[ad_1]
Not all captains carry a shield.
Some, like fifth-year defender Bryce Blevins, captain of the No. 22 Michigan men’s soccer team, simply wear an armband.
While Blevins wasn’t leading a team of superheroes into battle, his stellar display that fired the Wolverines to a 2-1 victory over Penn State was almost as heroic. And he did it all while playing as a left wingback, a position unfamiliar to him.
“Class act,” Michigan coach Chaka Daley said. “Been here five years, smashing player. He played 60, 70, games for us at Michigan. He’s always been available. You know, he’s always played. From minute one, we started him as a right winger inverted. We put him center midfield for a couple years. Now, he’s playing left-wingback, and he is maybe one of the best in that position we may have ever had.”
As a wingback, Blevins’ role encompasses both offensive and defensive responsibility. Defensively, he is required to cover the left flank, tracking back and marking the opponents’ wide players. Offensively, his duties are to attack the box with runs from deep and to link up with graduate forward Beto Soto on the left flank to create scoring chances.
On Friday, he performed both of these tasks with gusto. Blevins’ strong workrate and man-marking abilities tempered the danger the Nittany Lions’ wingers posed, keeping their attack at bay for much of the game.
It was Blevins’ attacking endeavors, however, that made up the bulk of his heroics on Friday evening.
In the 32nd minute, Blevins made a run into the box then received a pass from Soto on his right. After a bit of footwork to turn around a Penn State defender, he slotted home the first goal of the game. It was his first goal of the season and a breakthrough for Michigan, which had looked promising in spurts throughout the evening but had yet to create a real chance.
“Our coaches always emphasize getting numbers in the box,” Blevins said. “So I sprinted as fast as I could to the box, and I knew the cross was coming in. Beto had a great layoff. I was gonna hit it the first time, but I knew the guy was coming in hard, so I just rolled it, rolled it past him and then tucked it away.”
It was a moment that displayed many of the traits that help make up Blevins’ style of play. His tactical discipline, field-spanning work rate and positioning enabled him to enter the box at just the right time. His role as a leader helped generate the chemistry required with Soto, a new face on the team, to seamlessly link up in the box and receive the ball. The creativity he’d used to such great effectiveness during his spell in central midfield allowed him to improvise, beat his man and ultimately, finish off the play with a goal.
But Blevins wasn’t quite done playing the role of Captain Marvel. In the 55th minute, with scores level at 1-1 after a Michigan defensive lapse led to a Nittany Lions equalizer, Wolverines sophomore midfielder Duilio Herrera was shoved to the ground on the edge of the box, winning a Michigan penalty. Blevins stepped up to the spot to take the kick.
There was no doubt about it: it was a perfect penalty kick, with the right blend of power and directness. The goal put the Wolverines back in the driver’s seat, and was ultimately enough to secure the victory. All night, Blevins led by example. His performance was highly decisive on both ends of the field, adding a fine brace to go with his defensive contributions.
“This is my first year in this position,” Blevins said. “I’m usually central midfield,, so that’s how I got the creative play make ability. But it’s been really fun trying to be as fit as possible, getting up and down.”
Despite playing in an unfamiliar role, Blevins still put on a show worthy of a superhero. He fulfilled the duties of his captaincy by shining as the best player on the field and displaying his versatility and experience in the process.
Related articles
[ad_2]
Source link
