Kali Burrell never had a choice. Or at least that’s what Kali and her mother, McKenzie, claim. She was always going to be an athlete — her parents “lived and breathed sports.” She was always going to be a competitor — game night at the Burrell’s house is no joke, often starting with trash talk and ending in tears. And she was always going to be a winner — because if there’s one thing Kali hates, it’s losing.

Hailing from a family of athletes based in Evanston, Illinois, the sophomore forward continued her parents’ legacy of collegiate athletics when she joined the Michigan women’s soccer team. McKenzie and her father, Aaron, played college basketball at Pittsburgh and football at Northwestern, respectively. McKenzie would also eventually take up coaching, but the student she tormented the most was always Kali.

“I didn’t have a choice when it came to when I wanted to work out,” Kali said. “She would tell me to go into the basement and juggle. She would force me to use my left foot, which I hated.” 

There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. McKenzie set the schedule and Kali had to follow, building a dynamic that eventually earned McKenzie the title of “momager,” coined and frequently used by Kali even today. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a role Kali was always content with her mother taking on. Their disagreements would often stem from McKenzie deciding Kali’s daily timetable without her consent, which Kali admits used to “drive her crazy.” As Kali grew and matured, though, so did their relationship — and eventually it became more of a collaboration.

“Before, I would tell her ‘Hey, you should do this, this and this,’ ” McKenzie said. “Now it’s ‘What do you want to do this week?’ ”

Today, Kali’s daily routine doesn’t look much different from the one her mom would draw up when she was younger. Kali ultimately realized it’s a routine that allows her to always put her best foot forward and make the most of what she is doing. Whether that be workout sessions, practices or gamedays, Kali saw the benefit in her mother’s regimen in everything she did later on. However, that isn’t the only lasting effect her relationship with her mother had on the athlete she is today. She also gained an understanding from McKenzie that there is more to being an athlete than just the game.

“When she said she wanted to play soccer in college, that’s when I had to educate her on what that meant,” McKenzie said.

This involved sitting young Kali down to make a plan for the future. They decided that along with preparing Kali from a physical and technical standpoint, it was also crucial for her to imbibe the correct work ethic and attitude. 

As a result, the player Michigan has in Kali is not one who will bog down after a setback, but rather one who has the courage to pick herself up when the chips are down. Moreover, Michigan has a player who cares deeply for the perception of women’s soccer in society and respects those who make the sport what it is. 

Another aspect of being a student-athlete was that, as Kali herself put, “school comes first. You’re either getting good grades or you can’t play soccer.” Despite academic workload increasing through middle school, high school and now college, Kali’s athletic accomplishments stand alongside her impressive academic achievements. Balancing the two is a tall order, but Kali embraces the challenge. 

“I’ve always grown up having high expectations for myself,” Kali said. “But that has also given me a lot of confidence, and when I’m confident, that’s when I’m at my best.”

Both Kali and McKenzie view sport as more mental than physical, emphasizing the importance of creating a positive environment. McKenzie’s perspective on creating an environment conducive to growth is something she continues to help her daughter with. Kali mentioned how, throughout the past year, she loved seeing her mother after games and appreciates how often she makes the trip to Ann Arbor. After all, what better motivation to perform than to know that your mother is watching from the stands?

It’s the little things that make all the difference, and often that’s what separates the best from the rest. From making her schedules to instilling the values only a former athlete can, Kali’s mother and her family helped make that difference. 

There’s no one correct way to pave your path as an athlete, but Kali and McKenzie have shown that you could do a lot worse than living the “momager” life.

The post Living the ‘momager’ life: Kali Burrell and her mother’s influence on her success appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

Before Jen Klein took the reins as head coach of the Michigan women’s soccer team in 2018, the Wolverines had not won a Big Ten Tournament title in over 20 years. Beyond that, they hadn’t made it to the NCAA Tournament since 2016. With the introduction of Klein, however, the team hoped to reach new heights. 

And in the five years since she took the reins, they’ve done just that.

In 2021, her fourth season at Michigan, the Wolverines achieved the long sought after Big Ten Tournament title. While performance and skill were important in this achievement, a vital component went beyond the talent. Klein’s unique coaching style and desire to facilitate a positive culture for her team played a key role.

“In years past, we struggled with team culture,” junior defender Sarah Bridenstine told The Daily. “… She really stresses that in order to have a championship team you need to have a good culture first.”

For Michigan, a good culture looks like strong leadership that fosters character and player development, positive communication and trust.

