Weekly Release #8
10/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Oct. 12 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 14 -- at Ohio (Athens, Ohio), 1 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 20 -- vs. Penn State (Ocker Field), 11 a.m.
Sunday, Oct. 21 -- at Central Michigan (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.), 1 p.m.
This Week
The No. 2 University of Michigan field hockey team (10-2, 3-0 Big Ten) will travel to the state of Ohio for a pair of contests. On Friday (Oct. 12), the Wolverines will visit Columbus for a Big Ten showdown with No. 10 Ohio State (9-2, 3-0 Big Ten), followed by a trip to Athens to face No. 12 Ohio (10-2, 3-0 MAC) in a non-conference tilt. Friday's contest is slated for a 3 p.m. start at the North Turf Field at OSU's Woody Hayes Athletic Center, while Sunday's matchup is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Pruitt Field on the Ohio University campus.
Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
Marcia Pankratz (Iowa, 1987) is in her sixth season on the Michigan sideline and owns an 87-36 (.707) mark entering this weekend's action. The winningest field hockey coach in U-M history, Pankratz has averaged over 15 wins a season in her coaching career and has guided the Wolverines to 15 or more wins in each of the last four campaigns. In 1999 the team set a school record with 20 wins while reaching the NCAA title game. A two-time winner of the NFHCA's West Region Coach of the Year Award, Pankratz has also been named Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year on two occasions (1997, 2000). Under Pankratz's guidance, Michigan has claimed two Big Ten regular-season titles (1997, 2000) as well as a pair of Big Ten Tournament crowns (1999, 2000) and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons.
A Look at the Ohio State Series
Michigan and Ohio State will meet each other for the 43rd time on Friday (Oct. 12) in a series that began in 1977. The Wolverines lead the series by a 23-17-2 margin and have won each of the last nine meetings, including a 2-1 victory in the semifinals of last year's Big Ten Tournament.
Scouting The Buckeyes
Ohio State enters the weekend with a 9-2 mark, including a perfect 3-0 record in Big Ten play to tie the Wolverines for first place. The Buckeyes, ranked 10th in the latest STX/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, have won five of their last six outings, dropping their most recent contest at No. 8 Virginia, 2-1 Anne Wilkinson (Delaware, 1986) is in her sixth season on the OSU sidelines and 15th as a head coach Offensively, the Buckeyes are paced by sophomore forward Vanessa Immordino, who has a team-high 11 goals and two assists for a team-best 24 points. Senior midfielder Marije van Nouhuys is the only other OSU player with a double-digit point total, tallying 7-3-17. In the cage, senior Allison Blanton has seen all the action, posting a 9-2-0 mark to go along with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .638 saves percentage
A Look at the Ohio Series
Michigan will face Ohio for the sixth time on Sunday (Oct. 14) during its first-ever trip to Athens, Ohio. The Wolverines hold a 5-0-0 advantage in the all-time series with the Bobcats and are facing OU for the third straight season.
Scouting The Bobcats
Ohio is ranked 12th in the latest STX/NFHCA poll and has compiled a 10-2 ledger, including a 3-0 record to sit atop the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats, who will host No. 14 Kent State on Saturday (Oct. 13), have triumphed in six of their last seven games, including two straight Ohio is coached by Shelly Morris (Northeastern, 1994), who has a 33-21 mark in her third season Sophomore forward Elizabeth Holtzman paces the Bobcat offense with her 11-1-23 totals, while junior midfielder Andrea Voros (7-4-18) is also a threat. Senior goalkeeper Tara Elliott has seen all the action in the cage for Ohio and owns a 10-2 win-loss record along with a 1.05 goals-against average and a .772 saves percentage.
Big Ten Standings (through 10/7/01)
Big Ten | Overall Team W-L Pct. GF GA | W-L Pct. GF GA MICHIGAN 3-0 1.000 16 3 | 10-2 .875 37 10 Ohio State 3-0 1.000 9 3 | 9-2 .818 30 14 Michigan State 2-1 .667 9 4 | 10-4 .714 43 18 Iowa 1-2 .333 4 9 | 7-3 .700 23 16 Northwestern 1-2 .333 5 9 | 2-8 .200 12 27 Penn State 0-3 .000 4 7 | 5-6 .455 22 16 Indiana 0-2 .000 2 14 | 1-9 .100 9 33
Climbing the Ladder
Michigan, ranked second in the latest STX/NFHCA Nationall Coaches Poll, has tied the highest national ranking in school history, first achieved during the 1999 campaign. The Wolverines have jumped two spots in the last two weeks and have been fourth or higher in the four editions of the rankings.
