Berendowsky ties own record

The final weeks of an athletic team's season are usually exciting because team or individual records are often close to being broken. Numbers create drama - even if the team isn't contending for a championship.

There's lots of drama around the Michigan Soccer Field these days. The Michigan women's soccer team is contending for its first-ever Big Ten championship, crushing opponents by margins of three and four goals in the process. Michigan's leading scorer, passer and everything in-between, forward Amber Berendowsky, is creating a little excitement herself.

The sophomore tied the team record for points in one season yesterday when she netted her sixth goal of the season and recorded two assists, giving her seven of the latter and 19 total points. Berendowsky set that record last year.

The most interesting number of all, however, is the length of time it took her to tie the record. The Wolverines are 7-1 and they've just begun their conference schedule. That means Michigan's season is less than halfway through. It appears Berendowsky is moving twice as fast as she was last year - so much for the sophomore jinx.

At this rate, Berendowsky will undoubtedly have smashed her own record by the Big Ten tournament, which begins on Nov. 9. One can only guess what kind of numbers she'll put up in two years time, when she's an experienced senior and her team has gone deeper into the postseason.

Michigan coach Debbie Belkin has nothing but praise for her offensive weapon. But she doesn't think Berendowsky is carrying the Wolverines on her shoulders, by any means.

"She's one of the best forwards in the Big Ten," Belkin said. "But we've been spreading it around, we've got a lot of depth."

The Wolverines have recorded 74 points in all this season, limiting opponents to merely 15. By those calculations, Berendowsky makes up a quarter of Michigan's offense and produces enough to beat the opponent by herself. In fact, Michigan's catalyst has recorded a point in all but one game this season.

But ask Berendowsky how many points she has this season, or how many points she'll score this year or what she will amass by the end of her career and you won't get an answer. She didn't know she tied the record yesterday. She didn't really care. Apparently, numbers don't excite everybody.

09-22-97