And Klein’s past experiences have helped her build that culture into her coaching philosophy. As head coach at UNLV — where she was the youngest head coach in NCAA Division I women’s soccer — then as assistant coach at Washington State followed by associate head coach at University of Southern California, Klein has developed an extensive repertoire of coaching experiences to draw from. 

But her strong leadership doesn’t just stem from past coaching experiences — it also comes from playing experience. 

During her time playing soccer at Arizona, Klein was team captain for two years. This experience has not only shaped her knowledge of the game and ability to make quick in-game changes, but also the way she leads. She is able to relate to her players and understand the difficulties that come with being both athletes and students.

“(It’s about) knowing what they’re going through as a student, what they’re going through as an athlete, what it feels like to play against a rival, what it feels like to deal with a tough conversation with a teammate,” Klein told The Daily. 

Klein’s various experiences as both a player and a coach have benefited and shaped the Michigan women’s soccer program in a way it never has before, creating a culture that is founded in “character, connection and communication.” 

It’s a culture Klein has utilized at every level, not just as a head coach. 

“She does a really good job of relating with individual players,” Keidane McAlpine, Klein’s former colleague at USC, told The Daily. “… in communicating with them, learning their little stories, meeting them on a very human level and just being real, being authentic with the players and I think that too gives them a space where they feel very comfortable.”

Klein’s ability to be authentically herself has created a model for her own players to follow. She cares about her players as people, not simply athletes. This essential characteristic takes center stage in Klein’s unique coaching style. In a world where players are often seen as athletes and employees, Klein has intentionally restructured the culture to create an environment that is player-centric. This, in combination with Klein’s attention to detail, knowledge of the game and competitive spirit has created a space for the Wolverines to effectively reach their highest potential. 

And the culture has clearly paid off.

In Klein’s fourth season after taking over the program as head coach, Michigan won 18 games in the 2021 season, tying their previous record.

“I think how she motivates a group,” assistant coach Tori Christ told The Daily. “And I think how, when she says something … she empowers people to take it upon themselves and like make it their own, whether it’s their role on the field, whether it’s our roles as staff, but I think just how she motivates a group is incredibly intentional.”

Klein motivates her players through leading by example and providing them with the training and support they need to succeed. While many athlete’s view lifting and conditioning as the most challenging part of training, Klein does the arduous exercises right alongside her players — highlighting her personal coaching style and the ability to motivate her players. She is able to model her own expectations, creating a culture that is centered around leading by example.

That’s important, especially when things are difficult.

This past season, Michigan faced a string of conference losses entering its game against then – No. 14 Rutgers. Ending the half down 2-0 with a win necessary to keep tournament hopes alive, the game did not appear to be leaning in the Wolverines favor. However, they came back out, scored three unanswered goals, and ended the game with a victory against Rutgers. 

That turnaround came at the hands of Klein’s leadership.

“She came into the locker room, just like full of positivity and energy and she’s just like, do what you want with this, this time is yours,” Bridenstine said. “You have 45 minutes left to put it on the field. … I just think when she can stay positive in situations and when she’s thrown adversity, it really helps the team out.”

Klein’s ability to remain positive and composed in the midst of difficult situations, while also placing responsibility on each player clearly had an impact on the team as they were able to turn a likely loss into an electrifying victory. The culture she has built helped pull them past mediocrity and into victory. 

Another important aspect of Klein’s coaching style is her emphasis on having the right mindset. 

“You can be in a low performance mindset or a high performance mindset and we talk a lot about positive self talk and how that can affect your performance,” Bridenstine said when recounting a central aspect of Klein’s coaching philosophy. “And so even if it’s not your best day on the field, if you can maintain a positive mindset you’ll remain within your high performance.”

Having the right mindset can turn a good player into a great player, and it can make or break a game. By putting an emphasis on mindset, Klein empowers her players to make positive changes no matter the situation. 

Since arriving at Michigan, Klein had set out to rebuild culture, and she’s done just that. As with any good leader, she listens to her players and is incredibly intentional when it comes to culture and its impactful role in the team dynamic.

“First and foremost to building (culture) to where it is was listening to the current team,” Klein said. “… We really take into account the players and allowing for them to be contributing members to what the culture is going to look like.”

By fostering an environment where player’s voices are listened to, Klein has created a strong foundation built on collaborative efforts and trust. With this foundation in place, she has been able to focus on developing players both on and off the field. 

