A day in the varsity life

When the Wolverines hit the road for a date with two-time defending

NCAA champion Indiana, they were in for a brand new experience.

The Michigan starters line up on the field of the newly renovated Bill Armstrong Stadium before the game. The banner behind them calls attention to Indiana's five national championships, including the two most recent.

But for this team, that's nothing new.

Story by David Horn

Ordinarily, the men of the Michigan soccer team find themselves at the Big House, too. But the crisp autumn morning of Oct. 7 was anything but ordinary. It was 9:30 a.m., and the Wolverines were meeting in the Yost parking lot to start a six-hour ride to Bloomington.

MADE THE BUS IN SECONDS FLAT

They arrive weary-eyed but chatty. Coach Steve Burns has yet to show, but senior Ryan Yoder wanders over to a bus from the team's cramped lockerroom to determine that the charter is in fact theirs. After he informs those still in the lockerroom, he takes out a soccer ball and juggles playfully on the grass.

The rest of the players have been enjoying a fast-food breakfast, but finally arrive and begin checking their lockers one last time to see that they haven't forgotten anything. On the white board in the lockerroom, a number of quotes greet the players as they pack up. One quote - from the Athletic Director - is in red marker

Go Get Indiana

- Bill Martin

They all find a seat on the bus, and Burns addresses them, reminding his players that they are starting off the long bus ride by stuffing envelopes as part of a team promotion.

His envelope-stuffing assignment is met with a tired groan. This weekend did not begin an hour ago for them. Rather, 24 hours ago at a 6 a.m. practice Friday morning. The bus rolls west on I-94 at 10:10.

The letters are part of a marketing attempt to encourage attendance at their home game the next weekend against Michigan State. Attendance is an issue for any non-revenue team (and even some revenue teams), and for the infant soccer program, the problem of attracting people to Elbel Field for home games has been persistent. The letters contain some of the following lines: "Dear Fellow Soccer Enthusiast," "The first game in an old rivalry will be played on Sunday, October 15" and "Please accept this letter and schedule card to our remaining games as an invitation to come and support our team and watch soccer at a higher level." The letters are being sent to the participants (over 1,000) of the men's summer soccer camp and 3-on-3 tournament. The hope is that those kids, and their families, will become a permanent fixture at Michigan's home games.

SOMEBODY SPOKE

AND I WENT INTO A DREAM

The team had stockpiled a dozen movies for the ride down and back, and chosen American Pie for the time being. "We should watch 'Fight Club,'" captain Jack Stead suggests playfully to Burns. "I think we watched it in the game against Illinois, and we got a red card."

But this film cannot hold the players' interest, and they nod off to sleep one by one. The coaches, all of whom are seated in the front of the bus, remain awake.

At 12:45 the team is awakened as the bus pulls off the interstate just beyond Ft. Wayne, Ind. It's lunchtime, and they are all ready to eat. They are welcomed by a northern Indiana snow flurry as they get off the bus and head into Arby's. Again on the bus, most players pass out. Some do

homework or listen to music, but the atmosphere is one of quiet relaxation. They arrive in Bloomington at 4:25. Practice is two hours away.

The players gather in the lobby of the hotel, gym bags in tow. Bill Armstrong Stadium - Indiana's legendary pitch - is less than a five-minute ride away. The first thing Burns has his team do upon arriving at the stadium is to walk the field. It is a stark contrast to Elbel Field. Bill Armstrong Stadium has just undergone a $2.5 million renovation, and gleams beneath the setting Indiana sun. A new grandstand and press box sit opposite the remnants of the old stands. Michigan assistaint coach Ernie Yarborough, an Indiana soccer alum, comments on the possible motives behind scheduling this game - part of an alumni weekend for dynastic Indiana - with the infant Michigan squad.

"This is a class facility, and they'd like to show it off," Yarborough said. "We'll get (a new field) eventually. Winning helps, and so does the growth of soccer. Obviously the athletic department will want to put the money into a program that can prove it can win."

