The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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surrendered just five goals and 24 shots on goal. Bucklin had four shutouts to her credit already. "This is the first year we have been a both-sides-of-the-ball type of team," Ryan said. "I hoped that that would be the case, but I didn't really know until we played our first couple of games and we were scoring double the number of goals that we'd normally score in those games. It wasn't just Nkem. She is still scoring goals, but now you have four or five other players who can produce. "With my mentality, we'll always be a defense-first team. I'm happier if we give up no goals than score six. If we hold them off the board, we'll win, especially with this team, because we can win the ball on defense and attack so quickly." Offensively, Michigan had gotten goals from 10 players, including a team-high six from Ezurike, who also had a team-high six assists. Freshman forward Madisson Lewis had chipped in three and four assists. Sophomore midfielder Christina Ordonez (three) and freshman midfielder Nicky Waldeck (two) also had multiple goals on the year. "In years past, Nkem would have like six people on her at times," Ryan said. "She is having a great time. Other teams have to be scratching their heads a little bit, thinking, 'If we double up on Nkem, it opens space for the other attackers, and what do we do about these people outside?' We're asking questions of teams we didn't used to ask." With their fast start, the Wolverines are looking to win their first Big Ten title since capturing the conference tournament in 1999. "We set our goals very high this year," Ryan said. "It will be challenging, but I think they're attainable. It's going to take a great effort in every match. This is a team that would love to compete for a Big Ten championship, make the NCAA Tournament and go as far along as we can. This is a team that, on any given day, could cause problems for anyone." Field Hockey Gearing Up For Title Push Looking at Michigan's early-season outcomes is always a little misleading. Pankratz has always scheduled a daunting non-conference slate, and this year it included a matchup with No. 1 North Carolina. The Wolverines went 1-3 in their first four games, including a 7-2 loss to the Tar Heels, a 3-2 loss to No. 14 Massachusetts and a 2-1 loss to No. 18 Wake Forest. "It's by design," Pankratz explained. "We're playing against some of the best teams in the country. We're looking to gauge where we are and work to fix some things, so when we hit the Big Ten schedule we can compete for another championship. "We always open the season with North Carolina. The Tar Heels coach always says, 'No one will open with us except Michigan,' and that's why we're Michigan. We're not afraid of anyone. It's always a big test for us, and it gets us ready for the rest of the schedule." After that, Michigan went 3-1 in its next four games, including a 1-0 win