan Bower (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) and sophomore/junior Karlee Bruck (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) to build a 10-7 lead. Bower continued her hot play, winning a joust at the net and contributing another kill off the slide, building a 15-10 lead and forcing Northwestern into its first timeout of the set. A 6-3 U-M run from there pushed the lead to 21-13 as the Wolverines cruised to a 25-17 win. Hunt posted six terminations in the frame, while Bower and Paz each added three apiece as the Wolverines hit a much-improved .419 as a team. The Wolverines brought momentum with them out of the locker room to begin set three, racing out to an 11-2 lead, punctuated by a Paz service ace that forced another Northwestern timeout. The stoppage failed to slow down the U-M offensive explosion, which produced nine of the next 12 points, expanding the lead to 20-6 en route to a 25-12 win and 2-1 set lead. Michigan returns to action next Friday (Nov. 14) when it returns to Cliff Keen Arena to face Purdue. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. with MGoBlue.com carrying live game audio and live stats.

OSU tops Michigan, takes Big Ten crown

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 21:35:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio – David Tiemstra scored in the 45th minute of action and the Ohio State men's soccer team held on for a 1-0 win over Michigan and the Big Ten Championship Saturday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in front of season-high 1,081 fans. With their first outright regular-season title in program history, the Buckeyes (10-4-4, 4-2-0 Big Ten) earn the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament next week in Bloomington, Ind., and will face the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed game. "The effort of our team tonight was tremendous," head coach John Bluem said. "The organization and the timely goal by David Tiemstra were just fantastic. I am just real proud of the guys; they have never given up this year, even though we have kind of had a roller coaster type of season." Tiemstra's goal, his first of the season, came with two seconds remaining in the first half off a corner kick by Eric Shrigley. Shrigley played the ball from the left corner across the goal box where Chris Gomez kept it from going out of bounds by flicking it out to Tiemstra at the top of the goal box. The sophomore from Clarendon Hills, Ill., then shot it over the head of Michigan (10-6-1, 2-4-0) goalkeeper Chris Blais and into the upper left corner of the net. "I still have the chills," Tiemstra said after the game. "The rest of the game I just had the chills. When you don't have a lot of energy left at the end of the game, that just kept me … I mean, it's unbelievable. The goal came on the Buckeyes' eighth shot of the half after nearly 45 minutes of bombarding the Wolverine defense. From the opening whistle, Ohio State controlled play offensively and made several solid runs but sent all seven of the ensuing shots wide. More pressure came in the second period as Ohio State produced nine shots and continued to push forward on the attack. Michigan fought back, however, and came up with several close opportunities from the likes of Mauro Fuzetti and Justin Heram that were squelched by the Buckeye defense and redshirt freshman goalkeeper Matt Lampson. Lampson, a native of nearby Hilliard, Ohio, strengthened his bid for Big Ten Freshman of the Year by finishing the night with a career-high eight saves, including five in the second half, and three in the final 10 minutes alone, against Michigan's 10 second-half shots. After the all-around team effort, the magnitude of the win was not lost on anyone. "I am pretty speechless," junior captain Matt Gold said. "I think I almost broke down in tears the last 30 seconds. Like I started hyperventilating. I have never experienced that before. It's just a sweet, sweet feeling." The Buckeyes took home a share of the 2004 Big Ten title and won the tournament in 2000 and 2007. They will begin play for their third tourney title Friday in the conference semifinals. Stay tuned to OhioStateBuckeyes.com for more information.

Purdue coach adds to Rich Rodriguez's misery

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 17:16:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich.(AP) Michigan's Rich Rodriguez says Purdue coach Danny Hope blamed him for getting one of his players suspended. Rodriguez says Hope introduced him to guard Zach Reckman after the Boilermakers' 38-36 win Saturday and said, "Thanks Coach, we appreciate what you did.'' Reckman was suspended for a game because of a late hit against Northern Illinois in September. Rodriguez said on the same day he would ask the Big Ten to punish non-football acts after seeing a Big Ten player hit an opponent with a forearm on TV. Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton was suspended for punching a Notre Dame player the previous week. Hope issued a statement through school spokesman Tom Schott, saying his conversation with Rodriguez would remain between them.

Harris, Novak lead Wolverines past Wayne St.

