Dream season ends in first round

Even the best dreams come to an end sooner or later.

But the Michigan soccer team's 5-1 first-round NCAA tournament loss to Nebraska yesterday did little to diminish Michigan's dream season.

Backed by the momentum of a team-record 15 regular-season victories and a Big Ten tournament championship, the No. 15 Wolverines marched into Nebraska and hung with the Cornhuskers for almost a half.

But Nebraska used a potent offensive attack and its home field advantage to put the game away, netting two goals before halftime. The Huskers are averaging a monstrous 3.89 goals per game this season and they haven't lost at home in more than two years.

FILE PHOTO The Michigan soccer team saw its season come to a disappointing conclusion in yesterday's 5-1 loss.

"We played with them in the first half, though Nebraska certainly had some more dangerous shots," Michigan coach Debbie Belkin said. "But towards the end they dominated. We didn't come out looking very sparked in the second half."

The seventh-ranked Huskers came out in the second stanza and proved what tournament experience can mean for a young program. Nebraska scored three more goals and nailed down Michigan's coffin in the process.

Michigan midfielder Debbie Flaherty scored her team's only goal toward the end of the game.

The Huskers and Wolverines both began their programs four years ago. Both teams had phenomenal seasons and finished second in their respective conferences. Each team boasts one of the best scorers in the nation.

But when it came time for the tournament, the Huskers held a big advantage. They gained experience last year, beating Minnesota, 3-2 in double overtime, and Duke, 3-0 in last year's national tournament, whereas this is Michigan's first trip to the season finale.

Nebraska played a higher level of soccer yesterday and breathed life into its season. The Huskers will advance to the second round and face second-ranked Notre Dame next weekend.

Michigan's dream season is over. The college careers of Debbie Flaherty, Ruth Poulin and Karen Montgomery ended yesterday. But not before they experienced what was virtually unthinkable when the seniors showed up as green freshmen.

The Wolverines finished 7-1-1 in the conference this year - much better than the 1-6 performance in 1994. The Big Ten tournament championship a week ago was the exclamation point.

"This was my goal," said Flaherty, following the championship. "When I first came to this program, I knew it would start out slowly and hopefully end like this."

But the joy didn't come easily at first. The seniors lived through the initial pains of losing and then sacrificed a little more for the team to win. Flaherty handed over the scoring reigns to sophomore Amber Berendowsky and Poulin gave up her starting role for most of the season.

Appropriately, however, it was Flaherty who put the finishing touch on Michigan's record-breaking season. Even though her career was all but over, the four-year starter scored Michigan's only goal of the NCAA tournament.

Four years ago when she began, Flaherty was the best scorer on a mediocre team.

Yesterday when her college career ended, she was the last scorer on a great team.

11-17-97