“Training is such a great time where we have an opportunity to teach players not only just skills to help them within our sport, but skills that are going to help them in their time once they’re done playing soccer,” Klein said. ” And so really developing them as people, students and athletes.”

When Klein joined Michigan, she took over a team with unfamiliar players, many of which she had not recruited. However, her ability to develop and connect with players helped her transform the team into a force to be reckoned with.

“I think my favorite moment is when a player’s light bulb comes on,” Klein said. “When all of a sudden like something that they’ve been working on, an area that they’ve been focusing on and it clicks and they get it and that to me is always such a proud moment as a coach.”

It is clear that Klein genuinely cares about her players. This, along with her passion for the game and expertise, is what ultimately shaped the unique team culture she has built for the women’s soccer team. 

With the team’s footing now set firmly on this culture-centered foundation, there is no doubt it will aid them in their upcoming season. 

And that’s possible because Klein is at the helm.

The post <strong>How Jen Klein rebuilt Michigan women’s soccer culture</strong> appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

After a dreadful 2022 season, the Michigan men’s soccer team has had plenty of time to think about the past — to contemplate all that went wrong this year and led it to miss the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history.

The Wolverines also have time to get excited about the future, especially with the recent news of forward Nick Kaloukian and defender Nolan Miller being named to the Big Ten all-freshman team. 

But Michigan — and especially its coach, Chaka Daley — need to be careful not to fall into the soothing trap that is the talk of potential or the self-indulgent regrets of what could have been. 

Because if the team doesn’t demonstrate massive improvement on the field soon, a change in leadership may be both imminent and necessary. 

An overhaul of personnel has not always been in the cards for Michigan, as Daley has enjoyed stretches of success at the helm — most notably from 2017 to 2019, when the team made the NCAA tournament for three consecutive seasons and also won a Big Ten title. In that span, a crowned Daley cemented himself in the role for the foreseeable future.

But the program has been on a downward trajectory since those three prosperous seasons. After struggling to finish above .500 and missing the NCAA tournament in 2020 and 2021, the Wolverines hit rock bottom in 2022, winning just one conference match and finishing with an abysmal 4-10-3 record. 

The 59 goals scored in the past three seasons is the lowest combined total across a three-year stretch in Michigan history. The 18 cumulative wins are tied for the least with 2014-2016, a previously woeful stretch that Daley survived. 

And for these past three years, the messaging from the top has been much of the same. Daley has preached patience and focused on opportunities for growth — consistently insisting that his team has outplayed their opponent and been defeated due to pure misfortune and bad luck. 

Just look at some of his past comments.

During the 2020 campaign, played in the spring of 2021 due to Covid, after a loss to Indiana:

“(We) got to get better at closing games out and putting teams away because, in the end, we did enough to put them away,” Daley said on Mar. 28, 2021. “We’re disappointed we didn’t get more out of the game because we feel they shouldn’t have gotten anything … We carried every phase of the game today … We had more chances and more quality chances. … We were unfortunate.”

In 2021, Daley echoed the sentiment of the previous season. 

“Our identity is still forming,” he said on Oct. 26, 2021 after a loss to Ohio State that ended their regular season. “… We’re still trying to figure things out.”

And in 2022, these themes of fortitude echo throughout the entirety of the disastrous campaign. 

“We did everything right except score,” Daley said after a draw with Oakland on Sep. 21, 2022. “We’re just a little bit snake bitten at the moment.” 

And after a tie with Indiana:

“I think we created chances against every team this year … the hardest thing to do in the sport is to score a goal,” Daley said on Oct. 3, 2022. “… We’re continuing to create really good chances. We are better than our record has shown to this point … our group is disappointed, which is a good thing.” 

After three years of this repetitiveness, Daley’s messages might be falling on deaf ears. Because you can’t blame the lack of results on the field on an absence of talent. Michigan consistently brings in top recruiting classes, infusing its roster with a plethora of talent year after year. 

The Wolverines welcomed the second-ranked class in 2014, the ninth best nationwide in 2017, and 14th overall in 2020. In 2022, the seven freshman group was headlined by Nicholas Cassiday, named male high school player of the year by USA Today. Cassiday scored just one goal for Michigan and averaged 31 minutes per game. 

When top-ranked players and national award winners are stacked up and down your starting eleven, a season of this caliber is unacceptable.

The only Big Ten schools that consistently bring in equally formidable recruits are Maryland and Indiana. The Hoosiers boast one of the strongest programs in college soccer, winning eight NCAA titles and 17 Big Ten championships, while the Terrapins won the National Championship in 2018 and have not missed the NCAA tournament in over two decades. 