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 15:21:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's basketball team defeated Wayne State, 73-54, in an exhibition contest on Friday night inside Crisler Arena. Junior guard and pre-season All-Big Ten selection Manny Harris (Detroit, Mich./Redford) led all scorers with 25 points (8-14 FG, 7-8 FT), while sophomore forward Zack Novak (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) drilled five three-pointers to finish with 15 points. Both teams struggled to find their shot at the outset of the game, as defense dominated the first 10 minutes of action. Harris led all first-half scorers with 16 points, going 5-for-9 from the field with a pair of three-pointers, while senior forward DeShawn Sims (Detroit, Mich./Pershing) chipped in seven. The Wolverines went on a 19-7 run over the last 8:38 to close out the first half, holding Wayne State to just 31-percent shooting. There was no shortage of three-pointers for the Wolverines, as over half of Michigan's first-half field-goal attempts were from downtown (6-for-14; 42.9 percent). Wayne State came out of the locker room after halftime looking to chip away at Michigan's lead. After the Wolverines went up by as many as 21 in the early stages of the second half, the Warriors cut the deficit to 48-37 with 12:47 to play. On the ensuing possession, Harris received the ball at the top of the key, drove right and sliced through the defense for an and-one to retake the momentum. In all, 10 reserves saw action for the Wolverines, including five freshmen. Sims finished with nine points and five rebounds, despite being plagued by foul trouble for much of the game. Forwards Zack Gibson (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) and Ben Cronin (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) came off the bench to combine for nine points, four rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Despite being outrebounded 40-36, Michigan scored 21 points off 15 Wayne State turnovers, holding the Warriors to just 36 percent shooting for the game. The Wolverines finished 11-for-29 from beyond the arc, led by Novak's five triples. The Wolverines officially open the season next Saturday night (Nov. 14) when they host Northern Michigan inside Crisler Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and will be televised to a national audience on the Big Ten Network.

No. 4 Michigan falls short of No. 1 Miami

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 11:37:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team fell to top-ranked Miami University, 3-1, on Friday evening in front of an electric crowd of 6,817 at Yost Ice Arena. Miami right wing Jarod Palmer scored twice in a span of five minutes in the first half of the opening frame to grab an early 2-0 lead, before freshman right wing Chris Brown (Flower Mound, Texas) brought the Wolverines within a goal on a 5-on-3 power play with 6:54 remaining in the second period. Miami's Brandon Smith added an insurance goal for the RedHawks 3:23 into the third stanza. The Wolverines outshot the RedHawks by a 21-6 margin through the first 40 minutes of play; shots were 7-7 in the final period of play. The Maize and Blue produced five high-quality scoring chances throughout the game, including two ricochets off a post but was unable to capitalize on the opportunities. Miami got on the board first, scoring 3:42 into the opening frame. Palmer threw the puck toward the top of the crease as left wing Justin Vaive crashed the net. A mad scramble in front of Michigan's crease ensued with Palmer chipping the loose puck with the backhand over U-M netminder Bryan Hogan (Highland, Mich.), who was sprawled across the goal line. With one of Michigan's top penalty killers in the box, the RedHawks power play, which ranks fifth in the CCHA, took advantage to improve their lead to 2-0. Palmer wristed a shot from the high slot that rocketed into the upper-right corner of the cage for his second marker of the evening. Early in the middle stanza, defenseman Chad Langlais (Spokane, Wash.) broke away down the ice but was hooked as he attempted to get his shot off, resulting in Michigan's first penalty shot since Oct. 18, 2008. RedHawks' netminder Cody Reichard stayed with Langlais as he skated up the ice and was not fooled by his backhand deke to keep the Maize and Blue off the scoreboard. The penalty shot was the second one Reichard had faced in his last three games. It appeared the Wolverines had finally scored at the 12:41 mark in the second period when right wing A.J. Treais (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) raced up the ice all alone. Treais' skate grazed his own rebound, causing the puck to squeeze through the goaltender's skate and the left goal post. A review of the play overturned the goal as it was ruled Treais used a kicking motion to propel the puck, maintaining Miami's two-goal lead. With three seconds left in Michigan's two-man advantage, Brown pushed a loose puck past the goal line to record his fifth marker of the season. As the Wolverines cycled the puck on their power play, junior center Louie Caporusso (Woodbridge, Ontario) sent the puck to junior left wing Carl Hagelin (Sodertalje, Sweden), who was stationed to the right of the crease and Hagelin managed to stuff the puck past Reichard. Despite all of the traffic in front of the net, the puck sat in the crease motionless before Brown saw it and shoveled the puck into the cage. The RedHawks regained their two-goal advantage because of a failed clearing attempt in the Michigan zone 3:23 into the final period. Miami left wing Brandon Smith launched the puck from the inner hash marks of the left faceoff circle for his first tally of the season. Despite numerous strong scoring chances, the Maize and Blue was left scoreless in the third stanza. The Wolverines will wrap up their weekend series against top-ranked Miami on Saturday (Nov. 7) at Yost Ice Arena. The game is slated for a 7:35 p.m. start and will be televised by Comcast (ch. 900).

