Capturing the Moment: Saydjari's Goal vs. MSU
10/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
| When sophomore Zara Saydjari scored the game-winning goal late in the first half of the unranked Wolverines' 1-0 upset of No. 4-ranked Michigan State on Oct. 17, U-M senior photographer Martin Vloet scored the photographer's dream, capturing a distinctive moment and preserving it forever. His beautiful shot of Saydjari's reaction ran with the game recap and was included in the photo gallery on MGoBlue.com, but the image was so good that it seemed worthy of more attention. It was like an instant classic, bringing to mind the shot of Bobby Orr's dive after his goal to win the 1970 Stanley Cup. So with memories of Saydjari's first career game-winning goal still fresh in their minds, photographer and subject were asked to recall the magic moment, which came at the 28:36 mark of the game and resulted in the Wolverines' biggest win (so far) of the 2008 campaign. | ||
| MARTIN VLOET Senior Photographer UM Photo Services A sports shooter tries to find the right angle and the right time to shoot, but sometimes other intangible factors come together to make a great image. I positioned myself about halfway down the offensive half of the field so I could get a good perspective on the offensive goal as well as a decent -- though slightly longer -- view of Michigan's defensive goal. I wanted at least one good goal shot to help tell the story of the game and hoped it would be in Michigan's favor. Shortly before my best image of the game, Zara had ripped a shot across the open goal mouth and I grabbed the shot (right). I liked the image because Zara and the goalie were off the ground and there was a lot of tension in that near miss. However, the sun passed behind a cloud so the light was down, I couldn't see Zara's face, and the background was cluttered with activity. It only took a little while for everything to come together. I was eager to tell the story of a winning game and wanted a shot of a Michigan goal, so I stayed on the offensive end of the field despite a lot of defensive play. Just two and a half minutes after Zara's miss, there was a flurry in front of the MSU goalie and I watched as the ball popped out in perfect position for Zara's game-winner. It's not easy to get a shot like this. I captured more than 15 shots in 4 seconds. One was good -- Zara's post-goal fist pump at the end of her celebration -- but one was golden. Catching Zara in the air, with her face to the camera, with the goalie still looking over her shoulder at the still-visible ball, and with the ball girls joining the celebration ... it made my day. I knew I had the shot ... as long as nobody else scored. | ZARA SAYDJARI Sophomore Forward Michigan Field Hockey The goal came out of a scrum. I just tried to use my strength to get the ball from the Michigan State defender. It was a deadlocked situation, and I was going to do whatever necessary to put the ball in the back of the net. I think this goal changed the momentum of the game. It was the first goal of the game, and we had scored first in a game against the No. 4 team in the country. This goal gave us permission to look beyond Michigan State's ranking. It gave us permission to believe that we really are a great team too and that when we play as a unit, our team is a tremendous threat. Whenever I am really excited, I tend to jump and throw in a little fist pump. Whether a teammate scores or I score -- it doesn't matter -- I always jump. It's a universal celebration! When I saw the photograph, my first reaction was -- What a great capture! I love the two young women in the background; they look so cute and excited. I was just extra fired up when this image was snapped, and the photographer really caught me in the moment. | |
Players Mentioned
F
/ Field Hockey2025 Hall of Honor: Kristi Gannon Fisher
Saturday, October 18
For Gannon Fisher, Becoming U-M Field Hockey Head Coach a Dream Come True
Thursday, April 17
Michigan Woman: Pankratz Retires After 25 years
Thursday, April 17
Women’s History Month Leaders and Best: Zoe Bormet
Tuesday, March 25
