Weekly Release #9
10/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
This Week's Schedule
No. 5 Michigan (13-3, 4-0 Big Ten) at No. 9 Old Dominion (10-6, 6-0 CAA)
Friday, Oct. 24 7 p.m. Foreman Field Norfolk, Va.
No. 5 Michigan at No. 18 Ohio State (9-5, 2-1 Big Ten)
Sunday, Oct. 26 2 p.m. North Turf Field Columbus, Ohio
Radio/Internet: None.
Series Information: Michigan is 1-3 all-time against Old Dominion and is facing the Monarchs for the third consecutive season. The Wolverines are 0-1 in Norfolk and will make their first appearance on the ODU campus since the 1996 campaign. Last season, U-M fell to Old Dominion by a 4-3 margin in overtime in a neutral-site match at Penn State ... The Wolverines own a 25-19-1 record against Ohio State and have won 11 of the last 13 meetings, including a pair of games last season. Michigan posted a 3-2 victory over the Buckeyes in its last visit to OSU's North Turf Field, eliminating Ohio State in the semifinals of last year's Big Ten Tournament.
Opponent Information: For information on Old Dominion field hockey, visit www.odusports.com ... For information on Ohio State field hockey, visit www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
This Week's Storylines
Nine and Counting -- The Wolverines enter this weekend's action with victories in 13 of their last 14 outings, including a season-high nine-game winning streak.
The Great Wall -- After allowing 14 goals in their first four games, the Wolverines have surrendered just eight goals in their last 12 outings and have won eight games by shutout during that time. In the span of the past eight games, U-M has allowed only three goals and has won six of those contests by shutout.
Wrapping Up Non-Conference Play -- U-M will play its final non-conference game of the year on Friday (Oct. 24) when it visits Old Dominion. The Wolverines are 9-3 in non-conference action this season, including a 4-1 mark on the road.
Last One Standing -- Michigan, the lone remaining undefeated team in Big Ten play, carries an 11-match Big Ten winning streak into Sunday's (Oct. 26) match at Ohio State, dating back to the 2001 campaign.
A Chance To Lock Things Up -- The Wolverines head to Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday (Oct. 26) with a chance to clinch a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. Michigan, the defending Big Ten champ, is 4-0 in the Big Ten with two games remaining and is looking to run the table for the third time in the last four seasons.
News and Notes ...
Holding Steady at No. 5 -- The Wolverines remained fifth in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. U-M is one of five teams from the Big Ten in the rankings, with Michigan State (6th), Penn State (7th), Iowa (10th) and Ohio State (18th) all behind Michigan.
You Can't Win If You Can't Score -- The Wolverines have not allowed a goal in Big Ten action this season and have shut out eight of their last nine conference foes dating back to last year.
The Chase Is Over -- Senior April Fronzoni, a candidate for the Honda Award as the nation's top field hockey player, netted two goals against Hofstra last Sunday (Oct. 19) to equal Mary Callam's (1976-79) mark for most career goals in U-M history with 64. Fronzoni, who has a team-high 16 goals this season, equalled the feat with Callam in attendance and was presented with a game ball by Callam after the match. Fronzoni, who has scored five goals in her last six games, will get the record with her next goal.
Still Perfect -- Freshman goalkeeper Beth Riley, who has started each of the Wolverines' last nine contests, continues to post a perfect record on the season and owns an 11-0 mark entering this weekend's action. Riley ranks second in the nation and leads the Big Ten with a 0.60 goals-against average and has held opponents scoreless in her last 266:29 of playing time.
Player of the Week -- Beth Riley earned Defensive Player of the Week honors from the Big Ten after posting a 3-0 record and allowing no goals last week against Central Michigan, No. 6 Michigan State and Hofstra. Riley shared time in net with junior Molly Maloney against Central Michigan and Hofstra and posted a career-high 10 saves en route to a shutout at sixth-ranked Michigan State, snapping the Spartans' 17-match home winning streak.
Closing In On the 100-Point Club -- Senior Kristi Gannon continues to move up among Michigan's career goal scorers and is currently tied for ninth with 35 markers, including two goals last Sunday (Oct. 19) against Hofstrsa. Gannon, who also has 25 career assists to rank sixth all-time, is seventh on U-M's career points list with 95 and is five points away from becoming the fifth player in U-M history to amass 100 career points.