Illini defeat Michigan

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 23:41:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.— Illinois-Michigan has always meant a battle in volleyball. Throw in an Illini victory earlier this year in Ann Arbor, a No. 5 ranking for Illinois, a No. 15 ranking for Michigan and a brand new libero and the match had a lot of storylines. In the end, Illinois picked up offensive steam as the match went on for its 10th straight win – 25-27, 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 – to improve to 19-3 and maintain a two-game lead for second place in the Big Ten at 11-2 in the conference. ""That is what we get every time we play Michigan – a battle,"" said Illinois head coach Kevin Hambly. ""With what we went through the last week, to figure out what we're going to do in basically two days, I thought this was a real gut check match for us."" Sophomore Rachel Feldman made her first collegiate start at libero after four-year starter Ashley Edinger suffered an ACL tear just six days earlier. The Normal Community graduate came into the match with eight career digs. Friday against Michigan, she tallied 19 digs, was served at 41 times and not aced once. ""They attacked her every way they possibly could – hitting at her and serving at her and I thought she did a great job,"" Hambly said. ""She jumped into that role with both feet and was aggressive. That's going to be key for us the rest of the way."" Junior Laura DeBruler had just two kills in the first set, but finished the night with her 33rd 20-kill match of her career (21 kills total), including nine in the third set, while hitting .283. With her first kill in the second set, the All-American became just the sixth Illinois player with 1,500 kills. Michigan led 23-18 in the first set, but Illinois responded with six straight points, the final an ace from Hillary Haen (44 assists, 14 digs) to go in front 24-23, and although Michigan came back to take the set, the Illini rally set the tone for the next three sets. Michigan's lefty hitter Alex Hunt had 13 kills in the first two sets en route to a team-high 19 kills. The Illini, however, had six blocks in each of the first two sets, 10 involving junior Johannah Bangert, as the Illini front and back row defense began to slow down the Michigan attack. The Illini out-blocked the Wolverines 17-6 overall on the night paced by 12 from Bangert, the fifth career match with 12 or more. Michigan hit just .130, including .042 in set two and .056 in set four. The Illini, meanwhile improved to .271 in set three and .256 in set four good for .203 for the night. ""Our best offense was keeping the ball in play and blocking,"" Hambly said. ""It was the reason we got back into it in the first set and the reason we won the second set."" Illinois jumped in front 16-10 in the second set, withstood a rally that brought the Wolverines to within 18-16 and pulled out a 25-22 victory. Illinois had just eight kills in that second set, half of which came from DeBruler, but Feldman and Bartsch combined for 11 digs and the Illini tallied six blocks in the set, forcing Michigan to 12 hitting errors. ""Rachel needed to be on the court when we won a set,"" Hambly said. ""We pulled that out and she was way more comfortable. Everything was different after that."" ""A lot of people on our team can do more than what they're known for,"" Feldman said. ""Out hitters can set and pass. So I had a lot of confidence that whatever happened, there was going to be a great play out of it."" Case in point was Bartsch, who matched Feldman with 19 digs to go along with her nine kills and nine blocks. In all, five players reached double digits in digs as Illinois kept rallies going. In set four, freshman Jackie Wolfe entered to serve with Illinois leading just 16-14. The Illini scored three straight points off the Wolfe serve, two on block assists from Bartsch and Erin Johnson. From there, DeBruler was the terminator – hitting roll shot over the block, exploding with power down the line, or finding a seam in the back row. The Illini were also able to get the ball to the middle. Bangert had seven kills while hitting .429 and Johnson tallied five kills and five blocks while hitting .364 The third and fourth sets were back-and-forth affairs. In set three, the Illini broke open an 18-18 score by out-scoring the Wolverines 7-3 down the stretch with Bartsch and DeBruler combining for five kills. The Illini trailed 13-11 in the fourth set, but scored four straight to go in front 15-13 and never trailed from there.

Iowa wins, advances in championship

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:37:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, MI - - The University of Iowa field hockey team defeated Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament Thursday, 5-3, on the campus of Michigan State University. The win marks the tenth-straight Big Ten Tournament win for the Hawkeyes, breaking Penn State's record of nine-straight wins held from 1995-98. "We played an outstanding first half and followed the game plan,"" said Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum. ""We executed and put the ball in the net. In the second half, we were not as attack-minded and that left some holes open on the defensive end. We have to take it one day at a time and regroup for tomorrow." The Hawkeyes, winners of five of their last six, struck first in the 18th minute of play. Senior Meghan Beamesderfer scored off a rebound to give the Hawkeyes a 1-0 advantage. In the 30th minute, senior Tricia Dean scored off a corner to push the Iowa lead to 2-0 at the break. In the early moments of the second half, Beamesderfer added her second goal of the day off a corner, giving the fourth-seeded Hawkeyes a 3-0 lead. The Wolverines, seeded fifth, then added two goals to make the score 3-2. Iowa kept the pressure on and added two additional goals to seal the victory. Freshman Geena Lesiak recorded her first career postseason goal and Beamesderfer added her third for the hat trick. Iowa has won three-straight tournament titles and will be looking to keep the streak going tomorrow against top-seeded and regular season champion Michigan State. The Hawkeyes and eighth-ranked Spartans will play at 11:15 a.m. (CT) on the Big Ten Network.

