Weekly Release #7
10/5/1999 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Friday, Oct. 8 -- vs. Iowa (Ocker Field), 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 10 -- vs. Northwestern (Ocker Field), 1 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 13 -- at Central Michigan (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.), 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 17 -- vs. Michigan State (Ocker Field), 1 p.m.
Michigan Returns Home for Another Crucial Big Ten Weekend
The ninth-ranked Michigan field hockey team returns home for a pair of Big Ten Conference battles this weekend against national power and No. 3 Iowa on Friday (Oct. 8, 3 p.m.) and traditional power Northwestern on Sunday (Oct. 10, 1 p.m.) at Ocker Field. The Maize and Blue are 8-4 (2-1 Big Ten) entering the week and are tied for second in the Big Ten (Penn State and Michigan State).
No. 3 Iowa Invades Ocker Field
Friday (Oct. 8), the Wolverine stickers host annual nemesis Iowa in a match between two of the nation's premier programs. Michigan has lost all four of its games to teams ranked amongst the nation's top 10, while Iowa has surprised many. The Hawkeyes began the season as an unranked squad but have rolled to a perfect 10-0 record and a No. 3 national ranking, including wins over Penn State and Ohio State, who were ranked No. 2 and No. 5, respectively, at the time. The Hawkeyes' most recent wins came last weekend (Oct. 1-2) over Northwestern and Southwest Missouri State. Offensively, Iowa is led by Lesley Irvine and Tiffany Leister who both have 19 points on the season.
Defensive Battle Ahead
When Michigan and Iowa square off Friday, the contest will feature two of the best defenses in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are giving up just 1.74 goals per game with two shutouts on the season. The Maize and Blue, however will face the daunting task of trying to score against the top defense in the conference. Iowa has five shutouts on the season and has given up more than one goal only once (in a 3-2 win over California, Sept. 6). The Hawks are yielding just 0.6 goals per game through 10 games.
The Iowa Series
Iowa leads the all-time series with Michigan by a 32-3 count, but the Maize and Blue have won three of the last four contests.
Blue to Close out Weekend Against Wildcats
Michigan will return to action Sunday (Oct. 10, 1 p.m.) when it faces Northwestern. Northwestern (4-6, 0-3 Big Ten) has struggled this season but has played much of the nation's top competition. The Wildcats are coming off a weekend with a 2-1 loss against Iowa and a 3-2 victory over Southwest Missouri State. Michigan will be looking to stop Amy Haase (18 points) and Lindsay Wright (16 points), NU's two main offensive threats.
The Northwestern Series
Northwestern, a traditional national power, leads the all-time series 28-6, but like the Iowa series, Michigan has won three of the last four, including a sweep last season.
Wolverines Stop No. 7 Ohio State
The 10th-ranked Michigan field hockey team rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the final five minutes to defeat the seventh-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 3-2 Friday (Oct. 1) in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes drew first blood in the game, but the Wolverines tied the game on freshman Molly Powers' (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest HS) first career goal, on a redirection of a shot by Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual HS). Ohio State retook the lead before halftime but was shut down the rest of the way.
The second half was owned by U-M as it outshot OSU 10-1. The Wolverines had numerous chances to score, but were unable to find the back of the goal until freshman sensation Jessica Rose (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS) fired a shot past Ohio State goaltender Gillian Batey to tie the game with 4:46 remaining. Courtney Reid (South Deerfield, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon HS) prevented the game from going into overtime as she scored the game winner, her sixth goal of the season, with 3:50 on the clock
Penn State Stops Wolverines in Key Big Ten Matchup
Michigan finished off the weekend by falling to No. 5 Penn State 2-1 Sunday (Oct. 3) in State College, Pa. The game was tight throughout, but Penn State (10-2, 2-1 Big Ten) was able to hold off a barrage of shots by Michigan late in the contest. PSU opened the scoring just under 11 minutes into the contest, but Wolverine Courtney Reid was able to tie the game 7:44 later with her seventh goal of the season.
The game was tied at the half and for nearly 20 minutes in the second half, but the Nittany Lions sealed the win with Traci Anselmo's goal with 15:18 remaining in the game. Michigan had chances late in the second half, but Penn State goalkeeper Heidi Leuchte made a key save on a breakaway by Reid late in the game that preserved the win for the Nittany Lions. The two will meet again Oct. 29 at Ocker Field.
Reid's Point Streak Hits Six Games
Junior forward Courtney Reid has scored at least one point in each of the last six games for the Maize and Blue, including three goals and five assists. For the season, Reid has scored in each of U-M's games except the 3-0 loss to James Madison (Sept. 12). In 12 games, Reid has amassed a team-leading 25 points on seven goals and 11 assists. With one more point, she will tie former Wolverine Amy Philbrook for 10th place on Michigan's single-season points list.
Michigan's Top 10 Single-Season Point Scorers
1. Julie Flachs, 1997 64 2. Mary Callam, 1979 62 3. Kay McCarthy, 1982 50 4. Sherene Smith, 1995 39 5. Marty Maugh, 1980 38 6. Michelle Smulders, 1996 36 7. Marty Maugh, 1979 29 8. Lisa Schofield, 1982 28 9. Kelli Gannon, 1998 27 10. Amy Philbrook, 1998 26
Gannon Remains a Top Threat
Junior forward Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual HS) is quietly one of the nation's top offensive threats. Gannon has 23 points on the year and leads Michigan with nine goals. Gannon also leads the team with 87 shots as she is the primary hitter on U-M's penalty-corner play. Gannon now has 25 career goals and has moved into a tie for eighth all-time on Michigan's career goal list.
Michigan's Top Career Goal Scorers
1. Julie Flachs, 1994-97 47 2. Kay McCarthy, 1980-83 39 3. Marty Maugh, 1979-82 35 4. Michelle Smulders, 1993-96 33 5. Judy Burinskas, 1986-89 32 6. Sherene Smith, 1992-95 31 7. Lisa Schofield, 1981-84 30 8. KELLI GANNON, 1997- 25 Sara Forrestel, 1980-82 25
STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll (10/5/99)
Team Record Pts LW 1. Connecticut (24) 11-0 536 1 2. Maryland 11-1 501 3 3. Iowa (3) 10-0 481 4 4. Penn State 10-2 458 5 5. North Carolina 9-2 436 2 6. Old Dominion 9-3 400 6 7. Wake Forest 10-1 369 11 8. Virginia 7-3 317 8 9. MICHIGAN 8-4 314 10 10. James Madison 9-2 307 9 11. Ohio State 9-2 306 7 12. Duke 7-5 220 12 13. Boston University 8-2 202 14 14. Ball State 9-3 176 15 15. Michigan State 7-5 159 13 16. Princeton 5-1 141 16 17. New Hampshire 8-2 99 17 18. Harvard 6-2 59 18 19. Brown 6-1 51 NR 20. Lafayette 10-0 28 NR
Contact: Brent Richards (734) 763-4423
