U-M Selected To Host NCAA First and Second Rounds
11/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Michigan has been selected to serve as one of four first- and second-round sites for the 2004 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced Tuesday night (Nov. 9) during its Field Hockey Championship Selection Show. The games, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 13-14), will be staged at Phyllis Ocker Field Hockey Field on the U-M campus, and will feature four of the 16 teams competing for the NCAA championship, including three teams currently ranked in the top 10 in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll.
The No. 5-ranked Wolverines (16-5 overall) will square off against Pacific (11-9) in the first round at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the second contest between the two schools this season. U-M earned a 3-0 victory over the Tigers on Oct. 9 in Iowa City, Iowa, to improve its record to 4-0 in the all-time series between the two programs. Michigan is making its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament after capturing both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament trophies, while Pacific, which gained its bid by virtue of winning the NorPac Conference Tournament and defeating Louisville 1-0 in the NCAA play-in game, will make its second trip in program history.
In the other first-round matchup, No. 8 Michigan State (16-3), tri-champion of the Big Ten Conference, will face No. 13 Boston College (17-5) at 2 p.m. in the first contest between the two schools this season. This will be the Spartans' fourth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championship, while Boston College will make its second straight trip and fifth in program history. Both teams earned at-large berths to this season's tournament.
The winners will advance to the second-round game, which is slated for a 2 p.m. start on Sunday, with the winner of that matchup advancing to the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 19, at Kentner Stadium on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.
"This team has worked very hard to put ourselves in a position to host, which we are very excited about doing," said U-M head coach Marcia Pankratz. "It's going to be great competition. It's a difficult bracket, and all four teams have the ability to win and move on. We'll certainly have to take a hard look at Pacific. It's not easy to beat a team twice in the same year, so we'll definitely do the best we can to get ready for them."
Admission for each day will cost $7 for adults and $4 for students, seniors and children under 18 years of age. Tickets may be purchased at the field on the day of the game and are good for the date of purchase only.
NCAA Release (11/9/04)
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