Michigan coach urging patience as losses mount

LARRY LAGE — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 17:08:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich.(AP) Rich Rodriguez wants people to have patience with him and his program, even if he doesn't. The Wolverines (5-4, 1-4 Big Ten) lost a game they couldn't afford to at Illinois over the weekend, making Saturday's home game against Purdue (3-6, 2-3) very important. If Michigan wins, it's eligible for a bowl after losing a school-record nine games in Rodriguez's debut season and missing the postseason for the first time in three-plus decades. If the Wolverines lose, they will have a realistic chance from turning a surprising 4-0 start into a startling 5-7 flop with games remaining at Wisconsin and against Ohio State. How desperately does Rodriguez need a sixth win this week? "Oh, it's not about me, it's about the team,'' the coach insisted Monday. "I think our team wants to win so we can get that sixth game and get that good feeling back. "It's not life or death. It's an important ball game and as important as it is to everybody out there, I promise you, it's more important to the program and the guys in the program.'' Rodriguez said that when he left West Virginia after the 2007 season to take over college football's winningest program, he expected to have success sooner. When Rodriguez arrived in Ann Arbor, he discovered unexpected holes. "Some of our issues did not occur overnight and will not be solved overnight,'' he said, sounding as if he was trying to explain the team's challenges without criticizing former coach Lloyd Carr. "Sometimes it takes a little longer than I would like or any of you like. I am less patient than any of you or any fans that we have, and we have great fans.'' Rodriguez has been pleased with the backing he's gotten from Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman, the person who's opinion matters most. "Mary Sue has been very supportive,'' he said. "Just about every week, she'll send a note. We talked a couple weeks ago very briefly.'' Defensive end Brandon Graham, perhaps the only Wolverine having an outstanding season, said he expected to have share some brief thoughts with his teammates before they practiced Monday. "It's all about your heart now,'' Graham planned to tell them.

Schmitt, Michigan top Northwestern in 2OT

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 17:50:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Senior/junior forward Matt Schmitt (Muskegon, Mich./Reeths-Puffer) scored the "golden" goal in the 102nd minute of action to send the University of Michigan men's soccer team to a 1-0 double overtime victory over No. 12 Northwestern on Sunday at the U-M Soccer Complex. Schmitt, who scored his second goal in as many games, was in the right place at the right time for the game winner. On the previous possession, the Wolverines had back-to-back blocked shots from junior forward Justin Meram (Shelby Township, Mich./Yavapai College), one of those shots deflected off of the goalpost onto Schmitt's foot, who put it just past Northwestern's Misha Rosenthal to give U-M head coach Steve Burn's his 100th career victory and the 100th program victory. Junior/sophomore midfielder Adam Shaw (Lone Tree, Colo./Highlands Ranch) and senior forward Mauro Fuzetti (Houston, Texas/Stratford) led the way for the Wolverines with four shots each. Junior/sophomore goalkeeper Chris Blais (Seattle, Wash./Kennedy Memorial) made four saves on the afternoon and earned his sixth shutout of the season. The Wolverines were knocking on the door throughout the second half and both overtime periods and it looked like U-M was going to get the victory in regulation with a goal from Meram in the final seconds. Meram put a shot just past Rosenthal but it was called back with a handball call from the referee. Northwestern also had two quality opportunities in the second half to get on the board. The first was a shot from Drew Pavlovich that hit the post and rolled out of bounds and the second was a header on a corner kick from Piero Bellizzi that went just over the crossbar. The teams entered the second half deadlocked at 0-0 after a first half that was a typical Big Ten slugfest. U-M and Northwestern put on a battle with both teams playing an evenly matched game on both sides of the ball. Neither team registered a shot on goal until the 25th minute of the half when Michigan freshman defender Brian Klemczak (Livonia, Mich./Stevenson) hit a shot from the right side that was scooped up by Rosenthal. From that point the teams seemed to battle back on forth on both sides of the ball but the Wolverines seemed to have the upper hand in terms of possession and registered several shots on goal. Northwestern's Oliver Kupe looked like he was going to give the Wildcats the early 1-0 lead after breaking through the U-M defense but Blais made a point blank save, one of his four of the game, to keep the game knotted at 0-0. The Wolverines were able to control the midfield in the first half. Junior midfielder Alex Wood (Northville, Mich./Northville), getting his first start of the season, was able to serve several spectacular long balls through the midfield and Shaw really proved to be U-M's workhorse battling for each and every ball that came his way. The Wolverines close out the 2009 regular-season on Saturday (Nov. 7) when they travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State in a televised. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in Jesse Owen Memorial Stadium.