The air is cold. The team has had games in the pouring rain, but not yet in such a chilling climate.

"There's lots of rain in Florida, but not this cold weather," freshman Floridian Ian Hirschfield said. "What a great day for soccer."

The team holds its practice on a field adjacent to Bill Armstrong. "Acceleration steps!" yells Burns as his players run drills. "Accelerate K.T.!" Burns barks at freshman Kevin Taylor. "We're practicing until you guys can't see the ball."

After an hour and a half practice consisting of drills and a small 5 v. 5 scrimmage, Burns calls his men in. The end of practice is out of necessity - the sun has left the players all but blind as they finish their scrimmage. From the huddle, Burns points towards the Armstrong complex, and asks the team to notice the contrast between the old and new sides of the field.

"It's symbolic," Burns explains intensely. "The one side is the old, fading side. That's Indiana - trying to hang on. There are two challenges - the challenge of building a program, and the challenge of maintaining. We're the wrecking ball, and we're coming tomorrow."

Now in the dark, the players get their gear together and pile back onto the bus. They take pride in the bags, clothes and other paraphernalia they use. The equipment the varsity team now uses is worlds away from what the club team had used prior.

"We have three sets of Nike sweats - all new," explains Yoder. The struggles of the club program are gone, but not forgotten.

Tomorrow's game is the big time. For the club holdovers, it will be the most difficult competition that they will likely ever face. For the freshmen, it is a taste of what they have in store over the next four years.

As the meal wraps up, Burns invites freshman Kevin Robinson ("K-Rob") and senior captain Will Purdy to the center of the room for a round of Brazilian spoon fighting. It is a deceitful game that ultimately ends with the team in hysterics at the expense of the freshman Robinson. The players are loose, and every member - starters and non-starters, freshmen and seniors, club players and recruits - enjoy each other's company, the game just out of their minds.

On the bus back to the hotel, and throughout the traveling about Bloomington, the VCR plays footage of Premier League soccer. The players look on with awe - anxious to get on the field themselves. The game is just hours away.

WOKE UP,

GOT OUT OF BED

On the bus, Purdy asks goalkeeper Albert Geldres if there are any "butterflies in the stomach."

"They were gone," Geldres said. "But thanks for reminding me! All those penalty kicks we were watching (on the Premier League videos) makes me nervous. We need to see some goals not getting scored."

The team arrives at the stadium two hours before kickoff. The Hoosier women are still in the first half against Minnesota, and the players wait and watch. They can't get into the lockerroom until the second half of the women's game. They stand at the rail and look on quietly, somewhat surprised at the size of the crowd as it begins to swell in anticipation of the men's game.

Mr. Huber - Steve's dad - passes a yellow soccer ball around for the team to sign. It is his son's birthday present.

In the locker room, the team's gear is sorted out. There are gloves for the cold; socks; shorts; uniforms. There are new long-sleeved sweats that are being unveiled today. Every day is Christmas for a team that has had to scrape and claw for their own gear for more than 50 years. The locker room is cramped and busy. Purdy - who has been bothered all season by shin splints - and others are getting taped. Ankles, wrists and knees are being wrapped in white. Taylor and Hirschfield - both from the Sunshine State - write the jersey number and initials of a deceased teammate from their club team on their wrapped wrists. Sophomore Robert Turpin flips through his CD's in search of the appropriate pregame music.

In the midst of the preparation, Stead pulls out a gray t-shirt with the block "M" and the number 22 printed on it. The 22 stands for the original 22 members of the varsity squad (after the athletic department granted the team more scholarship options, the Wolverines now number 25), and the shirt is awarded at practices for outstanding effort and commitment. It is the first time the co-captain has earned the distinction.

"Now I can hang out with all you guys," Stead jests.

"Jack was picked as captain for being a role model, not as a player," assistant coach Walter Barrett said. "He doesn't get a lot of playing time, but he earned that shirt out of sheer respect from the team."

