2004 FDH vs. Ohio State -- Notes & Quotes
11/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
N O T E S
Michigan has recorded three straight shutout victories, outscoring its opponents 7-0 during that time.
Tomorrow's Big Ten Tournament final will mark the Wolverines' sixth trip to the conference championship game and their first since 2002.
The Wolverines' 5-0 victory over Ohio State equals their largest margin of victory at the Big Ten Tournament, matching a 6-1 win against Northwestern at the 2001 event.
Michigan has recorded nine shutouts this season, just one shy of the school-record 10 set in 1992. On the other side of the coin, the Wolverines have not been held scoreless during their 20-game season.
Michigan owns an 11-1 record when leading after the first half and is 13-3 when scoring the game's first goal.
Junior/sophomore Katie Morris registered her third career multi-goal game in U-M's semifinal victory and has scored a point in eight of the Wolverines' last 10 games (9-1-19).
With 16 goals this season, junior/sophomore Katie Morris ranks second on U-M's list of goals by a sophomore, just one goal shy of top spot, currently held by Mary Maugh (17, 1980).
With the first goal of the contest, sophomore/freshman Eleanor Martin registered her first career game-winning goal.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the team performance ... "I was really pleased with the confidence level of the team. I thought we played very poised and under control, and we did some nice things and finished a lot of our opportunities."
On preparing for tomorrow's final ... "I think we need to focus on what we do best and not worry about who we're playing. The focus is on improving our game and have each individual perform a little better and not really worry about things we can't control. I think we're in good shape. Hopefully, we can build on today's confidence and strong play and carry it into tomorrow."
On getting several reserve players into the game ... "I think it was critical. It's really important to get everyone in because it's a team game and the individuals who have been role players all season deserve an opportunity to get some playing time in a big tournament like this, and they all played very well. Also, it gives our starters a bit of a break for tomorrow."
On standout performances in today's game ... "(Mary) Fox had a good game today; she was very dangerous with the ball and had a few great breakout runs to set up a couple nice goals. Katie Morris also did a good finishing the play when we needed her."
Junior/Sophomore Katie Morris
On her two goals ... "Playing with Mary Fox, it's hard to keep up with her; she's one of the fastest forwards in the country. On both of my goals, she had taken the ball down the field. On the first one, it was a pass from (Jessica) Blake and I was trying to think two passes ahead as to where it was going to pop out. Mary just slipped it to me, and I was just at the right place at the right time. On the second one, Foxy had a breakaway and I just tried to anticipate where the rebound was going to come out. Again, I was just there at the right place at the right time. This week in practice our whole team wanted to work on mental quickness and thinking two passes ahead. I think it was a lot better this game; you could just tell with our improved quickness of play."
On the team performance ... "This is tournament time, and we spent all week working on our basics and what we needed to do. Today, it all came together and everyone was connected as a team. Our defenders stepped up as did our midfielders; we were a total team today. We have such a deep bench, and I think that really helps us. Everyone was thrown into different positions today, but everyone stepped up and just came to play. We had a great day."
