Michigan
(13-5, 4-1Big Ten)
Ohio State
(8-7, 1-4Big Ten)
U-M Shuts Down Ohio State to Wrap Up Home Schedule
10/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ocker Field)
Score: #9 Michigan 1, Ohio State 0
Records: U-M (13-5, 4-1 Big Ten), OSU (8-7, 1-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, Oct. 30 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), Noon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Battling a soaking rain and windy conditions, the No. 9-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team wrapped up the home portion of its schedule with a 1-0 victory over Ohio State on Saturday (Oct. 23) at Ocker Field. With the victory, the Wolverines improved their record to 4-1 in Big Ten action, pulling even with Iowa and Michigan State atop the conference standings.
After play was largely contained to the midfield through much of the first half, senior Jessica Blake (Perth, Western Australia/St. Mary's Anglican) gave U-M the only advantage it would need late in the opening frame, tipping a shot from junior/sophomore Katie Morris (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) at the 29:49 mark. As Blake battled for position in front of the Buckeye cage, Morris fired a shot low on goal from the right side of the circle; Blake got a piece of the ball, redirecting it high past OSU goalkeeper Lindsay Williams.
The Wolverine defense continued to stifle Ohio State through the second half, allowing the Buckeyes just three total shots, none of which reached the U-M cage. Michigan found the back of the goal again midway through the second frame as senior captain Adrienne Hortillosa (Chula Vista, Calif./Bonita Vista HS) played the ball deep from just outside striking circle. The officials initially awarded Michigan the goal but reversed their call after a brief deliberation.
The Wolverines registered an 11-3 advantage in shots and out-cornered the Buckeyes 4-3. Fifth-year senior Molly Maloney (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest HS) and sophomore goalkeeper Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) each saw playing time in the shutout victory, while Williams made four saves on the Wolverines' five shots on goal.
The Maize and Blue will wrap up the 2004 regular season with a Big Ten Conference match against Penn State at State College, Pa. A final tuneup prior to the postseason tournaments, the game is slated for a noon start at the Nittany Lions' Bigler Field.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Ohio State | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Jessica Blake, 29:49 (Katie Morris)
Shots: U-M 11, OSU 3
Saves: U-M 0 (Molly Maloney, Beth Riley), OSU 4 (Lindsay Williams)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, OSU 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 4, OSU 3
Penalty Strokes: None
NOTES
• With the 1-0 shutout victory, U-M improved its all-time series record against Ohio State to 26-20-1. The Wolverines have won 12 of the last 15 meetings.
• For the second time this season, the Wolverines allowed zero shots on the U-M goal. Michigan also held Central Michigan without a shot on the cage in its 11-0 victory on Sept. 17.
• U-M wrapped up the home portion of its 2004 schedule with an 8-2 record at Phyllis Ocker Field.
• Junior/sophomore Katie Morris entered today's game with goals in seven of the Wolverines last eight games. Despite not scoring a goal, Morris picked up an assist to improve her recent tear to a point in eight of the last nine U-M games.
• Prior to the game, Michigan honored its five-member senior class -- fifth-year seniors Kate Dillon and Molly Maloney and fourth-year seniors Jessica Blake, Adrienne Hortillosa and Katy Moyneur. Through their U-M careers, the 2004 senior class has compiled a 66-20 and contibuted to two Big Ten regular-season titles and three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including the 2001 NCAA championship, the program's first national title and the first national championship by a women's sport in University of Michigan history.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the final home game of the season ... "It's an anxious day. There's a lot of things going on, and it could all be distracting and emotional for the upperclassmen. Plus, there's a lot of pressure; we're battling for the Big Ten championship, and we have to win these games. I think everyone handled the pressure very well and held on for a good victory."
On preparing for the Big Ten postseason ... "Things are going quite well. Anytime you head into a tournament, you need to try to pick up the intensity, because the level of play will only be higher. If we can match that as we continue on, I think we'll be in good shape."
On standout players in today's game ... "I think Katy Moyneur played very nice defense today. (Curlynne) Wynn is a really strong player for Ohio State who can open up the match, and I thought Katy really marked her up and shut her down."
On Adrienne Hortillosa and Lori Hillman swapping positions ... "Adrienne and Lori are really interchangable players; they both can play the position. The center midfield is a lot of running, and we played back-to-back matches. Adrienne has great ball speed in the backfield, so we wanted to put her there to step up the tempo and to save her for the second half, so she could run hard in the second half. Lori is a really strong defender, so we moved her into the backfield later. It was really just minor adjustments as the match goes on. They're smart enough players and experienced enough to make that decision on their own to when they want to swap out."
U-M Senior Jessica Blake
On Senior Day ... "It was a fun day. I don't really feel like it's my Senior Day since Molly (Maloney) and Kate (Dillon) are older than me. It's sad that it's our last home game, but it was really a culmination of a bunch of amazing memories. That's what I'm thinking about."
U-M Fifth-Year Senior Kate Dillon
On her final home game ... "It was great to have a win today; it was big win for us, because Ohio State is always a big game whenever we come up against them. It makes it pretty sweet to beat them on our home field on our last home game of the year -- although it doesn't really feel like it. We've been in high spirits all day, and it hasn't gotten too emotional just yet; later this afternoon, it could when our parents are around and we're feeling sad that we won't be playing on this field anymore, good ol' Phyllis Ocker."
U-M Senior Adrienne Hortillosa
On her final home game ... "Before the game, I tried to keep myself from getting too emotional. We wanted to wait until after the game to absorb it all, and that's the time to get emotional. We wanted to treat this game just like any other game -- not our last game, but just another game. I think we did a good job doing that."
U-M Fifth-Year Senior Molly Maloney
On Senior Day ... "Senior Days are always really hard, because everyone has the heightened emotion and everyone really wants to win the game. Ohio State is a really great team, and we knew they were going to come out and bring it to us. I think we were all a little jumpy at first, but once we got going into the game and got the rhythm -- that first goal certainly helped -- we were able to settle in. The rest of the game went well for us; we were close on several occasions, but we just had trouble getting them to fall in. The end result was good."
U-M Senior Katy Moyneur
On Senior Day ... "It was pretty special day. Ohio State is just a huge rival, and in previous years they've beaten us. They're always hard-fought games, and to beat them on our home field, in our last home game, was a great feeling. Everyone did a great job. The underclassmen really picked it up, and we ended up winning; so it was a good feeling."
Team Stats
Blake, Jessica
Assisted By: Morris, Katie
redirected to inside left post
29:49