The Wolverines do not belong in the conversation with those two regular contenders, because — for whatever reason — they are unable to turn the talent they attain on the recruiting trail into success on the pitch. Instead, Michigan leadership has advocated for patience and shifting the narrative to focus on its ever-expanding potential. 

But for Chaka Daley, that promising future needs to become the present soon. 

The post Jack Day: For Chaka Daley, the future is now appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

The Big Ten Tournament began its first round of play on Sunday night while the Michigan women’s soccer team (7-8-3 Overall, 2-6-2 Big Ten) watched from home on the couch, having finished 11^th in the Big Ten. A season that started full of promise ended in shambles as a domino effect of woes sent the Wolverines’ postseason hopes crashing down.

Let’s breakdown the highs and lows:

Highs

Kacey Lawrence

Junior midfielder Kacey Lawrence proved her place in the starting lineup with her unrelenting energy. In her previous two seasons, Lawrence totaled a combined 787 minutes. This season she notched 1046 minutes, averaging 65.38 minutes per game.

“Ah man, that girl was on fire,” Michigan coach Jen Klein said on Sept. 22 after a draw against Ohio State. “She is such a spark of energy, her ability to go and have one gear. A spark plug that just fires and goes. She brought some unbelievable energy and brought some really good chances for us.”

She was a breath of fresh air constantly rushing up and down the field, but never letting exhaustion slow her down. Although the stat sheet doesn’t show Lawrence as a difference maker, netting just four goals and four assists, her playmaking was invaluable.

The Wolverines had issues finding the back of the net and were shutout or held to one goal in 12 of their 17 matches. But, that wasn’t for a lack of trying by Lawrence, who slotted 25 shots with 14 on goal over the year.

Lawrence’s admirable efforts on the season very well could earn her a captain’s armband for her upcoming senior season.

Defense

When senior defender Jayde Riviere announced her collegiate career-ending injury, the Michigan backline looked to be in peril after losing its linchpin.

But the Wolverines’ defense reorganized the platoon and built an outstanding line without their captain, Riviere.

In 14 games Michigan held its opponents to two points or less, and in 10 of those the Wolverines held them to one point or none. And of the three games in which they allowed three goals, two were against top-25 opponents.

That iron clad defense was full of promising underclassman with years of growth ahead of them. Sophomore Tamia Tolbert and freshman Aniyah League proved they can bring stability in the future.

And while the highs were encouraging for Michigan, but they were not enough to offset the difficulties of the season.

Lows

Goal Production

The Wolverines lit up non-competitive opponents, but that prowess failed to carry over against respectable competitors. Michigan was often stymied, getting shutout in eight games — almost half the season.

Lawrence and seniors Lily Farkas, Sami Woods and Dani Wolfe tried their best to produce chances on net for their team with a constant barrage of shots. The quartet racked up 25, 51, 43 and 21, respectively. What the stat sheet doesn’t show is their relentless lobs, crosses, volleys, and passes through the final third that the Wolverines failed to capitalize on.

“We need to be more consistent in our discipline in (the) details,” Klein said on Sept. 1 after a loss to Iowa State. “I think we have very, very good shiny moments and then we have some moments that we’re just not dialed in.”

And those shiny moments soon shone.

Michigan blew out Boston University, slaughtered Central Michigan and mascaraed Toledo. But those programs weren’t the most elite competitors, as Toledo and Central Michigan combined for an abysmal 4-21-11 record.

The highlight of the season was when the Wolverines upset No. 14 Rutgers, 3-2. However, the rest of their Big Ten conference matchups painted an ugly picture, with Michigan getting shutout seven times and finishing with only two conference wins.

One thing is clear: You can’t win if you don’t score. And Michigan did neither.

Compatibility

Individually, the team was chock full of great players who provided great performances, but it’s a team sport. Graduate Izzy Nino saw significant time between the goal posts for the first time in her Wolverine career. But, the defense and its new leader had trouble meshing. After playing under Hillary Beall for five years there was bound to be an adjustment period.

“As a team we are still forming and figuring out roles and responsibilities,” Klein said Sept. 1. “There’s a little bit of some confusion in there, but we just have to find ways to make it work.”

The 17-game season wasn’t enough for all the puzzles pieces to slide into place.

Michigan’s kryptonite proved to be miscues on both sides of the ball.

