Weekly Release #13
11/16/1999 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Friday, Nov. 19 -- Semifinals
Game 1 -- Maryland (22-1) vs. Iowa (19-2), 12:30 p.m.
Game 2 -- Michigan (19-6) vs. Connecticut (23-0), 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 21 -- Championship
Winner of game 1 vs. Winner of game 2, 1:30 p.m.
Blue Poised for First-Ever Trip to Final Four
The Michigan field hockey team will be packing its bags for a Wednesday (Nov. 17) departure for Boston, Mass., to play in the NCAA Field Hockey Final Four. The fourth-ranked Wolverines (19-6) will meet the second-ranked Connecticut Huskies (23-0) on Friday (Nov. 19, 3 p.m.) in the national semifinals. Michigan and Connecticut have never met before, and it will be the Wolverines' task to put an end to the nation's longest winning streak of 23 games.
How They Got to Beantown
Michigan advanced to the Final Four by downing No. 11 Duke, 2-1 on Nov. 13, and No. 3 Wake Forest, 3-2 in a dramatic, double-overtime quarterfinal match on Nov. 14, in Winston-Salem, N.C. UConn advanced by dominating No. 17 Brown, 6-0, and unranked Massachusetts by a count of 2-1 in Storrs, Conn.
Common Opponents
U-M and UConn have played two common opponents this season: Syracuse and Northeastern. Both the Wolverines and Huskies were undefeated against the aforementioned schools. Michigan stopped Northeastern 4-2 at Ocker Field and outlasted Syracuse 3-2 on the road. Connecticut defeated Syracuse twice, once on the road (3-1) and once at the Big East Tournament (2-0) while defeating Northeastern on the road by a 2-1 count.
Team Looking to Earn Michigan's First-Ever Women's National Title
Head coach Marcia Pankratz and her Wolverine stickers are looking to win the University of Michigan's first-ever national title in women's athletics. The university lays claim to 50 national titles in its history, including 18 from men's swimming and diving and 11 from football. Michigan's last national title came last spring, when the men's gymnastics team claimed the crown.
Quoting Michigan Coach Marcia Pankratz
"We have played really well lately. I know we are going to have our hands full with UConn, but we are playing with the attitude that we have nothing to lose. We are not just happy to be here, we want to win. It's going to be difficult, but we think we have a shot. UConn is a great team."
Scouting the Huskies
UConn is riding the nation's longest winning streak of 23 games. The Huskies, a Final Four team from a year ago, enter the weekend undefeated with a No. 2 ranking. The Huskies are coached by 10th-year boss Nancy Stevens. Her overall record at UConn stands at 147-57-8.
Offensively, the Huskies are led by Nicole Castonguay's 51 points, including 23 goals. Allison Sharpe leads the Huskies with 29 assists and three defensive saves. Danielle Vile has been exceptional in goal, with seven shutouts and a 0.86 goals-against average.
Rolling
Michigan has been on a roll of late, winning six consecutive games, including five against teams ranked in the nation's top 12 and three in the top six. The Maize and Blue has outscored its opponents by a count of 17-7 in that span. Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual HS) has led the Wolverines offensively, scoring five goals in the last seven games, all in the Big Ten Tournament, where she was named Most Valuable Player. With one more win, the Wolverines would match the school's longest winning streak (seven), set in 1987.
Great Teams Win the Close Games
Michigan has been tough to beat in close games this season, going 10-3 in games decided by one goal. The Wolverines are 2-1 in overtime games, with both wins coming in double overtime (Nov. 6 against Penn State and Nov. 14 at Wake Forest).
Fuchs to Face Alma Mater
Wolverine assistant coach Tracey Fuchs won't have any mixed feelings when facing her alma mater this weekend. Fuchs, the all-time leading scorer in UConn history and two-time U.S. Olympian, has never faced UConn as a coach. She scored 178 points -- 48 more than anyone else in UConn history -- and had 79 goals from 1984-1987, leading the Huskies to the 1985 national championship.
A Look Back at the NCAA Regional
In its first-ever NCAA appearance, Michigan made the most of the first two rounds. The Wolverines proved to be too much for traditionally tough ACC teams Duke and Wake Forest. Following are summaries from the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament (Nov. 13-14) in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Round 1: Wolverines Dominate Blue Devils
Despite the close score on the scoreboard (2-1), Michigan dominated No. 11 Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines outshot the Devils 14-3 and U-M goaltender Kati Oakes (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS) was faced with just three shots (zero saves) on the afternoon. The Maize and Blue controlled the offensive flow of the game, earning 15 penalty corners to Duke's two.
Ashley Reichenbach (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra HS) and Stephanie Johnson (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) did the scoring for U-M while Courtney Reid (South Deerfield, Mass./Northfield-Mount Hermon HS) and Catherine Foreman (Happy Valley, South Australia/Westminster School) earned their 21st and 18th assists, respectively. Reid, U-M's career assist leader (33), needs just one more assist to tie the single-season record set by Shelley Johnson in 1997.