Michigan beats Illinois for first Big Ten win

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 16:52:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A header from senior Alex Jendrusch (Troy, Mich./Athens) in the 74th minute delivered the University of Michigan women's soccer team its first Big Ten win of the season as it defeated Illinois, 1-0, on Sunday at the Illinois Soccer Stadium. Michigan was outshot by a 21-4 margin, giving sophomore/freshman Haley Kopmeyer (Troy, Mich./Lahser) plenty of work. She used a career-high 11 saves to record her sixth shutout of the season, establishing a new rookie record and delivering the win. The Wolverines got one shot on goal, but it was all they needed as Jendrusch broke the scoreless stalemate in the 74th minute, heading home a crossing pass from junior Amanda Bowery (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester) 12 yards out. Following the goal, the frantic pace in the U-M defensive zone calmed as Kopmeyer had to make just two saves in the game's final 16 minutes. Michigan will put a wrap on the 2009 campaign on Sunday (Nov. 8) against Penn State at noon at the U-M Soccer Complex. Prior to kickoff, the Wolverines will honor their three-member senior class.

Michigan rallies twice, sweeps Lake Superior St.

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:07:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team overcame two first-period deficits to earn a 6-3 road win over Lake Superior State on Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. The Lakers led 1-0 and 2-1 before U-M scored the final two goals of the opening period and a power-play goal with 6:18 left in regulation gave U-M a much-needed cushion. Right wing Chris Brown (Flower Mound, Texas) had two goals, including the gamewinner. Center Ben Winnett (New Westminster, B.C.) chipped in two goals, center Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) had a goal and an assist and center Louie Caporusso (Woodbridge, Ontario) had two assists. Goalie Bryan Hogan (Highland, Mich.) notched a season-high 35 saves, nine of which came on LSSU man-advantages. Hogan and the U-M penalty killers negated all five LSSU power plays. The game got off to a fast start with the Lakers' Chad Nehring scoring from the left post at 1:52. U-M answered just 18 seconds later with a breakaway goal from Winnett. Right wing Brian Lebler (Penticton, B.C.) sprung Winnett with a blue-line-to-blue-line pass. Winnett made a slight deke and wristed the puck low glove on LSSU's Brian Mahoney-Wilson. The scoring continued with LSSU's Fred Cassiani at 5:41. His shot from the left circle was deflected down and through Hogan's legs to put the home team up 2-1. The Wolverines took the lead for good at 3-2 with back-to-back goals at 13:38 and 18:32 of the opening frame. Brown snuck a shot low past Mahoney-Wilson from the right side for U-M's second goal. Caporusso provided the lone assist. Rust then scored for the third straight game when he and left winger David Wohlberg (South Lyon, Mich.) teamed up on a perfectly-executed two-on-two break. Rust beat his defender to the left post to knock Wohlberg's crossing pass into the LSSU net. Michigan dominated the second period, outshooting LSSU 15-3, but U-M could not pad its lead. Two of the Lakers' shots came late in the period during a two-man advantage that lasted 33 seconds. U-M had to kill two more Laker power plays in the first half of the third period before Brown locked up the win with a power-play goal at 13:42. U-M and LSSU traded goals in the final few minutes when defenseman Tristin Llewellyn (Ann Arbor, Mich.) scored into an empty net at 17:53. An errant pass led to an LSSU breakaway goal at 18:59. Finally, Winnett beat Mahoney-Wilson with a power-play goal with 10 seconds left in regulation. Michigan returns home to Yost Ice Arena for a two-game series against Miami, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 6-7). Both contests begin at 7:35 p.m.