Crosses from Farkas were frequently missed by three or four players in the box. On the other side, Nino would often dive for a ball just as League would smash it out of the defensive third. The Wolverines couldn’t grow to function as a cohesive unit.

***

Follwing Michigan’s worst full season since 2017 — before Klein’s coaching tenure— it’s taken a clear step back. The 2022 season was the first full season in her time at the helm where the Wolverines failed to make the Big Ten Tournament.

The few bright spots from the Wolverines’ less than ideal performance show promise for next season. But, the lows tell a different story. Michigan’s original ranking, No. 9, showed its potential, yet after this year’s performance it’ll go into the 2023 season — most likely — unranked with a lot of question marks.

With a disappointing season in the books, the Wolverines will have to prove themselves next year. They’ll have to prove that this season was a fluke, a misfortune not by design.

For now, it’s back to the drawing boards.

The post The Michigan women’s soccer team’s season in review appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

The Michigan men’s soccer team has been repeatedly acquainted with the age-old adage of Murphy’s Law this season.

That was evident on Sunday afternoon — when the Wolverines’ 3-2 loss to Penn State and Northwestern’s first conference win of the season, fueled by an 85th minute penalty kick, combined to keep Michigan out of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history. 

As everything that could possibly go wrong unfolded on the pitch in front of Michigan coach Chaka Daley, he struggled to find a way to articulate the scope of the implausible and devastating season-ending defeat.

“I am at a loss (for words),” Daley said. “I’m baffled. … I don’t have much more.” 

But the connection is also clear when viewing the 2022 season as a complete picture — a campaign that resulted in a .188 conference winning percentage, tied for the worst of the decade-long Daley era.           

“(Today was) a culmination of our season,” Daley said. “(Lack of) luck and number of chances … there’s so many moments in the season. … it’s something that’s happened too many times.” 

It didn’t look so bleak for the Wolverines the entire afternoon. Michigan entered the game slated in eighth place, ahead of the Wildcats by two points, needing merely a tie or a Northwestern non-win to cement its spot in this weeks single elimination contest. 

And early on, that proposition seemed attainable. When freshman defender Nolan Miller sent a diving header into the back of the net in the fourth minute, and the Wolverines carried that 1-0 lead at halftime, they looked on their way to securing the right to face Maryland in College Park on Friday. Michigan’s offense during the first 45 minutes was creative and cohesive, controlling the majority of possession and doubling the Nittany Lions’ shot count. 

The possibility that is now a reality looked remote and increasingly pessimistic.

That positive perspective didn’t last long. The Wolverines’ defense crumbled in the latter half of the game, as Penn State exploded for three goals — tied for the most Michigan has allowed in a single half all season — and stormed back to capture the victory.

The Jekyll and Hyde nature of this game, serving as a microcosm for the season as a whole, was too much to overcome. The result was a fatal and irrevocable defeat.

Without a chance to play in the conference tournament, the Wolverines will miss the NCAA postseason for the third straight year, continuing a disappointing trend after three straight years of qualification from 2017-2019. They end the season ranked 145th out of the 203 eligible Division I teams for total points scored. 

The 19 goals and 17 assists tallied throughout the schedule are both dead last in the Big Ten, and the program is flirting with rock bottom.

“It’s disappointing,” Daley said. “But in order to appreciate the highs … in life, you must have had a low.”

The 2022 season was full of plenty of those for Michigan — and now it will have an unusually long offseason to brainstorm ways to right the ship next fall.

The post Michigan ends season as Big Ten bottom feeders appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

As the last five seconds of the game wound down, senior forward Derick Broche stood inches away from the right side of the post with the ball in front of him. With no defender around him and a second left on the clock, Broche took a hail-mary shot to try to save the Wolverines’ season. The ball curved past the net before going out of bounds, bringing the players to their knees and their season to an end. 

The Michigan men’s soccer team (4-10-3 overall, 1-6-1 Big Ten) fell to Penn State (6-5-4, 3-2-3), 3-2, in its last game of the season Sunday afternoon, missing its opportunity to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. 

“We are devastated, the guys are devastated,” Michigan coach Chaka Daley said. “They gave everything to the last second, just wasn’t enough for today.” 

Following Tuesday’s loss against Notre Dame, the Wolverines entered Sunday’s game with the risk of losing their eighth-place standing in the Big Ten to Northwestern. A draw would secure their spot at the Big Ten Tournament, but a loss would drop Michigan from it.

