ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Panthers brought the heat to the pitch, despite the chilly temperatures on Saturday, when they hit the road for the third week in a row. This time, the team headed to face the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich.
 
The game started out strong with an early try by Bethany Gables. The majority of the first half was controlled by Davenport's forwards in gaining yardage, but when the ball was spun out wide, it was a field day for the backs as they fought through the line of defense to score. 
 
Penalties were conceded by both teams, but Davenport recovered quickly and created multiple turnovers from Michigan's possession of the ball. Going into the second half, the score was Davenport 32, University of Michigan 0. Two late tries were let in by DU in the second half, who fought back even harder to score again. The game ended 67-10 in favor of the Panthers.
 
On the day, 10 different people scored for Davenport, including one try apiece for the following: Bethany Gables, Mariah Pruitt, Jasmine Hernandez, McKenzie Horsley, Mary Wetter, Ashleigh DeWitt, Cole Schield, Lily Hartbarger, Chloe Baumann, and two tries for Megan Bird. Hartbarger also finished the day with five successful conversions, with DeWitt sending one through the posts as well.
 
The forward of the match went to Cole Schield for her punishing runs and work defensively, and the back of the match was Megan Bird for her constant line breaks and try-saving tackles. Adara Benton was also nominated by the opposing team as the MVP of the match with her continuous effort and solid defense at the halfback position.
 
Going into the next games, Coach Greg Teliczan's main focus in training will be to clear rucks quicker, to run lower, and to get the ball wide quicker, while drawing defenders in at the same time. He wants his team in future games to have more of a focus on launching harder on flat line defense, and having confidence in doing so as well.
 
This game was the conclusion of Davenport's regular season, with the Panthers finishing 6-3, on a 4-game winning streak. The team will head into playoffs strong, and will host the first round here at DU on Saturday, November 16. That day, kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 pm against the University of Northern Iowa.
 
Story by: Maggie Wetter

Picture credit: Kara DeVries