Second-Half Surge Boosts Wolverines Over Kent State

Monday, September 29

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

Kent State

9/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind three second-half goals, the University of Michigan field hockey team recorded its second straight shutout victory, downing the visiting Kent State Golden Flashes by a 3-0 margin in a non-conference affair Monday afternoon (Sept. 29) at Ocker Field. Senior Kristi Gannon (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual HS) scored twice in the win as U-M dominated the final 35 minutes of play.

Kent State looked upset-minded in the first half, outshooting the Wolverines 4-0 and out-cornering U-M 3-0 at one point in the match. The Golden Flashes went into halftime with a 5-4 shots advantage and a 3-2 corner lead, but U-M turned the tide in the second half, outshooting Kent State 13-3 and taking six corners to the Golden Flashes' one in the final 35 minutes.

Junior Adrienne Hortillosa (Chula Vista, Calif./Bonita Vista HS) broke the scoreless tie at 41:03, taking a pass from junior Laura Woitkewitsch (Cologne, Germany/Cologne Rot-Weiss) and sweeping a shot into the left side of the cage past Kent goalkeeper Jessica Creeden. Michigan struck again just over six minutes later at 47:18 when Gannon capitalized on a penalty corner. Junior Jessica Blake (Perth, Western Australia/St. Mary's Anglican School) pushed the ball out from the end line and sophomore Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) held the ball for Gannon, who from the top of the circle sent a shot that hopped over Creeden and into the back of the cage.

The trio of Gannon-Hillman-Blake teamed up on the penalty corner again at 55:13, with Gannon firing a shot that arched over Creeden and hit the top of the board in the back of the cage.

Freshman Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palymra Area HS) recorded her fifth straight win and stopped all four shots she faced in the victory. She shared a shutout with junior Molly Maloney (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest HS), who played with final 6:46 of the contest.

Michigan will remain home to host ninth-ranked Iowa on Saturday (Oct. 4) at Ocker Field. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	F
Kent State	0	0	0
Michigan	0	3	3

Scoring, Time (Assist)
2nd -- U-M, Adrienne Hortillosa, 41:03 (Laura Woitkewitsch)
2nd -- U-M, Kristi Gannon, 47:18 (Lori Hillman, Jessica Blake)
2nd -- U-M, Gannon, 55:13 (Hillman, Blake)

Shots: U-M 17, KSU 8
Saves: U-M 4 (Beth Riley), KSU 5 (Jessica Creeden)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, KSU 1 (Stephanie Mirner)
Penalty Corners: U-M 8, KSU 4
Penalty Strokes: None

Q U O T E S

U-M Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the first half ... "I think we were a little tentative in the first half, and I think we needed to have a little more killer instinct and go forward, because we were doing a lot of lateral passing. We had good ball possession, but it was almost keep-away instead of trying to go for some goals. We made some adjustments at halftime and they worked."

On U-M's penalty corner unit ... "It's a set piece and a huge scoring opportunity for us, and we've got a lot of weapons. It's very dangerous and we'll take what the defense gives us, and today was really on, so it was helpful."

On Saturday's match against Iowa ... "It's going to be a great game. Iowa's a strong team this year and so are we, so it should be a really good battle. I expect it to be very tight and close and I'm glad we're playing at home."

N O T E S

Michigan has won seven of its last eight games, including three straight.

Beth Riley made her fourth start of the season and improved her record to 5-0.

Kristi Gannon's two goals are a season high. Gannon now has 31 career goals, one shy of cracking Michigan's top 10 list.

Lori Hillman's two assists equaled a career high. Hillman has recorded an assist in four of her last five games, including three straight, posting 0-6-6 totals during that span. For the season, Hillman has a career-high 1-7-9 totals.

Jessica Blake's two assists marked a season high. Blake has recorded a point in seven of her last eight outings, including four straight. Blake now has a career-high 5-5-15 totals after nine games, nearly double her previous high (2-4-8 as a freshman in 2001).