The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2014: Mich- igan left no doubt the second time around. Seven years after a historic upset by Appalachian State in Michi- gan Stadium, the Wolverines pum- meled the Mountaineers 52-14 in the rematch. Brady Hoke's U-M squad rolled in the Aug. 30 season opener, piling up 560 yards of offense and building a 42-0 lead before their former tormentors scored. Michigan's Devin-To-Devin connection made sure early there would be no late-game drama in this one. Quarterback Devin Gardner fired three touchdown passes to wideout Devin Funchess in the opening 19 minutes of the game, staking the Wol- verines to a 21-0 lead. The TD tosses went nine, 34 and eight yards to the future NFL pass catcher. Running back De'Veon Smith added a 12-yard touchdown run, before line- backer Ben Gedeon took a blocked punt back 32 yards for a score. Running back Derrick Green found the end zone on a one-yard TD plunge just 3:24 into the second half, and any hope for the Mountaineers evapo- rated. "The biggest thing was, we weren't competing with the scoreboard," Hoke said afterwards. "We were competing with our ability." Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield didn't appear shocked by the lopsided result, given the buildup to the contest. "You know they've been hearing about it all summer long," he said. 10 YEARS AGO, 2009: Michi- gan's women's soccer squad scored a 2-1 victory over Valparaiso on the Crusaders' own Eastgate Field Aug. 23. Sophomore Kristen Goncalves made the difference, breaking away from the pack in the 89th minute to net the game-winner. Redshirt sophomore goalie Kristen Keane locked down the Crusaders in the win, securing three saves. Valpara- iso scored first, only seven minutes into the game to take a 1-0 lead. But the Wolverines fought back, junior Amanda Bowery's pass in the box de- flected into the goal by a Valpo de- fender. Keane then cashed in late, giving the Wolverines a road victory. "It was a must win," Michigan head coach Greg Ryan said. " This team needs to learn how to win. I was re- ally proud of them today, they went down early and kept battling. They got a break to get back to 1-1 and kept taking over the game more and more. "We were fortunate to score on a great goal with a minute left in the game — you can't score at a better time. The girls are progressing in the way they are playing and this will give them confidence that we are moving in the right direction." 25 YEARS AGO, 1994: Michi- g a n h e a d co a c h D e b b i e B e l k i n (now Rademacher) put the finishing touches on Michigan's first-ever varsity women's soccer squad. The Wolverines became the trailblazers for the teams that have followed ever since on the soccer field. They approached the season in their final August practices with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty about how their initial foray into the sport would turn out. Debbie Flaherty, an All-Big Ten second-team performer that year, led a very young group composed of 19 freshmen and sopho- mores, one junior and four seniors. The Wolverines began their sea- son — and the history of the sport at Michigan — with a 1-1 tie against Wisconsin-Green Bay at home Sept. 3. Belkin's crew went on to fashion a winning season (10-7-2) in their first campaign as a varsity crew. — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Wide receiver Devin Funchess hauled in three touchdown receptions (nine, 34 and eight yards) in the opening 19 minutes of the game to help the Wolverines crush Appalachian State 52-14 in the 2014 season opener. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN