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 PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (Semifinals)
Score: #8 Michigan 5, Ohio State 0
Records: U-M (15-5), OSU (10-10)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Nov. 7 -- vs. Iowa at Big Ten Tournament (Evanston, Ill.), 1 p.m. CST

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

NOTES

• 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.

QUOTES

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."

U-M 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."