By Chris Farah
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan soccer team is used to quick starts - the Wolverines' starting lineup is dominated by a young group of sophomores and freshmen, while the team itself has only been in existence for four years.
Now Michigan has mastered another quick start, racking up a 2-0 record - the best start in the Wolverines' short history.
The victories weren't against creampuffs, either.
Michigan destroyed Missouri, 5-1, last Friday and went on to beat Kentucky, 2-0, the following Sunday.
Although even younger than the Wolverines, the Tigers have a respectable freshman class. The Wildcats have a nationally recognized program and were ranked 24th entering their game with the Wolverines. Both contests were hosted by Kentucky.
Michigan's score against Missouri wasn't indicative of the entire game. Although Michigan outshot Missouri, 27-6, the Wolverines' offense didn't really click until late in the first half.
"First half, it was pretty close," Michigan coach Debbie Belkin said. "We weren't as dominant as you'd think. We had to change our formation a little bit, then we fell into our game."
Michigan didn't manage to score its first goal until the 42:08 mark, when, appropriately enough, the Wolverines' first goal of the young season was scored by a youngster. Freshman Kacy Beitel followed up her deflected shot with a successful one - scoring from 18 yards out.
Early in the second half, sophomore Amber Berendowsky continued the attack, scoring on an unassisted shot. The Berendowsky goal sparked the rest of the Wolverines, as Michigan netted two shots within the next five minutes.
The first of those goals came from sophomore Mari Hoff, on an assist from Beitel, and the second came from one of the Michigan elders, senior Ruth Poulin. Junior Jessica Limauro added the final goal for the Wolverines just 20 minutes later.
Beitel's assist gave her three points for the outing - the most ever scored by a Wolverine in a season opener.
"She came off the bench and sparked us real well," Belkin said. "She's been playing well in practice, and - being a freshman - we had to see how she would do in a game. But Beitel went in and made an immediate impact."
The midfielder remained modest about her personal accomplishments, however, emphasizing the overall team effort.
"I was really excited to have an opportunity to get a goal and an assist," Beitel said. "But the team has been so supportive of us freshmen this year. We all work together so well in practice - our team is very deep, and we have a lot of talented players."
Other Wolverines also made their mark on the record book. With Poulin's goal, she tied fellow senior Debbie Flaherty for most career points at Michigan with 43. The Wolverines' five goals also marked a team record for a season opener
If the Wolverines experienced any kind of emotional letdown after the excitement of their first game, they didn't show it in the match against the Wildcats. Last season, Michigan battled Kentucky to a draw, so the Wolverines were eager to prove that they were the better team this year.
Kentucky promised to be a much tougher challenge than the inexperienced Missouri team. The Wildcats didn't fail to live up to their billing.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," Belkin said. "They pressured us early on. It was pretty back-and-forth. It was a real hard, physical game until we wore them down in the second half and capitalized on our opportunities.
"It wasn't one of those walk-over games. We had to work hard for every shot."
Michigan still managed to outshoot its opponent, but this time by the relatively modest margin of 9-1.
Berendowsky picked up where she left off two days earlier, scoring Michigan's first goal of the game 10 minutes into the second half.
Berendowsky continued to spark the Michigan offense, feeding Limauro two minutes later with an assist for the final goal.
With a goal and an assist, Berendowsky took over the team-scoring lead - something that should be quite familiar for the forward. Last year, she set the Michigan record for points in a season with 19.
Michigan's defense also responded well in the two opening games. Junior Jessica Jones goaltended both games, earning an impressive 0.50 goals-against average.
Freshman Erin Gilhart also stood out on the defensive end, playing for the entirety of both matches.
Beitel said the early-season success will only lead to more of the same for the Wolverines.
"We had a really good preseason, and the team got to know each other well," Beitel said. "We're extremely excited about the future of our season. We have a great opportunity to be successful and keep winning.
"The two wins proved that we can do the job now, and we can only get better from this point on."
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Debbie Flaherty and the rest of the Michigan women's soccer team are off to their best start in the short history of the program, after winning two games on the west coast to open the season. Flaherty's 43 career points are tied for the Michigan career lead.
09-03-97
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