Michigan
Wake Forest
Michigan Drops Season Opener to Wake Forest in OT
8/25/2001 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan field hockey team dropped its season opener on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 25) with a 3-2 overtime loss to Wake Forest at Ocker Field.
Heather Aughinbaugh scored with 5:05 left in the first overtime to give the Demon Deacons the victory while snapping Michigan's 11-game home winning streak. The overtime match marked the third time in the last four meetings the two teams have needed an extra period to determine a winner. Two years ago the Wolverines knocked Wake Forest out of the NCAA Championship with a 3-2 overtime victory in the regional finals while the Demon Deacons returned the favor with a 3-2 overtime win in the second round of the NCAA Championship in 2000.
"For our first game we did fairly well but we had a few critical mistakes," said Michigan head coach Marcia Pankratz. "This has turned into a great rivalry and it is good for hockey. That is why we play the best in order to get ready for the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA tournament."
Michigan scored within the first four minutes of the game as senior Ali Balmer (Ephrata, Pa./Ephrata HS) redirected a pass from sophomore Kristi Gannon (San Pasqual, Calif./Escondido HS). Gannon also collected her first goal of the season, after taking a pass from sophomore April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West HS) and putting it into the net 1:46 into the second half to tie the game. Wake Forest had taken a 2-1 advantage on first-half goals from Jennie Shelton and Emily Ruth.
"It doesn't get much better then two of the best teams in college field hockey fighting it out from year to year," said Wake Forest head coach Jennifer Averill. "Our program has a lot of respect for Michigan and I'm proud of our team that they came in here, played with the best, and came out with a victory."
Michigan's next match will be Sunday afternoon (Aug. 26) at 1 p.m. at Ocker Field against defending national champion Old Dominion.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | F |
| Wake Forest | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Michigan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Ali Balmer, 3:33 (Kristi Gannon)
1st -- WFU, Emily Ruth, 20:52 (Marlena Reese)
1st -- WFU, Jennie Shelton, 26:21 (Unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Kristi Gannon, 36:46 (April Fronzoni)
OT -- WFU, Heather Aughinbaugh, 79:55 (Unassisted)
Shots: U-M 17, WFU 12
Saves: U-M 7 (Maureen Tasch), WFU 7 (Katie Reid)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, WFU 1 (Katie Kubic)
Penalty Corners: U-M 7, WFU 7
Penalty Strokes: U-M 0, WFU 0
Contact: David Crabtree (734) 763-4423