"It feels great to go out there and be a part of Michigan history," said Reichenbach. "Our team stepped up early and tried to make plays outside the circle."
Round 2: Michigan Outlasts Wake Forest in Thriller
Michigan's second-round opponent proved to be a tougher task as No. 3 Wake Forest gave the Wolverines all they could handle. The game featured several momentum changes and wound up going to overtime, with the Wolverines finally prevailing by a 3-2 score.
For the second week in a row, senior co-captain Ashley Reichenbach was the hero for Michigan, scoring on a penalty stroke in the second overtime. Michigan's regulation-time goals came from Jessie Veith (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest HS) and Courtney Reid.
"This was a very tough match," explained Marcia Pankratz. "I am excited about the way we played. We're glad to be going to the Final Four for the first time. We are excited to be representing Michigan in the Final Four."
Wolverines in the Record Books
Courtney Reid became the all-time assist leader for Michigan with her assist against Duke in the NCAA Tournament first round, tying her with teammate Catherine Foreman for the team lead with 21 on the season. With one more assist this season, each would match Shelley Johnson's 1997 record of 22.
Kelli Gannon moved into fourth place on the Michigan single-season goal list with 17 thus far, as well as fourth place on the career goal chart, with 33. Her 40 points also put her in fourth place on the single-season point list.
Career Assists
| 32 | Courtney Reid, 1997- |
| 31 | Jen Lupinski, 1992-95 |
| 30 | Catherine Foreman, 1998- |
| 27 | Sharon Cantor, 1986-89 |
| 23 | Shelley Johnson, 1996-97 |
Season Assists
| 22 | Shelley Johnson, 1997 |
| 21 | Catherine Foreman, 1999 |
| 21 | Courtney Reid, 1999 |
| 21 | Jen Lupinski, 1995 |
| 14 | Erica Widder, 1996 |
Career Goals
| 47 | Julie Flachs, 1994-97 |
| 39 | Kay McCarthy, 1980-83 |
| 35 | Marty Maugh, 1979-82 |
| 33 | Kelli Gannon, 1997- |
| 33 | Michelle Smulders, 1993-96 |
Season Points
| 64 | Julie Flachs, 1997 |
| 62 | Mary Callam, 1979 |
| 50 | Kay McCarthy, 1982 |
| 40 | Kelli Gannon, 1999 |
| 39 | Courtney Reid, 1999 |
| 39 | Sherene Smith, 1995 |
| 38 | Marty Maugh, 1980 |
| 36 | Michelle Smulders, 1996 |
| 29 | Marty Maugh, 1979 |
Team Continues to Rewrite Record Books
In the midst of Michigan's incredible run of 1999, the team has rewritten much of the history book on Michigan field hockey. At the Big Ten Tournament, the Wolverines surpassed the single-season win record (16 in 1997) when they won their 17th game. With two more wins, the team sits on 19 heading into the Final Four. Additionally, the team surpassed the season goals and points record with 71 and 210, respectively. The old records were 63 goals and 200 points, both set in 1997.
Season Points (Team)
| 210 | 1999 |
| 200 | 1997 |
| 178 | 1979 |
Strokes of Success
Senior Ashley Riechenbach, scoreless for her career before this year, has come through in several clutch situations this season for the Wolverines, not the least of which was her game-winning penalty stroke against Wake Forest in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last weekend (Nov. 14). Reichenbach has six goals on the season (three game-winners), five of which have been strokes. In the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, she scored a double-overtime stroke against No. 4 Penn State to send the Wolverines to the championship game. Her other game-winner came against Iowa in Michigan's 1-0 triumph on Oct. 8.
Coach Called It
At the beginning of the season, Wolverine head coach Marcia Pankratz predicted Courtney Reid's success, saying "I truly believe this is Courtney's year to have a huge impact on the success of our team." Pankratz couldn't have been more accurate in her predictions. Reid is second on the team in scoring with 39 points, surpassing her first two year's total of 22 points.
STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll (11/16/99)
Team Record Pts LW 1. Maryland (12) 22-1 259 1 2. Connecticut (1) 23-0 245 2 3. Iowa 19-2 234 4 4. MICHIGAN 19-6 223 5 5. Wake Forest 18-4 206 3 6. Old Dominion 17-7 187 7 7. North Carolina 16-6 179 8 Penn State 17-5 179 6 9. James Madison 15-7 153 9 10. Virginia 13-8 134 10 11. Duke 13-8 129 11 12. Kent State 17-6 107 14 13. Boston University 17-6 97 13 14. Ohio State 12-7 83 12 15. Massachusetts 15-9 65 NR 16. Ball State 15-6 60 15 17. Brown 13-4 57 17 18. Syracuse 13-8 48 16 19. Lafayette 19-2 39 18 20. Dartmouth 14-5 18 20
Contact: Brent Richards (734) 763-4423
