The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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inflated because of the North Carolina game, but she had given up two or fewer goals in all but one other start (a 5-3 win over William & Mary). "Haley is mature, and sees and reads the game really well," Pankratz said. "She is the anchor of our defense back there. The team trusts her to make great saves in big games, which she always has. "The Mack Attack is an extremely hard worker and extraordinarily talented player. She's a fantastic goal scorer. She's a great leader, and we expect some big-time goals out of her." Men's Soccer Ready For Next Step The Wolverines' late-season run last year was certainly something to build on for Daley entering his second year at the head of the program. But this year, Daley was focused on making sure the team started with the same sense of urgency. "We peaked at the right time last year," Daley said. "We're hopeful that we started the season at a better place this year, so we don't have to chase the season. Good teams are in control of their own destiny. They don't have to look at anyone else. "We're trying to become that type of culture and that type of program. It's just game to game and controlling our own destiny against very good teams. It's always good to play with a little desperation, but you want to control your own destiny, too." The Wolverines kicked off the season with a brutal slate of games, but the 1-2-2 record could be a nice building block, heading into Big Ten sea- son. Michigan's two losses were to a stout Marquette team, 1-0, and to No. 2 Notre Dame, 3-0. They bounced back with a 2-1 overtime win at West Virginia Sept. 21. During a two-game stretch Sept. 2-6, the Wolverines posted two 1-1 double-overtime ties to Bowling Green and South Florida. Although the defense played very well for the majority of those games, Daley wants to see it play better in certain spots. "It's not so much the quantity of goals but the quality," he said. "If someone scores a fantastic goal, I just put my hands over my heart and say, 'Nothing you can do about that.' Against Bowling Green, they were offside. There's nothing you can do about it. You have to live with that. Sometimes, refs make mistakes. "The goal against South Florida was a little soft. It was a mistake defensively that cost us, and we ended up having to chase the game, instead of having it even and winning 1-0. The quality hasn't been up to the standards I want to hold the defensive corps to, but they're definitely working hard every day to get better." The offense has been led by junior midfielder TJ VanSlooten (three goals) and sophomore forward James Murphy (two goals). Senior midfielder Fabio Pereira (five goals last year) has chipped in one. "We want to have a variety of goal scorers, so we can be a threat," Daley said. "In that unit, we have had some guys missing. They haven't played together a lot yet, because of injury. With that, you'll see the team playing better and better." ❏