Michigan
Northwestern
Gannon's Hat Trick Ignites Michigan Past Northwestern
11/5/1999 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Woody Hayes Athletic Center)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (First Round)
Score: #8 Michigan 4, Northwestern 2
Records: U-M (15-6), NU (4-14)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 6 -- vs. Penn State (Columbus, Ohio), 2 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Junior first-team All-Big Ten Conference member Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual HS) exploded for three goals Friday (Nov. 5) in No. 8 University of Michigan's 4-2 win over Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament.
Sixth-seeded Northwestern scored first when Amy Haase found the back of the goal with 6:54 remaining in the first half. The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead early in the second half, but third-seeded Michigan rebounded to score three unanswered goals to earn the victory.
Gannon put Michigan on the scoreboard with 4:19 remaining in the first half off a pass from Catherine Foreman (Happy Valley, South Australia/Westminster School) to knot the score at one apiece. Gannon's second and third goals came just over a minute apart in the second half, with 24:39 and 23:16 remaining in the half, respectively. Courtney Reid (South Deerfield, Mass./Northfield-Mount Hermon HS) and Jeanne Shin (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest HS) assisted on both of Gannon's second-half goals.
Senior Jocelyn LaFace (Rossland, B.C./Rossland Secondary) capped the Michigan scoring with an unassisted goal with 11:35 remaining in the contest. Michigan has defeated Northwestern six consecutive times, dating back to Sept. 28, 1997.
Michigan will face second-seeded and third-ranked Penn State Saturday (Nov. 6) at 2 p.m. in the semifinals of the tournament. The championship game is Sunday (Nov. 7) at 1 p.m. In the other semifinal match, top-seeded Iowa will face fourth-seeded Ohio State, which downed No. 5 seed Michigan State 1-0 in overtime in the other first-round game.
Michigan is vying to earn its first-ever invite to NCAA Tournament (Nov. 12-20). The Big Ten Tournament champion earns the automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA field.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Northwestern | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Michigan | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- NU, Amy Haase, 6:54 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Kelli Gannon, 4:19 (Foreman)
2nd -- NU, Nicole Smith, 32:26 (Lindsay Wright)
2nd -- U-M, Gannon, 24:29 (Courtney Reid, Jeanne Shin)
2nd -- U-M, Gannon, 23:16 (Reid, Shin)
2nd -- U-M, Jocelyn LaFace, 11:35 (unassisted)
Shots: U-M 10, NU 9
Saves: U-M 3 (Kati Oakes), NU 4 (Jessica Yates)
Penalty Corners: U-M 8, NU 4
Defensive Saves: NU 1 (Amy Haase)