Illinois busts out in victory over struggling Michigan

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:46:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Michigan receiver Roy Roundtree cradled the ball and sprinted for the end zone. Terry Hawthorne took off after him, finally catching up 76 yards down the field and spilling him across the goal line. Points went up on the board and it looked as if another long afternoon for the Illini was taking shape. And it was, until a video review ruled Roundtree down at the 1, the Illini stopped Michigan on four straight runs, and Juice Williams answered with a 99-yard touchdown drive to take the lead on the way to a 38-13 win over the Wolverines. "A lot of guys would have quit," said Illinois coach Ron Zook, recipient of a dreaded vote of confidence earlier in a season almost completely without any redeeming features. "Terry didn't quit. He kept going. He made the play of the game, maybe the play of the year." And how. Before the goal-line turnaround, Michigan had given up just 94 yards of offense. Twice it appeared ready to take a 20-7 lead on the way to what would have been its first road win this season. Instead, the Illini (2-6, 1-5 Big Ten) finished with 500 yards of offense and Michigan looked almost as lost as it did at times during last season's 3-9 fiasco. "It's a big momentum change, particularly on the road," Rodriguez said. "When you have the chance to seize momentum and you let it reverse on the road, it's tough." More than half of Illinois' second-half surge came on three touchdown drives that surrounded a pair of ugly three-and-outs led by freshman quarterback Tate Forcier. Most of that 99-yard drive came on Mikel LeShoure's 70-yard burst up the middle, but Williams, who ended three first-half drives with sacks on third down, led two more drives to put the game out of reach. He capped a 79-yarder with his 2-yard toss to London Davis. And after Michigan went backward on its next possession the Illini went 45 yards for another touchdown, this one a 3-yard run by Williams for a 28-13 lead. Michigan (5-4, 1-4) turned the ball over three times, twice when Forcier coughed it up in the second half. A year after ending a three-decade bowl streak and finishing 3-9 in coach Rich Rodriguez's first season, the Wolverines remain one win from eligibility, but have four straight Big Ten losses and a win over Delaware State in its last five. "We haven't given ourselves much of a chance because of some of our own errors," Rodriguez said. "Again, you have to give them credit, too, because they made plays, but we've got to play a little bit more efficient to give ourselves a chance." Illinois hadn't beaten a Bowl Subdivision opponent this season. But Michigan turned the ball over three times and seemed to breathe life into a team that barely appeared competitive during a five-game losing streak to start the Big Ten season. "A lot of teams in this situation usually give up, quit," Williams said after Illinois ended a five-game losing streak. "But we made a pact amongst ourselves that we aren't going to stop until the end of the season." Williams, who went wild on the Wolverines last season with 431 yards of total offense -- ran for 97 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown and completed 8 of 11 passes for 123 yards and another score. Michigan, which started 4-0 with a win over Notre Dame, hosts Purdue next Saturday, then travels to Wisconsin before wrapping up the regular season at home against Ohio State. "We're not getting wins that we should, we're just playing for pride now," safety Troy Woolfolk said. "We know we're not able to win the Big Ten, but we still have a chance to go to a bowl." Forcier finally got the Wolverines moving on the next drive, which looked promising until he was sacked and fumbled at the Illinois 16. He finished 13 of 23 for 257 yards and Carlos Brown had 110 yards rushing on 25 carries and a touchdown. Roundtree had four catches for 92 yards, including the 76-yarder he was stopped on. Illinois added a field goal and another stop. When Michigan blocked a punt with 3:49 to play, the Wolverines were in a three-score hole with only the faintest hopes left. Forcier immiediately ended those by fumbling the ball back at the Illini 15, Six plays later, Jason Ford went 79 yards to put a cherry on top for Illinois. Before the goal-line turnaround, Michigan had pretty much shut down Williams, who accounted for more than 400 yards of offense in their meeting last season, a 45-20 rout by Illinois. Though the Illini can still get to six wins, it won't be easy. They go to Minnesota and host Northwestern before a trip to Cincinnati (No. 8 BCS, No. 5 AP) and a home date with Fresno State. "This game doesn't mean everything is OK," Zook said. "We've still got four games to go."

No. 13 Michigan rallies, tops Iowa in 4

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:07:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After dropping the opening set, the No. 13-ranked University of Michigan volleyball team regrouped to take the next three to beat Iowa, 3-1 (16-25, 25-12, 25-20, 25-13), on Saturday night at Cliff Keen Arena. Sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) paced the Wolverine attack for the second straight night with 18 kills, while senior Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) added 13 terminations and junior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) dished out 41 assists and added a team-high 16 digs. In the fourth and final set, the Wolverines turned a one-point deficit into a 14-6 lead thanks to a run of nine straight points, keyed by three service aces from Hunt and three kills by Paz. The Hawkeyes never mounted a comeback in the 25-13 U-M win as the U-M offense committed just one attack error while hitting a match-high .452. Set one saw a 5-5 tie turn into a 15-8 Iowa lead thanks to a 10-3 run by the Hawkeyes. The Wolverines never recovered, committing 12 attack errors while hitting at a -.043 clip in the 25-16 loss. The Wolverines responded quickly in set two, building an 11-8 lead as Paz contributed three kills in a seven-point stretch. Hunt led the offense with six kills, while Zimmerman added 14 assists in the frame as the Wolverines cruised to a 25-12 victory. Coming out of intermission, U-M used its momentum from the second, racing out to a 10-3 lead. Paz led the opening attack with two kills and back-to-back service aces. Up 24-14, Iowa made one final push, reeling off six straight points before a Hunt termination from the left side ended the frame, 25-20. The Wolverines hit the road for their next contest on Friday night (Nov. 6) at Illinois. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST with MGoBlue.com carrying live audio and live game stats.

