Michigan
Ohio State
U-M Slips Past Buckeyes Into Big Ten Tournament Final
11/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
| | Powers' goal and assist give her 97 career points. |
The Wolverines and Buckeyes battled to a scoreless tie after the first 35 minutes of play, with U-M outshooting OSU 4-2, but Michigan received a break midway into the first half as an Ohio State goal was waved off 14:55 into the stanza. The shot, taken on an OSU penalty corner, was initially signaled as a goal, but the umpire later ruled the shot had hit above the board, which negates a penalty-corner goal.
Michigan eventually cracked the OSU defense 2:55 into the second half when Fronzoni and Powers teamed up on a 2-on-2 break. With Fronzoni leading the way, Powers raced down the center of the field and over the 25-yard line, where she fed Fronzoni in the circle. Fronzoni wrapped the shot around OSU netminder Lara Koole, who came out to contest the shot, to put U-M up 1-0.
The Buckeyes took less than five minutes to respond, scoring the first of two goals on a penalty corner. OSU's Mariana Solorzano was credited with the marker, as her shot from the top of the circle caromed off the pads of sophomore goalkeeper Molly Maloney (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest HS) and into the upper righthand corner of the cage. Michigan regained the lead just over seven minutes later at 49:33 when Powers beat Koole on the left side of the goal, but OSU responded again, tying the game at 2-2 with less than 15 minutes remaining in the game on the second goal of the day by Solorzano, whose shot deflected off Maloney's pads and across the goal line.
The Wolverines took the lead for good 1:26 later when Johnson found the back of the net on a penalty corner, ripping a shot past the right side of Koole. On the afternoon, Michigan received 10 penalty corner opportunities, converting one, while the Buckeyes scored on two of their six chances.
Michigan outshot Ohio State 9-6, marking the 18th straight game its opponent has been held to less than 10 shots. Maloney stopped three of the five shots she faced, while Koole made three saves.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Ohio State | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Michigan | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
2nd -- U-M, April Fronzoni, 37:55 (Molly Powers)
2nd -- OSU, Mariana Solorzano, 42:08 (Stacey Todd, Jenee Doto)
2nd -- U-M, Powers, 49:33 (Jessica Rose)
2nd -- OSU, Solorzano, 56:31 (Todd, Doto)
2nd -- U-M, Stephanie Johnson, 57:57 (Adrienne Hortillosa, Katy Moyneur)
Shots: U-M 9, OSU 6
Saves: U-M 3 (Molly Maloney), OSU 3 (Lara Koole)
Penalty Corners: U-M 10, OSU 6
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the game ... "I'm happy we won the game. We came out really tight and Ohio State had No. 7 (Mariana Solorzano) that didn't play the last time we played against them, and they play a lot of different tactics than we're used to. They play a lot of big ball and a lot of pick up the big ball stuff at the other end, and that's hard to defend, so we were on our heels a lot. The defense played well, and I was happy that we were able to handle the adversity we faced in the game and pull out the win."
On forcing a lot of OSU turnovers in its zone ... "Our forwards are quick and dangerous, and I think when we put a lot of pressure on them it wreaks a lot of havoc for their defenders, so that's part or our game plan, and it worked pretty well today. I wished we could have capitalized a little bit more, but it went the way we tried to have it go."
On responding to each of OSU's goals ... "I think that our team is very confident in our firepower. Molly (Powers) is playing great, as usual, and so is April (Fronzoni), so as much as they (Ohio State) had some real hard-hitting shots and goals, I think our team felt confident that we could come back no matter what and counter, and that's what we did."
On the championship game ... "It will be a great game. It's (the Big Ten) an unbelievable conference and the best conference in the nation. It's great competition, so we'll see what happens."
Senior Forward Molly Powers
On her assist on April Fronzoni's goal ... "I knew she was there the whole way. I was holding onto the ball to make the defender commit to me, and so April was wide open and holding the outside beautifully and I read her the whole way. April and I read off each other really well. I knew she was open and I believe in her that she can finish the ball, and she did a great job finishing it."
N O T E S
Michigan advances to the Big Ten championship game for the third time in the last four seasons. If it faces Michigan State, it would be the first meeting between the two schools in the Big Ten Tournament. U-M is 2-3 against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament, including a 1-2 record in the finals.
U-M is 6-0 this season when entering the second half tied with its opponent. The Wolverines have outscored their foes 32-10 in the final stanza this year.
April Fronzoni netted her 18th goal of the season in the win, establishing a career high for goals in a campaign. Fronzoni's previous best was 17, netted as a freshman in 2000. Fronzoni's 18 goals rank sixth among the top single-season totals in U-M history.
Fronzoni has posted a career-high 40 points this season, topping her previous mark of 38, and is tied for seventh among U-M's single-season leaders. Fronzoni also moved into sole possession of third place on Michigan's career goal-scoring chart with her 48th marker. In addition, she earned her 108th career point, which ranks third all-time.
Fronzoni has netted a goal in five of her last six games. Stephanie Johnson has scored a goal in each of her last two games.
Molly Powers, who has a goal in two of her last three games, netted her 44th career goal. Powers ranks fifth in career points with 97.
Sophomore forward/midfielder Adrienne Hortillosa (Chula Vista, Calif./Bonita Vista HS) has a point in each of her last four games.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
