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“Yeah, Claire!” yelled a chorus of 26 voices in unison. It began a pattern, repeating every few minutes, echoing across the field for a full hour.
Three times in the first quarter, five times in the second, thrice in the third and twice in the fourth, redshirt junior midfielder Claire Taylor stole the ball following quick Indiana offensive pushes.
In the No. 7 Michigan field hockey team’s final regular-season home game — a narrow 2-1 loss to the unranked Hoosiers — Taylor led her team with one powerful focus: to respond. Not just after each play, but as a mindset to carry forward into the season’s final stretch.
It was no coincidence that the ball always seemed to find its way to Taylor’s stick, her teammates’ voices echoing with each interception and defensive stand. Her commitment to response positioned her perfectly, time and time again halting Indiana’s momentum and keeping the Wolverines’ defense in sync.
Each play was a chance to adjust; every defensive stand was a moment to double down on their resolve.
“Responding to setbacks is key,” Taylor said. “… It’s important to get on the same page, and I can see the whole field, so organizing and making sure that everyone is following the tactics we talk about is key. Responding to setbacks is key.”
But Taylor’s commitment to keeping Michigan focused against the Hoosiers was quickly put to the test.
With 8:57 left in the second quarter, Indiana broke through, scoring its first goal. But as the ball hit the back of the net, Taylor regrouped the defense with a steady focus.
“It was a response to how we were positioning ourselves on defense when they were taking free hits, as opposed to the goal itself,” Taylor said. “We started to stay tightly marked and made sure we had our free player underneath the ball to be able to double team.”
As the Hoosier offense continued to press, quick adjustments kept the defense steady and the Wolverines’ in the game— more “Yeah, Claire” chants rang out from the sideline.
With Indiana extending its lead to 2-1 in the third quarter, Michigan’s defense knew it had to sharpen up. Taylor turned the Wolverines’ commitment to response into their guiding principle, giving them five more on-goal chances following the Hoosier goal.
But while Michigan created more chances, it couldn’t convert any of them to success. And as the final buzzer sounded, one more tally was added to Michigan’s loss column. In spite of the scoreboard, the groundwork for how to respond was laid.
So, while the Wolverines didn’t taste victory on Sunday in a game they were expected to win, with Taylor in the lead, they left the field with a continued focus on response, concentrating on their path forward.
“We’ve got a lot of hockey to play still,” Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. “I’m optimistic and excited for what comes next.”
This season, the Wolverines have anchored their focus on response over results. Yet even with a clear vision, the path to success isn’t always straightforward.
As it looks ahead to the Big Ten Tournament, Michigan’s focus on responding — both to its opponents and to each other, to big games and small plays and to upset defeats and blowout wins — will be its greatest asset. And just like it was against Indiana, Taylor’s voice will remain a steady guide.
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