Indiana closes slate with triumph over Michigan

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:03:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The No. 18 Indiana field hockey team knocked off Michigan, 4-2, to close out the regular season with a 12-5 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the Big Ten, tied for second with Ohio State. The Hoosiers had goals from redshirt freshman Morgan Fleetwood, junior Kelsey Kiper, redshirt sophomore Brenna Moeljadi and sophomore Corey Brautigam. The Hoosiers got on the board first as Fleetwood got a pass on the right side after a long lead pass and carried it into the circle to blast the ball into the lower opposite corner, giving IU a 1-0 lead with 12:11 on the clock. The Wolverines (7-13, 2-4) tied it up at the 17:23 mark as Alicia Mayer was able to redirect a shot from her teammate Meredith Way off the right post to put it in just behind IU's Alex Mann. However, Indiana answered as Kiper scored off a scrum that developed following an IU corner to go up 2-1 at the 23:41 mark. Michigan came right back as Way tied the game up for a second time on a penalty stroke with 33:18 on the clock, sending both teams into the break with the score 2-2. The Hoosiers came right out of the halftime break and scored 54 seconds in the second half as Moeljadi took a direct shot to the right side on a pass from junior Katie Griswold to give IU a 3-2 lead, for the game-winning goal. Sophomore Corey Brautigam scored at the 39:39 mark as she came up with the ball from senior Haley Funk in a scrum in front of the cage to give Indiana the 4-2 win. Fleetwood and Moeljadi led the Hoosiers as each took three shots and scored one goal apiece. Kiper and Brautigam each took two shots and scored one goal apiece, while Kiper also tallied an assist. Funk and Griswold recorded the Hoosiers' other two assists, while senior Meg O'Connell also had a shot on the game. Mann started in goal and tallied two saves in 70 minutes. Indiana and Michigan matched each other on shots at 11-11, while the Wolverines tallied 10 corners to IU's six. The Hoosiers open the postseason on Thursday, Nov. 5, in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in East Lansing, Mich. IU will be the probable No. 3 seed and face sixth-seeded Northwestern on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET. A complete bracket with final seeds will be announced soon.

Indiana women beat Michigan in dual meet

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:55:00 +0000

AUSTIN, Texas. – The Indiana women's swimming and diving team (2-1) wrapped up dual meet competition Saturday morning and finished with a 251-174 victory over Michigan. The Texas Longhorns came away with a 222-162 win over the Hoosiers. Kate Fesenko posted a season best and NCAA B cut in winning the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:55.56. Ashley Jones was fourth in 2:02.07, with Donna Smailis fifth (2:02.33), Taylor Wohrley 10th (2:04.09) and Kim Tracey 12th (2:09.49). Brittany Barwegen also improved upon her season best in the 200 butterfly, taking third with an NCAA B cut of 1:59.83. Amanda Smith was eighth (2:06.95), with Tracey 12th (2:08.38), Ashley Jones 13th (2:08.73) and Nikki White 14th (2:17.18). Allysa Vavra led the Hoosier contingent in the 200 breaststroke, placing second in 2:17.90. Amilee Smith touched the wall eighth (2:23.12), with Katelyn Ishee ninth (2:26.19) and Ashley Specht 10th (2:26.19). Afton Robertson rounded out the group in 12th (2:30.45). Cassie Luhrsen took fourth in the 1,650 free with a time of 17:08.16. Vavra was sixth (17:25.83) and White seventh (17:31.25). Laura Head took eighth in 17:38.78, followed by Ashley Kranz in 10th (18:07.62). In the 100 free it was Brittany Strumbel in seventh in 51.82. Margaux Farrell was just behind in 51.91, with Courey Schaefer 10th (52.62). Smailis took 14th (56.36), followed by Wohrley in 15th (58.24). The swimming portion of the meet ended with the 400 free relay as Farrell, Smailis, Strumbel and Fesenko combined to finish second in 3:26.00. Schaefer, Amanda Smith, Wohrley and Luhrsen were fifth (3:33.88). Taking sixth were Head, Kranz, Justine Jones and Mitsch (3:42.30). Amy Korthauer took the platform diving title with a score of 279.90, followed by Heidi Mahnken and Gabby Agostino in a tie for third (246.65). Amy Cozad posted a fifth-place finish with 245.15 points, while Nicole Brehm placed 11th (189.85).

