Soccer regroups after key loss

The Michigan soccer team isn't trying to sugarcoat its feelings about its loss to Wisconsin this past Sunday, which may have cost the Wolverines a share the Big Ten title. It was a crushing blow to the team psyche.

After enjoying considerable success through the first nine games of the Big Ten season, going 8-0-1, the Wolverines played lethargically against a Wisconsin team that has a losing record in the Big Ten.

"This loss hurts so much," Kacy Beitel said. "We realize how important the team is to all of us when we lose, and it really hurts."

After five weeks of grueling conference play, coach Debbie Belkin gave the team Monday and Tuesday off, an important chance for some physical rest and mental healing.

Even though the defeat to the Badgers was just one loss in a sea of victories, it is definitely an event Michigan will have to recover from.

The best way for the Wolverines to regroup is to rely on their veterans, who know what to do after a tough loss. Players like Amber Berendowsky, have dealt with nearly all the highs and lows before, and they know not to dwell on any one game.

"We just need to get refocused and go back to playing game to game," Berendowsky said.

The idea of playing one game at a time is an old sports cliche, but it is especially applicable in this situation. The Wolverines were caught assuming victory against Wisconsin, and they played flat. Looking just one game into the future is a way of preventing the same mistake from occurring.

An easy way for any lingering pain from the Wisconsin loss to be vanquished would be if Penn State would simply lose to Ohio State on Friday. Having completed their Big Ten season, Michigan and Penn State could share the title if the Nittany Lions fell to the Buckeyes.

"If Ohio State can pull off the victory, you're going to see one happy Michigan women's soccer team," Beitel said.

Unfortunately for Michigan, there isn't a medium available for them to receive live coverage of the game. The players will likely head straight to the Internet after Friday's practice, to try to locate the of the contest.

But the possibility of Penn State losing is not going to become the major issue for the team the next three days. When the team resumes practicing today, it's likely finishing opportunities to score will be a focal point. Despite easily outshooting the Badgers, Michigan fell 3-1.

Berendowsky believes that the lack of offensive output against Wisconsin was a result of looking past the Badgers, and not a withstanding problem for Michigan.

"I still think we have the best scoring ability in the Big Ten," Berendowsky said.

Other than that, this week will just be about regaining confidence for a team that's not used to losing.

"We came out and had a strong season," Berendowsky said, "We can't get too upset about what happened."

The team asserts that other than winning the Big Ten regular-season championship, winning the conference tournament and advancing deep into the NCAA tournament are also major goals.

With that said, an excellent chance to test Michigan's confidence and focus presents itself in the three non-conference games remaining on the Wolverines' regular season schedule.

Butler, Kentucky, and Alabama will provide a challenging precursor to the Big Ten Tournament. These three games will test whether or not the team can rebound from a loss, and return to their pre-Wisconsin form.

"We now realize that nothing ever comes easy," Beitel said. "You always have to be mentally prepared for every game you go into."

10-20-99