As the team continues to prepare, Burns stands stoically at the chalkboard, waiting for their attention. The players quickly realize that it's time for their coach to address them. The silence becomes absolute, and Burns takes a commanding control of the room.

"Let's get 90 strong minutes," Burns begins. "Take several deep breaths. Block out all thoughts from your head. Imagine your lung cage expanding and contracting. Be thinking about restarts - as we defend, and as we attack. Think about your role. Feel the contact - there's gonna be a lot of contact. A lot of firsts happened this season; there's also a lot of lasts. This is the last opportunity for a lot of seniors - you guys have been waiting for this your whole career. Leave everything out there."

The players file out and are greeted by their coaches at the end of the tunnel, leading out to the field.

"Walk on as a team," Burns reminds them.

Burns' restart comment underscores the theme of the entire weekend - from the on-field perspective. The previous six goals Michigan had allowed had been off restarts. Corners and indirect kicks were the focus in both the Saturday evening practice and the pregame warmup. The restart problem should have been solved. Less than two minutes into the game, the Wolverines realized it wasn't.

A CROWD OF PEOPLE STOOD

AND STARED

Michigan Wolverines, meet Matt Fundenberger. The Indiana All-America candidate represents all that Michigan is not, but has begun striving toward. Funenberger is a senior forward, and is in the top 20 for points and goals in Indiana soccer history. Less than two minutes into the first half, Funenberger was awarded a penalty kick after a trip in the box. He converted the try on Geldres for his fifth goal of the year. At the 24:18 mark, Funenberger scored his sixth of the season on an assist from Ryan Mack, and two minutes after that tallied his seventh on a cross from Marcus Chorvat.

Before halftime, the score was 5-0 in favor of Indiana. Fundenberger's hat trick stole the show.

Indiana is to NCAA soccer what North Carolina is to basketball and Notre Dame is to football. Hoosier coach Jerry Yeagley is, in keeping with the analogy, a Dean Smith for the soccer pitch. The team's history is overwhelmingly impressive, and is something that Michigan hopes to mimic. Yeagley, like Burns, was a club coach who stayed on to lead a newly formed varsity team. In the program's 27-year history he has led the Hoosiers to five NCAA championships; 13 College Cup (final four) appearances; 24 NCAA tournament appearances; 478 victories. Indiana is the quintessential Division I program.

The Wolverines knew that history told them they would lose, and despite talk of the contrary, they were outmatched on every inch of the field. As the rain came pouring on that Sunday afternoon, so too did the Hoosier offense. Whatever momentum Michigan had was soon lost.

Halftime in the visitor lockerroom is at first a solemn affair, until the senior goalkeeper speaks up.

"We can't play fucking scared!" Geldres yells at his mates. "Look who we're playing out there. Let's play for some pride. 5-0 with 15 minutes left? Come on!"

"They're a good squad, but 5-0?" junior Dave George says. "We're so scared of getting beat. Let's play D like we can play D!"

"Let's forget about the score," Purdy adds.

"This is a test for ourselves. Let's see what we can do," George says.

Purdy and Huber begin analyzing the Hoosier attack. Indiana sophomore sensation Pat Noonan has been "working the 1-2 all day," and exploiting holes in the Michigan defense. The coaches have stepped outside the lockerroom to discuss their approach to the obligatory pep talk. After five minutes of allowing the players to speak without their presence, Burns, Barrett and Yarborough step back in.

Burns is not angry - at first. He speaks with a loud confidence that his players respond to.

"We're going to play a 3-5-2 to start the second half," Burns begins. "The game unfolds however you play it. You're a little shellshocked."

Burns sees one of his players with his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Yoder, get your head up!" the coach yells. His tone shifts from strategy to an emotional appeal.

"There's no way I'm going to accept you guys playing without fire in your belly!" Burns grabs Robinson's jersey and yanks on it. "If we're going to get yellow cards, get some hard ones. None of this wimpy shit. This isn't going to happen against Northwestern or Wisconsin. Show us now that it won't happen then."

