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"Gray" Days in New York
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 5, 2007
When the Wolverines travel to Queens, N.Y., next week to play St. John's, they will be less than an hour from junior/sophomore midfielder Daniel Gray's hometown of Setauket, N.Y. Gray is looking forward to the homecoming despite the fact that his beloved Mets will not be taking the field again until next spring. "Please do not ask me about the Mets' collapse at the end of the season," Gray pleaded, "because my teammates have laid into me quite enough already. Jose Reyes is still the most exciting player in baseball, and we'll be back strong next year."
There is a possible benefit in the Mets not playing in the NLDS: perhaps some of the fans that would have been cheering on the Mets at Shea will now be able to come out and support the Wolverines at St. John's. Gray is expecting quite a few friends and family to attend the match.
"My whole family will be there and most of my old coaches and teammates who aren't in school themselves," said Gray, who scored his first career goal at Cal State-Fullerton in September. "I think my old high school coach -- shout out to Coach Gallagher and the Chaminade High School soccer team for doing big things -- is bringing the entire varsity team. They are currently the No. 1-ranked high school program in the country."
Gray looks forward to greeting his cheering section, including his dog Merlin, after the match. "My parents will have a nice little barbecue for us so the guys and I should get some time with them, but until then our focus is for sure on the game against St. John's," said Gray. "They're not doing as well as their program is used to, but we know they'll finish the season strong, so this game should have pretty significant NCAA Tournament implications.
"We are having a good week of practice in preparation and are hungry to bounce back from our loss at Notre Dame. Hopefully we can go out there and take care of business against a young but very talented and very fit team." Seeing Red
TUESDAY | OCTOBER 2, 2007
Junior defender Michael Holody has played a key role in Michigan's 8-0-1 start this season, anchoring a defense that already has produced a school-record six shutouts. The Wolverines carried a No. 10 national ranking into their showdown last Saturday with perennial Big Ten favorite Indiana and had hopes of continuing their early success with their first win ever against the 19th-ranked Hoosiers. "One of our team goals is to beat Indiana," said Holody prior to the match. "Their success is something our program is constantly building toward -- becoming a perennial powerhouse on the national stage. However, our 0-8-1 record against them is an indication that we aren't quite there yet. This year we truly see ourselves as a 'team to beat' and Indiana as a beatable team."
The game was tied 1-1 at intermission, but a red card early in the second period put U-M a man down the rest of the game, and Indiana quickly capitalized with the advantage. But Holody and his teammates stepped up their play, and the junior co-captain scored the equalizer -- his third goal of the season -- off a corner kick in the 76th minute.
"What's really promising is how the team responded," said Holody of the red card. "We refused to give up and took it straight at them." U-M held IU scoreless for more than 40 minutes before the Hoosiers ended the contest 5:47 into OT.
"It turns out Indiana was a beatable team," Holody said after the match. "Unfortunately, it wasn't our night. We can only hope that we get another shot at them in the Big Ten Tournament at the end of the season." | | | |
