Sorry for missing a couple weeks of recaps for the handful of people that read this. Been a busy few weeks.
Well, all 4 of the team sports are nearing the end of the regular season, and it's become pretty clear where things stand. Michigan has 1 team having a great season, 1 team having a very good season and 2 teams that have an ok W-L record, but when you look at how their season has unfolded it's been puzzlingly disappointing.
The Great Season (Field Hockey):
Congrats to the Michigan Field Hockey team as they clinched at least a share of their first Big Ten title today since 2011 with a 3-2 win over Iowa. Game got a little dicey as they let a 3-0 halftime lead get cut to 3-2...but as they have all season, the team made the key plays they needed down the stretch. In their Friday night game, they beat Indiana 2-0 while outshooting them 27-0.
This is one of 3-5 teams that has a legit shot to win it all. They have at least 3 (Goalie - Swenson, Center D - Trombetta, Forward - Dowthwaite), and possibly 4-6 All-Americans. They're currently on a 10 game win streak and have allowed a whopping total of 4 goals in those games.
The Very Good Season (Men's Soccer):
Barring a complete collapse down the stretch, the Men's Soccer team will return to the postseason for the first time in 5 years. After a hard fought road loss to #5 ND earlier in the week, Michigan got a goal deep into double OT for a 2-1 win over Omaha. An infusion over the last couple of years of overseas talent has really helped provide this team with some much needed skill and speed. They've become an entertaining team to watch. Probably not going to go real deep in the tourney, but they could win a game or two.
The Disappointing Season - so far (Volleyball):
The volleyball team beat a bad Rutgers team on the road, and then put up almost no fight against #2 PSU in Happy Valley. Kinda sums up the season so far. They have zero wins against ranked teams, and have been pretty uninspiring in their wins over unranked teams. They still have 12 conference games left, but it looks more and more like they are who they appear to be. A team that will probably still make the tournament, but with a pretty low seed. Lot of seniors on this team too...hope they've got some great recruits coming in, or next season could be ugly.
The Disappoint Season (Women's Soccer):
Absolutely crushing loss today. Michigan drops a 2-1 game to last place MSU, and their chances of making the tourney are now in real jeopardy. This was a game that was a) Very important for solidifying their tournament status, b) against a last place team and c) against an archrival...and they still dropped it, (because Michigan doesn't really like to win games against their arch rivals anymore apparently).
Bizarre season so far. They did ok through the first third of the season, then they lost 5 starters to injury and actually played better. Had their best 2 week stretch of the season. Then they get 4 or 5 of the starters back, and the last 3 games have all been L's. How do you beat a #9 team on the road while down 5 starters, but lose to a last place team with a healthy lineup. Might be time to start asking some questions about Coach Ryan. He was a really big hire, and he had really strong success out of the gate, but since the Elite 8 run they've had 4 years of rarely being ranked and only 1, maybe 2, tourney appearances in that time. When you're in year 9 or 10 of your tenure, and you've been a bubble team 4 years in a row...hard to argue the program is heading in the right direction.
Well, all 4 of the team sports are nearing the end of the regular season, and it's become pretty clear where things stand. Michigan has 1 team having a great season, 1 team having a very good season and 2 teams that have an ok W-L record, but when you look at how their season has unfolded it's been puzzlingly disappointing.
The Great Season (Field Hockey):
Congrats to the Michigan Field Hockey team as they clinched at least a share of their first Big Ten title today since 2011 with a 3-2 win over Iowa. Game got a little dicey as they let a 3-0 halftime lead get cut to 3-2...but as they have all season, the team made the key plays they needed down the stretch. In their Friday night game, they beat Indiana 2-0 while outshooting them 27-0.
This is one of 3-5 teams that has a legit shot to win it all. They have at least 3 (Goalie - Swenson, Center D - Trombetta, Forward - Dowthwaite), and possibly 4-6 All-Americans. They're currently on a 10 game win streak and have allowed a whopping total of 4 goals in those games.
The Very Good Season (Men's Soccer):
Barring a complete collapse down the stretch, the Men's Soccer team will return to the postseason for the first time in 5 years. After a hard fought road loss to #5 ND earlier in the week, Michigan got a goal deep into double OT for a 2-1 win over Omaha. An infusion over the last couple of years of overseas talent has really helped provide this team with some much needed skill and speed. They've become an entertaining team to watch. Probably not going to go real deep in the tourney, but they could win a game or two.
The Disappointing Season - so far (Volleyball):
The volleyball team beat a bad Rutgers team on the road, and then put up almost no fight against #2 PSU in Happy Valley. Kinda sums up the season so far. They have zero wins against ranked teams, and have been pretty uninspiring in their wins over unranked teams. They still have 12 conference games left, but it looks more and more like they are who they appear to be. A team that will probably still make the tournament, but with a pretty low seed. Lot of seniors on this team too...hope they've got some great recruits coming in, or next season could be ugly.
The Disappoint Season (Women's Soccer):
Absolutely crushing loss today. Michigan drops a 2-1 game to last place MSU, and their chances of making the tourney are now in real jeopardy. This was a game that was a) Very important for solidifying their tournament status, b) against a last place team and c) against an archrival...and they still dropped it, (because Michigan doesn't really like to win games against their arch rivals anymore apparently).
Bizarre season so far. They did ok through the first third of the season, then they lost 5 starters to injury and actually played better. Had their best 2 week stretch of the season. Then they get 4 or 5 of the starters back, and the last 3 games have all been L's. How do you beat a #9 team on the road while down 5 starters, but lose to a last place team with a healthy lineup. Might be time to start asking some questions about Coach Ryan. He was a really big hire, and he had really strong success out of the gate, but since the Elite 8 run they've had 4 years of rarely being ranked and only 1, maybe 2, tourney appearances in that time. When you're in year 9 or 10 of your tenure, and you've been a bubble team 4 years in a row...hard to argue the program is heading in the right direction.
