New players lead women's soccer

MARGARET MYERS/Daily Defender Vanessa Lewis moves the ball in a September game against the University of California-Berkeley. The match resulted in a 2-2 tie.

The Michigan women's soccer team experienced a bit of role reversal during its 1996 season.

This role reversal was one of age and experience -- Michigan's star recruiting class of freshmen sparked the Wolverines (4-4-1 Big Ten, 10-7-3 overall) to many of their victories, leading the way for some of the teamÕs more experienced members.

The 1996 freshman class consisted of nine new faces and was ranked as one of the top in the nation by Soccer America. Headlining the group of recruits were Parade All-Americans Amber Berendowsky and Mari Hoff, two forwards who hail from the local area -- Berendowsky from Brighton and Hoff from Canton.

Michigan coach Debbie Belkin had high expectations for the freshmen at the beginning of the season.

"This was one of the best years in the state of Michigan in terms of the number of talented players coming out," Belkin said in August, before Michigan's first game. "All of our recruits are going to make an impact as Division I players."

The youngsters didn't disappoint.

Michigan's top-three point scorers were all freshmen -- Berendowsky leading the way with a team-record 19 points, followed by Hoff with 17 and forward Marie Spaccarotella with 14.

The Wolverines definitely needed the added impact of the freshmen, considering their demanding schedule. Michigan's 1996 schedule included five teams in Soccer America's preseason Top 20 -- No. 4 Portland, No. 13 Washington, No. 14 Wisconsin, No. 15 Minnesota and No. 16 Kentucky.

Belkin said the tough schedule was designed to make the Wolverines stronger competitors.

"We want to be among the elite," Belkin said. "We need to play teams of that caliber."

The experiment proved to be mildly successful. Michigan didn't win any of the six games against the big five, but the Wolverines did manage to battle the Wildcats and the Badgers to draws.

Wisconsin avenged the tie when it counted most, however, defeating Michigan in the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, 0-2. The loss came to the Wolverines after a sweet first-round victory over Ohio State -- a team that shut out Michigan during the regular season, 0-2.

After the loss to Wisconsin, Belkin said Michigan lacked the intensity it had shown earlier against the Buckeyes.

Although the season ended on a sour note, 1996 marked many positive milestones for the Michigan women's soccer team, only in its third year.

The Wolverines had a seven-game winning streak, along with seven shutouts on the season, both good enough for new Michigan records.

Michigan also set many new individual standards. Aside from the record-setting point total of Berendowsky and goal-total of Hoff, sophomore Jessica Jones and Spaccarotella also made a dent in the record books.

Jones was busy in the net with a new season high of 89 saves. Spaccarotella set a new mark for goals scored in a single game with three in Michigan's win over Valparaiso on Nov. 3.

Belkin said the Wolverines' success and youth in 1996 should translate to an improvement in the 1997 season -- especially against younger programs.

"Now we're becoming more experienced," Belkin said. "Obviously, the new players will have a year under their belt, and we'll have a handful of seniors. We'll just be a more experienced team.

"The competition keeps getting tougher, because all the teams keep getting better. It's anybody's call (in the Big Tens), because all the teams are competitive with each other. There's two new teams, Illinois and Iowa, coming in, and they'll probably be at a disadvantage."

In addition to 1997's seasoned veterans, Michigan looks forward to another impressive recruiting class, with five new freshman slated to play for the Wolverines. Belkin again has high expectations.

"The difference is we don't have the numbers we had last year," Belkin said. "They have the capability to make an impact."

09-03-97