The Wolverines opened the game with a determination to keep their season alive, creating early pressure on the Nittany Lions’ defense. Just three minutes into play, a header by freshman defender Nolan Miller from a corner kick by junior midfielder Bryce Blevins found the back of the net, giving Michigan a 1-0 lead.  

While the Wolverines continued to create offensive chances, it was their defensive efforts that kept them in control in the first half. The defense — led by sophomore defender Jason Bucknor as well as Miller — restricted Penn State to three shots with only one on goal.

Regardless of the early lead and clear defensive effort, there were also evident flaws.

“We weren’t necessarily on top of the game in the first half,” Daley said. “The score may have been in our favor, but we weren’t on top.” 

At the start of the second half, the surprising absence of Michigan’s starting freshman midfielders Nicholas Cassidy and Nicholas Kaloukian — the anchors of its attack — allowed the Nittany Lions to control most of the possessions, exposing the Wolverines’ defensive weaknesses. 

Two minutes into the half, Penn State midfielder Van Danielson rifled an uncontested shot from the 18-yard box. His shot went past the outstretched gloves of sophomore goalkeeper Hayden Evans and hit the back of the net, tying the game 1-1. 

The Nittany Lions continued to apply the pressure from there. A pass from Penn State defender Alex Stevenson found Danielson on the near post, allowing Danielson to slot it behind Evans, giving the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead. 

“I don’t think it was anything they did,” Daley said. “I think we did it to ourselves a little bit.”

Michigan’s continuous defensive collapses allowed Penn State to find consistent open shots on goal, leaving the Wolverines in desperate need to convert on their offensive opportunities.  

At the 55th minute, a shot by Miller off a pass from Blevins ricocheted off the post and hit the back of the net. Even though the Nittany Lions dominated the second half, the game was once again tied at 2-2. 

The goal sparked the stagnant Michigan offense but its defensive woes continued. Back-to-back uncontested shots by Penn State forward Peter Mangione, followed by a shot on goal by midfielder Andrew Privett gave the Nittany Lions a 3-2 lead at the 75th minute. The hope of a tie proved short-lived.

Despite the return of Cassidy and Kaloukian off into the half, the Wolverines’ momentum was erased. Michigan generated seven shots, including four on goal, in the second half but never found the equalizer. 

“We had as many chances as they did,” Daley said. “They just happened to win more moments than we did.” 

The Wolverines attacked the Penn State defense until the last second of the game as Broche’s shot to the right corner of the net went past the post, leading to an abrupt end to Michigan’s season. 

As the Wolverines miss their first Big Ten Tournament appearance under Daley, it’s clear that Michigan needs to find its defensive identity in order to achieve more success next season. If it doesn’t, it might just be more of the same — more being the only Big Ten team not to make the conference tournament.

The post Michigan defense falters in season-ending loss to Penn State appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

Following an afternoon of melancholy closure, the Michigan women’s soccer team’s seniors fell to their knees as the clock hit zeros.  

An adequate defensive effort and late inspiration on offense were overshadowed by another showcase in finishing failure for the Wolverine Sunday, who lost to move to 2-6-2 in Big Ten play with the 1-0 loss to Indiana. The team finished on a 1-4 skid, and all losses were shutouts.

In a disappointing season for the reigning Big Ten tournament champions, Michigan’s stagnant offense was a problem throughout. The 1-0 loss came against a struggling Indiana team who picked up just their third win on the season’s final day. Ending in shutout style felt like a fitting end to a season full of finishing woes. The Wolverines – that entered the season with Big Ten championship aspirations – could not seem to find the goal.  

“We would love to create a few more opportunities and better looks in front of the goal,” Michigan coach Jennifer Klein said.  

With some inexperienced players and a general lack of communication, those opportunities on goal were a rarity for Michigan on Sunday. Even when the Wolverines did come across opportunities they failed to convert the opportunities into points on the scoreboard.  

“In moments we just didn’t get the breaks that we needed,” Klein said.

The lack of breaks on Sunday encapsulated a wider season-long offensive struggle. While the defense has kept the team in games, 14 of the Wolverines’ 18 matches ended with fewer than two goals scored. In eight of those, Michigan failed to tally a single goal and the team’s record bore the price of that inability to score.

In some situations the offense has gotten good looks, and simply could not find the net. Senior forward Hannah Blake had an opportunity in the 29th minute and senior forward Lily Farkas had another in the 81st, both clean looks inside the goalie box, and both blocked by Indiana’s Bethany Kopel.