No. 5 Michigan cruises past Lake Superior

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:56:00 +0000

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team opened CCHA play Friday with a 5-1 win at Lake Superior State in Taffy Abel Arena. Michigan scored three goals over a span of 6:36 in the first period and weathered seven of eight Laker power plays en route to the triumph. Four different junior forwards had the U-M goals. Left wing Scooter Vaughan (Placentia, Calif.) scored his first career goal, while center Louie Caporusso (Woodbridge, Ontario) notched his first tally of the season. Left wing Carl Hagelin (Sodertalje, Sweden) and center Matt Rust (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) continue to lead U-M in goals as each tallied his third marker of the season. Sophomore Luke Glendening (Grand Rapids, Mich.) had U-M's final goal. Michigan turned early pressure into an offensive onslaught through the middle stages of the first period as U-M rushed out to a 3-0 lead. Vaughan scored from the top of the left circle off a pair of good feeds from Glendening and center Kevin Lynch (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) at 9:21. Hagelin then capitalized on a rebound to make it 2-0 just 1:09 later, while Caporusso potted his first goal and point of the season at 15:57 when a rebound ricocheted to him in the lower right slot. U-M had a 15-8 shots-on-goal advantage in the first 20 minutes of play. The Wolverines upped their advantage to 4-0 at 13:05 of the second period when left wing David Wohlberg (South Lyon, Mich.) was knocked to his knees in the right circle but managed to slide the puck into the slot where it hit Rust and trickled into the LSSU goal. The Lakers broke through for their first goal at 2:42 of the third period when Brad Cooper scored from the edge of the crease on a five-on-three man-advantage for LSSU. The beneficiary of four more power plays in the third period, Lake Superior State had plenty of chances to chip away at the U-M advantage, but Hogan and the U-M penalty killers were outstanding in the face of LSSU's best offensive efforts. Glendening tacked on a late goal at 16:56 to secure the win. Michigan wraps up its series at LSSU on Saturday night (Oct. 31) with faceoff set for 7:05 p.m.

Wolverines fall to Hawkeyes

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:49:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Michigan women's soccer team struck back to counter an early deficit but could not hang on, falling at Iowa, 2-1, on Friday evening (Oct. 30) at the Iowa Soccer Complex. Sophomore Kristen Goncalves (Ann Arbor, Mich./Gabriel Richard Catholic) scored her third of the season, moving into a tie for the team lead, while sophomore/freshman Haley Kopmeyer (Troy, Mich./Lahser) made six saves in the effort. Michigan found itself behind early when Iowa jumped on the board in the 11th minute on rebound in the box to go ahead 1-0. Goncalves leveled the score four minutes later, steering around the goalkeeper and depositing a shot from the top of the box to cap a breakaway attempt. Iowa was forced to be selective with its shots, missing the mark on just one shot between goals. Kopmeyer was up to the task, making five saves in the interim. It was not until the 64th minute that the Hawkeyes exacted the deciding goal on a shot from 25 yards out that caught the right corner of the net.

Michigan falls to Wisconsin in four sets

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:18:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After dropping the first two sets and battling back to win the third, Michigan watched as Wisconsin spoiled its "Pink Out" for Breast Cancer Awareness by taking set four in a 3-1 (26-24, 25-21, 20-25, 25-20) U-M loss on Friday night (Oct. 30) at Cliff Keen Arena. Sophomore Alex Hunt (Granger, Ind./South Bend St. Joseph) tallied a match-best 19 kills in defeat, while junior setter Lexi Zimmerman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) dished out 46 assists. Seniors Juliana Paz (Porto Alegre, Brazil/Iowa Western CC) and Veronica Rood (Temperance, Mich./Bedford) added 13 and 11 kills, respectively, and three Wolverines reached double-digit digs, led by senior Megan Bower's (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral) 14. In the deciding fourth set, the Badgers held a 10-7 lead before Michigan went on a 5-1 run, keyed by back-to-black blocks from Rood, to grab the lead, 12-11. Wisconsin soon pulled away, however, with a 5-1 run of its own to go up 18-14, en route to the 25-20 win. Set one looked to be an easy Wisconsin win as the Badgers took a late 22-16 lead. Michigan made it interesting, however, scoring eight of the next 10 points to tie the set at 24-all. With the score deadlocked, the Badgers scored the final two points on a kill and service ace, handing U-M a 26-24 defeat. Hunt led the Michigan attack with seven kills, while Zimmerman added 15 assists in the frame. In the second set, U-M kept things close to start, holding it to within one at 11-10. The Badgers pulled away soon after, capitalizing on one of U-M's five service errors in the set and a pair of Michigan attack errors to take a 22-16 in the eventual 25-21 win. The U-M offense could not find a consistent rhythm in the frame, attacking at a .091 clip with seven attack errors on 33 attempts. The third set saw the Wolverine offense awaken, going on a 4-0 scoring streak to snap an 11-11 tie and grabbing a 15-11 advantage. The Wolverine defense held off the Badgers from there as Hunt led Michigan with six kills and Paz added five in a 25-20 win. It was a completely different Michigan team out of intermission, hitting .394 -- its highest set percentage of the night -- and committing just three attack errors.