"We're going to get better now," Yarborough says to the room. "We'll leave today knowing that we played better."

Burns then asks his players to pick something up that won't break - a piece of chalk, a paper cup, a pair of cleats. "That's your frustration of the first half," he says. He leads his team in the cathartic exercise of whipping them around the room. The atmosphere is not quite at its pregame optimism, but the team's halftime doldrums seem to be gone. They retake the field for another 45 minutes against the best.

THEY HAD

TO COUNT THEM ALL

Michigan had six shots on goal to Indiana's 14. Outmatched and exhausted, the Wolverines shake the hands of the defending national champions and head back to the lockerroom.

Burns walks silently to the chalkboard and scribbles.

october 15, 3:30

varsity soccer field

lifting tomorrow 3-4

What went wrong out there?

Robert Turpin replies with a grin, "I don't even want to answer that."

Sophomore goalkeeper Brad King had replaced Geldres in the second half.

"These guys were the quickest, toughest and hardest team we'll play," he laments. "I'm back there wondering why my D is always out of position, but that's just what they do to you."

At 6:30 the bus rolls out again. Things are quiet, but this is not the anticipatory pregame quiet. This is the silence of a thoroughly exhausted team. The Wolverines try to make themselves comfortable.

A half-hour outside of Bloomington they stop at a McDonald's for dinner. The mood lightens slightly. The players' appetites were huge - they haven't eaten since 10 this morning. Seniors Purdy, Geldres and Stead sit and joke with freshmen Tom Gritter and Mike White.

They recollect stories of the club days like venerable soldiers talking about the war. They laugh about their freshman year - how different it was from the experiences of these freshmen. Gritter and several other freshmen struggle in near-darkness to get homework done for tomorrow's classes.

Michigan's 1-0 overtime loss to No. 2 Penn State the previous week may have lulled the Wolverines into a false sense of confidence.

That confidence was stripped from them 1:38 into the game. Even beyond keeping pace with Indiana, Burns and his team had certain goals that were not met on this afternoon.

"This wasn't quite what I anticipated," Burns says quietly from the front seat. "We saw the same thing in our guys against Oakland - a completely different team in the second half. We came with a little bit of fear. It's part of the learning curve. We were beaten on many different levels. We'll eventually evolve into that kind of team," Burns said. "We're a couple of steps away. The first step is to bring in better players. Across the board, we had five or six who could compete at their level, not 11.

"It will take us three years to get to the same talent level," Burns predicts. "An additional two years to get that same winning mentality. We need to recruit fighters. We're going to do what (Yeagley) has done with his midwestern players - work off of that blue-collar mentality.

"We want guys who want to be part of establishing something. Kids who want to make their footprints."

The bus pulls back into the Yost parking lot just before 1 a.m. Monday. The Wolverines step wearily off - cashed out. Some get in their cars and leave while others have friends waiting to pick them up. There's nothing more to say, really, because there's lifting tomorrow afternoon (3-4) and another opponent to prepare for.

Today in the life of this program was like any day in the life of this program - fun, exciting and new at times, but exhausting and humbling at others.

At Armstrong Stadium, the team got a taste of where it wants to go. Burns thinks he knows how to get there. He has the daunting task of finding others who share his desire to "make their footprints." And each day will be another day in the life of a varsity team, inching its way toward greatness.

Photos by Sam Hollenshead

Captain Jack Stead does his part in helping out with a team promotion. On the bus ride to Bloomington, the players stuffed envelopes with invitations to their home games. The game against Michigan State - the team's next home game - would draw a record 2,173 fans, a Michigan record.

Seniors Steve Huber and Will Purdy relax after a Saturday evening meal fit for a king. Purdy, the team's first captain, has been hampered for most of the season with shin splints. But he and the rest of the senior class value each and every minute they are able to play in their first and only varsity year.