While Klein deflected when asked about the offensive play, heading into next year, the Wolverines hope to bounce back – much like they did a season ago after the COVID year in 2020. 

“I can’t help but see some parallels to the 2020 year and how we came back even better in 2021,” Klein said. “I’m hoping that in this year, in ’22, this hardship that we face will make us better and we will find the good in it, and be all the more prepared, ready to go for 2023.”

Looking forward on the issues of communication and experience, Michigan will try to reload with a new recruiting class.

“When it comes to a soccer standpoint, or specifically when it comes to some personnel that we need to go find in the recruiting, we’ll have time to look into that,” Klein said.

Perhaps that recruiting will translate into young talent that will be able to finish around the goalie box. After this season’s offensive struggles, Klein remained positive about the growth that young players experienced.

“We got a lot of really young players opportunity on the field the whole season and that’s a positive,” Klein said. “Any time you can give experience to your younger players it’s only gonna make them better.”

While this might be a silver lining, if the Wolverines want to find success next year, they must find a way to solve the issues at hand – finishing offensive possessions and scoring goals.  

And games like Sunday’s must become an anomaly.

The post Failing to finish kills offense in final game appeared first on The Michigan Daily.

The Michigan women’s soccer team learned on Thursday that it had not qualified for the Big Ten Tournament, thus its final game against Indiana served as one last chance to end the season on a high note. Offensive deficiencies obstructed any success.

The Wolverines (7-8-3 overall, 2-6-2 Big Ten) lost their last game of the season 1-0 to the Hoosiers (3-7-7, 1-7-2) in a stark offensive contrast to Thursday’s upset over No. 15 Rutgers. Despite a slight offensive surge in the second half, Michigan was unable to find opportunities on goal.

“We just didn’t get the breaks that we needed,” Michigan coach Jennifer Klein said. “…Obviously we would love to create a few more opportunities and better looks in front of goal.”

Better looks were difficult to come by in Sunday’s game, with only 36% of the Wolverines’ possession time in the first half of play occuring in their attacking half of the field. On the contrary, Indiana occupied their attacking half for 70% of their possession in the first 30 minutes. Simply put, the Hoosiers’ defense smothered Michigan early, leaving the Wolverines stuck on their own side for the majority of the first half.

Indiana’s sole goal of the game was scored off a corner kick 24 minutes into the match, and in messy fashion. The ball bounced off the head of junior defender Sarah Bridenstine and the foot of graduate goalkeeper Izzy Nino before being chipped into the goal by Indiana midfielder Ava Akeel.

The following 20 minutes of the first half remained stagnant offensively for the Wolverines, but more impressive on the defensive side with Nino saving four shots before the half ended.

“Defensively, I think it was a bit unfortunate to give up a goal on the corner kick and set piece, overall we did okay,” Klein said. “We gave so much on Thursday night, and I think (it was) just a little bit challenging today.”

Following halftime, Michigan showed signs of a shift on offense and defense, improving from three shots to eight and limiting the Hoosiers to three of their own. However, this shift proved to be not large enough and failed to result in any goals from the Wolverines.

Michigan took five shots in the final 10 minutes of the game, but Indiana’s defense didn’t let up. The Wolverines kept fighting for the entire 90 minutes, with senior forward Hannah Blake attempting to score with one second left, only for the ball to land anticlimactically in the hands of the Hoosiers’ graduate goalkeeper Bethany Kopel.

Although it was Nino’s last game, she remains hopeful for what next year’s season will bring.

“There’s been a lot of versatility and some people that took on some different roles,” Nino said. “…I’m really excited to see how those roles that were opened can be filled with a lot of the different players on the team.”

Despite this positive outlook, it is clear Michigan will need more than some versatility to protect themselves from the unstable offense exhibited this season.

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Having momentum is crucial for any game. 

It took a while for the Michigan women’s soccer team to find that in its bout with No. 14 Rutgers Thursday night. Nevertheless, the momentum that it kept up throughout the latter half of the game was enough to lead it to a victory.

“We really felt like how we wanted to press them it started (working) toward the end of the first half I think to start to gain that momentum,” Michigan coach Jennifer Klein said. “We saw the success we were having going into halftime and I think having that … really gave us that motivation.”

As the Wolverines entered the game with only one conference win compared to the Scarlet Knights’ five, the odds were not in their favor.

