Michigan
Ohio
Riley Shines in Debut as Starter, Helps U-M Blank Ohio
9/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ocker Field)
Score: #7 Michigan 6, Ohio 0
Records: U-M (3-2), Ohio (0-3)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Sept. 14 -- vs. New Hampshire (Ocker Field), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind a potent offense and the stellar play of freshman goalkeeper Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS), the No. 7-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team opened its two-game weekend with a 6-0 shutout of the Ohio Bobcats Friday afternoon (Sept. 12) at Ocker Field. Five Wolverines scored in the win, including two goals by freshman Jill Civic (Wescosville, Pa./Emmaus HS), while Riley notched her first career shutout in her first collegiate start.
Michigan (3-2) dominated the match right from the start, outshooting the Bobcats 20-9 in the first half while scoring three times. Senior Stephanie Johnson (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) put U-M up 1-0 with a blast from the top of the circle during a penalty corner, then junior Jenny Zangara (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills HS) scored 25:45 into the contest to make it 2-0, tipping a pass from senior April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West HS) into the left side of the net. Civic completed the scoring in the first half when she found the back of the cage at 31:37, tipping in a rebound off a shot from Fronzoni.
In the second half, the Wolverines continued to pour on the offense and clamped down on defense, outshooting Ohio 17-2. Civic extended the lead to four goals when she tipped in a shot in traffic on the left side of the net, then junior Anneke Huntzicker (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) got on the scoreboard, netting her first career marker off a pass from junior Kate Dillon (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) at 49:55. The 5-0 lead caused Ohio to take a timeout and change goalkeepers, chasing Jen Cote in favor of Ashley Pitkin.
Fronzoni completed the scoring at 64:54, taking a cross-circle pass from freshman Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) and beating Pitkin on a reverse shot.
Cote stopped 12 of 17 shots for the Bobcats, while Pitkin halted three of four shots in relief. Riley made five saves to post the shutout as Michigan outshot Ohio 37-11.
The Wolverines will return to action on Sunday (Sept. 14), hosting New Hampshire at 1 p.m. at Ocker Field. Ohio will remain in town for a neutral-site match against New Hampshire on Saturday (Sept. 13) at Ocker Field.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Ohio | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Stephanie Johnson, 12:07 (Adrienne Hortillosa, Jessica Blake)
1st -- U-M, Jenny Zangara, 25:45 (April Fronzoni)
1st -- U-M, Jill Civic, 31:37 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Civic, 45:45 (Zangara)
2nd -- U-M, Anneke Huntzicker, 49:55 (Kate Dillon)
2nd -- U-M, Fronzoni, 64:54 (Mary Fox)
Shots: U-M 37, Ohio 11
Saves: U-M 5 (Beth Riley), Ohio 15 (Jen Cote 12, Ashley Pitkin 3)
Defensive Saves: Ohio 2 (Sarah Resch 1, Danielle Jenness 1)
Penalty Corners: U-M 9, Ohio 10
Penalty Strokes: None
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the victory over Ohio ... "It was a good game for us being at home in front of the crowd. We put on a nice, entertaining game. I thought we finished well, obviously. It was nice to be able to get a lot of players in the match that need to get some experience. We moved some people into positions where we need to create some depth for later games. That was really helpful for us."
On the offense's passing and scoring ... "It's getting there. It's just like football with the attack it takes a couple of games to get sharp and click. It's finally coming together and we're scoring. It's nice to see."
On being able to beat a team handily when you're supposed to ... "I think it's a really big statement. It's a statement for us. I think the players want to feel confident about their play. We've had a rough start to the season and that's not an easy thing to handle because the expectations for the team are so high. To come out and really do the things we wanted to do and have the result we wanted is really satisfying. It gives them a lot of confidence for Sunday."
U-M Freshman Goalkeeper Beth Riley
On her first career start being a shutout ... "It was a whole team effort. We all worked really hard to get that shutout. It feels really good to know that we worked so well together."
NOTES
• April Fronzoni netted her 55th career marker and now sits nine behind Michigan's all-time leader, Mary Callam (64 from 1976-79). In addition, Fronzoni improved her career point total to 123 and is three away from tying Kelli Gannon (126 from 1997-2000) for second place. The career points leader is also Callam, who recorded 136 points from 1976-79.
• Fronzoni, Michigan's female nominee for Big Ten Athlete of the Year for the 2002-03 school year, will be honored on the field of Michigan Stadium during the first quarter of Saturday's (Sept. 13) football game between Michigan and Notre Dame.
• Beth Riley made her first collegiate start and recorded her first collegiate shutout.
• Freshman Kara Lentz (Manchester, Mass./St. Paul's School) made her collegiate debut, playing nine minutes in the second half.
• Anneke Huntzicker netted her first career goal while playing in her 16th career game. Prior to the game, Huntzicker had not recorded a goal or an assist.
• Jill Civic's two-goal game was her second of the season. Civic ranks second on the team with five goals and has scored in three of her last four games, including multi-goal efforts in two of her last three appearances.
• Michigan's six goals are a season high.
• Ocker Field debuted a block "M" at center field for the first time in its history. The new playing surface, which was installed during the summer, was re-painted last week to include the logo.
