'M' ekes out 2-1 OT win

YPSILANTI - After ninety minutes of lackluster play, a revitalized Michigan soccer team unleashed the potential one expects from the No. 11 squad in the nation. The Wolverines made quick work of Eastern Michigan in overtime yesterday, notching a 2-1 win behind a game-winning goal from Jessica Limauro.

The victory was the Wolverines' third in four days, pushing their record to 5-0.

Michigan is a team that thrives on transition play and sending long balls to dashing forwards.

The absence of such opportunities in regulation play, coupled with an extremely physical game, slowed offensive productivity at Eastern's Varsity Soccer Field yesterday.

"We never seemed to get anything going," midfielder Emily Schmitt said. "The ball seemed to always be in the middle third of the field and our transition game was hardly in effect."

The midfield was even responsible for the game's first goal, as Schmitt found the back of the net on a direct kick 15 minutes into the game. Schmitt fired from 30 yards out and managed to catch the goalie off guard by sending a sailing shot into the corner of the net.

"It might have looked like a crossed ball, but it was a shot," Schmitt said. "I noticed that Eastern's goalie was out of position. She was assuming I was going to set a cross, so I shot instead."

Goalkeeper and co-captain Jessica Jones, favoring a bruised knee suffered earlier in the half, allowed the Eagles to even the score on an unearned goal moments later. Attempting to make a routine save on a shot on goal, the ball slipped beyond Jones's grip and flew into the net, evening the score at 1-1.

In the second half both teams mustered a few offensive drives - Michigan even sent two balls crashing into the crossbar - but the theme was the same, a midfield grudge match with minimal offensive productivity.

"We were not clicking offensively," coach Debbie Belkin said. "Eastern were physical and pumped up and we were not playing our usual passing game."

But the Wolverine defense was doing a good job stopping the occasional Eagle threat, according to Belkin.

"We were playing solid defense, it was just that when we won the balls in our backfield we were not making good passes."

After the second 45-minute half drew to a close with the score tied at 1-1, two tired and battered teams retired to their sidelines in perparation for sudden-death overtime.

A focused Michigan team returned to action and put the game away after only five minutes and 16 seconds of offensive domination.

The goal came as Mari Hoff passed off to a sprinting Jessica Limauro, who dribbled to the 18-yard line and hit the far corner, sealing the victory for the Wolverines.

"I saw Jessica beating her opponent so I thought I would give her a through-ball," junior Mari Hoff said. "Once she received the ball, I knew she was going to score."

Following her game winning goal, Limauro expressed how pleased she was to end the tiring match.

"Thank God we scored, because I could not have managed to play another 30 minutes!"

09-16-98