Wolverines Shut Down OSU to Cruise into Big Ten Final

Saturday, November 6

Evanston, Ill.

11:00 AM CT

Michigan

(15-5)

Ohio State

(10-10)

Ohio State

Michigan

Wolverines Shut Down OSU to Cruise into Big Ten Final

11/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team advanced to the championship game of the Big Ten Conference Tournament by registering a 5-0 victory over Ohio State in the semfinal round Saturday (Nov. 6) at Northwestern's Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex. Junior/sophomore Katie Morris (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) tallied a pair of second-half goals, while the U-M defense held the Buckeyes to just five total shots, only one of which reached the Wolverine cage.

Sophomore/freshman Eleanor Martin (Anchorage, Ky./Louisville Collegiate School) opened the scoring early in the contest, picking up her second goal of the season at the 2:39 mark to give Michigan the only lead it would need. Martin corraled a rebound in front of the Buckeye cage and slammed the ball past OSU goalkeeper Lindsay Willams low to the right corner.

The Maize and Blue continued to pressure throughout the first half with early scoring opportunities by Morris and senior Jessica Blake (Perth, Western Australia/St. Mary's Anglican) while shutting down a pair of Buckeye penalty corners. The Wolverines flurried around the OSU cage late in the frame to produce four U-M corners during a four-minute span, finally converting on the fourth attempt when sophomore Jill Civic (Wescoville, Pa./Emmaus HS) redirected a pass from junior defender Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) from the left post at 24:15.

The Wolverines continued their momentum early into the second half as Morris found the back of the OSU cage just 1:09 into the frame to extend their lead. The play originated with sophomore Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy), who carried the ball down the right side of the field before cutting deep into the circle and passing it to a wide-open Morris on the right side of the cage.

After two near-scoring opportunites midway through the frame that saw a U-M goal called back and missed penalty stroke, the Wolverines added to their advantage with back-to-back goals -- coming just 54 seconds apart -- as Morris tallied her second of the game and freshman Lucia Belassi (Paysandu, Uruguay/Liceo #1) capatilized on a flurry in front of the OSU goal. Morris' goal mirrored her first as Fox set up the play, using her speed to manuever past the OSU backfield and into the striking circle. She took the initial shot, which was rebounded to the stick of Morris, who blasted it past Williams.

The Maize and Blue controlled the play throughout the game, outshooting the Buckeyes 22-5 -- including a 14-3 differential in the first half -- and outcornered OSU 9-5. Sophomore Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) and fifth-year senior Molly Maloney (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest HS) combined for the U-M shutout with Riley making one save in the second half. On the other end, Williams made nine saves in the Buckeye cage.

Michigan will face the winner of the Iowa/Michigan State semifinal match in the Big Ten Tournament final on Sunday (Nov. 7) in Evanston, Ill. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. CST start at Northwestern's Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	F
Ohio State	0	0	0
Michigan	2	3	5

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Eleanor Martin, 2:39 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Jill Civic, 24:15 (Lori Hillman)
2nd -- U-M, Katie Morris, 36:07 (Mary Fox)
2nd -- U-M, Morris, 57:50 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Lucia Belassi, 58:46 (unassisted)

Shots: U-M 22, OSU 5
Saves: U-M 1 (Beth Riley 1, Molly Maloney 0), OSU 9 (Lindsay Williams)
Defensive Saves: None
Penalty Corners: U-M 9, OSU 6
Penalty Strokes: U-M 1 (missed), OSU 0