Lending a Helping Hand -- Junior Adrienne Hortillosa, who ranks fourth on the team with 3-9-15 totals, is on pace to eclipse last season's totals (3-13-19) and already ranks among Michigan's top helpers with 25 career assists. Hortillosa paces the squad with nine assists.
What More Can We Say -- If you've been following us all season, by now you've heard about junior Jessica Blake, who is having an amazing year. Blake, who ranks second on the team with eight goals and six assists for 22 points, has notched a point in all but five appearances this season and has surpassed her goal, assist and point totals from her first two years combined (5-5-15) after only 16 outings this season. In addition, Blake ranks second on the team with three game-winning goals, including the only marker in last Friday's (Oct. 17) 1-0 win at sixth-ranked Michigan State. Entering the 2003 campaign, Blake had one career GWG.
In a Sea of Numbers, We Found This -- In the latest national statistics through games of Oct. 20, as compiled by the NFHCA, Michigan is tied for sixth in winning percentage (.813), ranks 13th in scoring defense (1.35 goals per game) and is tied for sixth in scoring offense (3.43 gpg). The Wolverines also rank seventh with a margin of victory of +2.08 goals per game ... Individually, April Fronzoni ranks in four categories: goals (t-5th, 16), goals per game (t-7th, 1.00), points (t-6th, 37) and points per game (t-9th (2.31) ... Beth Riley owns the country's second-best goals-against average (0.60) and save percentage (.860) ...
Free Hits -- With field hockey's win at Michigan State, U-M picked up a point in the fall portion of the Pontiac Challenge Cup and now leads the competition 2.5-0 ... The Wolverines have defeated MSU in 10 of the last 11 meetings, including four straight in East Lansing ... Michigan wore black bands on the left shoulder of its uniforms with the number "18" on it during the Hofstra match, commemorating former U-M field hockey player Rachael (Geisthardt) Townsend (1992-95), who passed away suddenly at the age of 29 after completing last weekend's Chicago Marathon. The team also held a moment of silence prior to the start of the contest.
Next Up - The Regular-Season Concludes ...
The Wolverines will wrap up the regular-season portion of its 2003 schedule on Saturday, Nov. 1, hosting Penn State at Ocker Field. The contest will also mark Senior Day for Michigan, with U-M's three seniors -- April Fronzoni, Kristi Gannon and Stephanie Johnson -- to be honored prior to the start of the match. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.
If You've Been With Us All Season, These May Look Familiar ...
The Career Points Leader -- Senior April Fronzoni established the school record for career points with a goal against Indiana (Oct. 11) and now holds the mark with 145. The old record was owned by Mary Callam, who notched 136 points from 1976-79.
A Loss to the Field Hockey Family -- The U-M field hockey program received some bad news prior to leaving for the Central Michigan match on Monday, Oct. 13. Rachael (Geisthardt) Townsend, a four-year letterwinner and goalkeeper from 1992-95, passed away unexpectedly after completing Sunday's (Oct. 12) Chicago Marathon. Townsend was 29.
Not Afraid To Play the Tough Ones -- Michigan has 10 of the 20 teams ranked in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll on its 2003 schedule, including three of the top four teams in the poll -- No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 3 Maryland and No. 4 North Carolina.
Tough To Swallow -- Michigan's three losses this season have come at the hands of three of the top four teams in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, suffering setbacks against Wake Forest (No. 1), North Carolina (No. 4) and Maryland (No. 3).
Training in Europe -- The squad traveled to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, during the 2003 preseason to compete against club teams in the Amsterdam area as well as Cologne Rot-Weiss, the team junior Laura Woitkewitsch played for before coming to U-M. Details of the Wolverines' trip will be available soon on MGoBlue.com.
Freshmen 15 -- Freshman Jill Civic appeared in the first-ever edition of Sports Illustrated On Campus as one of the nation's top 15 newcomers - the Freshmen 15 -- in all NCAA Division I sports.
Five Alive -- With her Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week award on Sept. 8, senior April Fronzoni tied the school record for most Big Ten Player of the Week honors, held by Kelli Gannon (1997-2000).
2003 Honors and Awards ...
Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week
April Fronzoni - Sept. 8
Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Stephanie Johnson - Sept. 15
Beth Riley - Oct. 20
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