By the 11th minute, Rutgers had already scored two goals. Things were not looking up for Michigan as it was not applying consistent pressure or connecting passes. The momentum was clearly lying with the Scarlet Knights.

But, even though the Wolverines were still down by two at the half, they entered the locker room confident and emerged with newfound energy and momentum.

“Coming back from a 2-0 deficit at halftime, we definitely knew what we had to do,” freshman midfielder Jenna Lang said.

After its first goal in the 64th minute off of a free kick by junior defender Sarah Bridenstine, Michigan shifted momentum. That further built with its consistent pressure and ability to maintain possession as it continued the second half.

It was clear that the Wolverines’ first goal was the catalyst that kept their momentum rolling: passes were beginning to connect and plays were starting to form.

Michigan scored another goal in the 77th minute. Junior midfielder Kacey Lawrence crossed the ball into the center of the box and Lang got a head on it to tip the ball into the goal.

“We weren’t satisfied with the tie,” Lang said. “We kind of needed the momentum to go forward.”

Now that they were tied, the Wolverines continued applying pressure, connecting passes and creating opportunities. Within minutes of its second goal, Michigan scored to take the lead.

This increase in momentum was not only seen in the three goals they scored, but also overall in their offensive possession. In the second half, the Wolverines tripled the amount of shots they took. Their ability to connect passes and create more openings near goal allowed them to take more shots, ultimately leading to their victory.

“It just was about us staying positive and just believing no matter what situation we got ourselves in,” Klein said. “If we just take it one step at a time, you give yourself the opportunity.”

By following Klein’s recipe, Michigan captured the momentum from Rutgers and secured an incredible comeback.

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It doesn’t take much to clinch a spot in the Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament. Of the nine teams competing in the conference, eight will make the postseason, meaning a group does not need an impeccable season — or even an average one — to qualify.

But after a 2-1 loss to Rutgers (7-3-5 overall, 3-2-2 Big Ten) Friday night, the Wolverines (4-8-3, 1-5-1) failed to add to their four conference points. Now, they are faced with a potentially distressing fate: the possibility of ending in fruitless ninth place, left out of the single elimination contest and ending their season in embarrassing fashion. 

“Since (the current coaching staff has) been here, we have always been in,” Michigan coach Chaka Daley said. “So this is uncharted territory for us based on the culture we created.”

Unhelpful in Michigan’s quest for the much needed points was the absence of fifteen players — including starting goalkeeper Hayden Evans, senior midfielder Inaki Rodriguez and sparkplug freshman forward Nicholas Cassiday.

It did not take long for the Scarlet Knights to capitalize on the holes in the Wolverines’ starting eleven and enter the scoring column. Fourteen minutes in, Rutgers forward MD Myers headed a looping cross from Thomas Devizio into the top left corner to give his team a 1-0 advantage. Myers leads the Big Ten in goals and has now scored in six straight contests. 

Daley declined to comment on the reason for the absences but noted that the depleted roster necessitated some adjustments.

“It changes the game a little bit,” Daley said. “ … But even with the group we had I think we still had enough to create opportunities and try to find a way to win the game.” 

The Wolverines did create many opportunities for themselves, outshooting the deeper and more talented Scarlet Knights by four and generating three more corner kicks — the fifth time this season the Wolverines have outshot their opponent and not won the match. In the 17th minute, off a throw-in from fifth-year defender Declan Gaffney and an assist from senior defender Brennan Callow, freshman forward Nick Kaloukian netted the equalizer for his third goal in as many games. 

“After (Rutgers) scored … we were still on top of the game,” Daley said. “We created chances … hit the post, hit the crossbar. We really had them under for a good period of the game.”

But the solitary goal wasn’t enough for Michigan in a game where a tie would have done wonders for its conference tournament hopes. In the 53rd minute, Rutgers forward Ian Abbey rifled a shot from the right side of the box past the diving hands of junior goalkeeper Ethan Wood and into the far corner of the net, breaking the stalemate and sealing the victory for the Scarlet Knights in their last home game of the year. 

Michigan currently has four points in conference play, and one more game against 6th place Penn State to add to that total. Wisconsin (4 conference points) and Northwestern (2 points) — the two other teams yet to clinch a spot in the tournament — were undoubtedly encouraged by the Wolverines leaving vital points on the field. Michigan is currently slotted in the eight and final spot, but the Badgers and Wildcats both have a pair of conference contests to potentially keep them out.

After a hollow trip to Piscataway, the Wolverines need a beneficial result against Penn State to ensure that doesn’t happen.

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