2001 STX/NFHCA National Coaches Poll (10/9/01)
Team (1st-place votes) Record Points Prev 1. Maryland (27) 10-2 597 1 2. Michigan (3) 10-2 549 3 3. Old Dominion 9-3 522 4 4. Wake Forest 7-3 517 6 5. North Carolina 8-3 483 2 6. Michigan State 10-4 433 7 7. Princeton 7-2 394 5 8. Virginia 8-3 391 8 9. Louisville 11-2 357 9 10. Ohio State 9-2 336 10 11. William & Mary 10-2 305 12 12. Ohio 10-2 274 11 13. Duke 7-4 245 13 14. Kent State 6-5 199 14 15. James Madison 8-4 197 16 16. Northeastern 9-2 132 15 17. Iowa 7-3 129 18 18. Penn State 5-6 122 17 19. Syracuse 8-2 62 19 20. Dartmouth 6-3 14 NR
U-M Week-By-Week in the Rankings
Date Rank Sept. 11 4th Sept. 25 4th Oct. 2 3rd Oct. 9 2nd
Big Ten Lead On the Line
The final two undefeated teams in the Big Ten will square off when Michigan meets Ohio State on Friday. The Wolverines were the first team to hand No. 7 Michigan State a loss in conference play last week in a battle of undefeated teams, and Michigan has not dropped a Big Ten matchup since Oct. 24, 1999, a string of 11 games.
Road Warriors
Michigan puts its perfect 2-0 mark in road games on the line this weekend with games at No. 10 Ohio State and No. 11 Ohio. With five games remaining in the regular season, the Wolverines will be on the road for four of those contests.
Big Ten Honors, Again
A Wolverine earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for the third time this season when freshman Adrienne Hortillosa (Chula Vista, Calif./Bonita Vista HS) received this week's Co-Offensive Player of the Week award after her game-winning goal in overtime at No. 7 Michigan State. Student-athletes from Michigan and Penn State have earned Player of the Week honors the most this season, with each school receiving three laurels.
Strokin'
Michigan received a season-high two penalty stroke attempts in last Sunday's (Oct. 7) 2-1 overtime win over Harvard, but failed to convert on both opportunities. For the season, the Wolverines are 3-for-5 in penalty strokes, with sophomore defender Stephanie Johnson (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) taking all five shots.
Making Things Interesting
The Wolverines have posted back-to-back 2-1 overtime wins, downing No. 7 Michigan State and Harvard last weekend, and are 2-1 in games that go into an extra stanza.
Sunday School
Michigan is a perfect 6-0 on Sundays this season and is outscoring opponents by a 20-3 margin.
One-Goal Wonders
U-M has held opponents to one goal or less in each of the last seven games.
Out of the Gates
Michigan has netted the first goal in 11 of its 12 contests this season, including seven straight. The Wolverines are 10-1 in games when they score first.
Second-Half Surge
U-M is outscoring opponents by an 18-2 margin after intermission.
The Wins Keep Coming
The Wolverines enter this weekend's play with victories in 10 of their last 11 games, including a season-high seven-game winning streak. Michigan's string of wins is the longest of any school in the Big Ten.
Tenacious D
U-M is holding opponents to 5.0 shots per game and has kept foes to 10 shots or less in the last 11 games. In addition, the Wolverins are allowing just 0.8 goals per game, and have posted five shutouts this season. The Wolverine defense tops the Big Ten for conference games and ranks third nationally.
Number Crunching
Sophomore forward April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West HS) has tallied a point in five of her last six appearances, totaling 5-2-12 during that time. Frozoni, who did not notch her first goal until U-M's eighth game of the season, ranks third on the team in scoring with five goals and four assists for 14 points.
Climbing the Charts
Senior defender Catherine Foreman (Happy Valley, South Australia/Westminster) improved her career assist total to 52 during last weekend's play and is five helpers away from setting the Michigan career assist mark, currently held by Courtney Reid (56 from 1997-2000). Foreman, who has eight assists this season, is currently tied for fourth nationally in that category.
Going Once ...
Catherine Foreman netted her first career overtime game-winning goal last Sunday (Oct. 7) against Harvard, and has netted one goal in three of her four seasons with the Wolverines.
Don't Mess With Texas
Stephanie Johnson has a point in five of her last six games and is tied for the team lead in scoring with 8-1-17. Johnson, who has 7-1-15 in her last six outings, has established career highs for goals, assists and points this season, topping her 6-0-12 totals in 1999.
Four score and ...
Adrienne Hortillosa netted her team-high fourth game-winning goal of the season at No. 7 Michigan State, scoring her first career overtime marker. In overall games, Hortillosa paces the Big Ten in game-winners.
Next Up
The Wolverines will visit Ocker Field for the final time in the 2001 regular season, hosting No. 18 Penn State on Friday, Oct. 20, at 11 a.m. Following the Big Ten affair, Michigan will head north to Mount Pleasant, Mich., for a 1 p.m. meeting with Central Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 21.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
