Blake Nets Four Goals in Rout Against Central Michigan

Friday, September 17

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

(4-3)

Central Michigan

(2-1)

Central Michigan

Michigan

Blake Nets Four Goals in Rout Against Central Michigan

9/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

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By: Leah Howard

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ocker Field)
Score: #9 Michigan 11, Central Michigan 0
Records: U-M (4-3), CMU (2-1)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Sept. 19 -- vs. Northeastern (Ocker Field), Noon

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Senior Jessica Blake (Perth, Western Australia/St. Mary's Anglican) registered a career-high four goals to lead the No. 9-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team to its highest goal total in six years with an 11-0 shutout of Central Michigan on Friday (Sept. 17) at Ocker Field.

Michigan dominated the play throughout both halves of the contest, recording 42 total shots, including 27 on goal, while limiting the Chippewas to just a pair of shots, both of which were wide. Four U-M players earned multi-point efforts to lead the Maize and Blue, while eight different Wolverines recorded a point in the victory.

Blake netted her first goal of the contest at the 15:38 mark to open the game's scoring and give U-M the only lead it would need, scoring on a hard shot from the top of the left circle that beat Chippewa goalkeeper Danielle Frank low on the far side. The Wolverine senior added a pair of goals late in the half to give U-M a six-goal cushion heading into the halftime intermission. Blake rounded out her career performance at the 64:57 mark of the game with her fourth goal, converting on a pass from freshman Ashley Lennington (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle HS).

Senior captain Adrienne Hortillosa (Chula Vista, Calif./Bonita Vista HS) also tallied a pair of goals in the first half, netting U-M's second goal of the contest -- just 0:50 following Blake's opening goal -- and converting on the Wolverines' first penalty stroke of the season with a hard shot to the right side that deflected off Frank high into the cage. Hortillosa added a pair of first-half assists to bring her career total to 33 helpers.

Freshman Lucia Belassi (Paysandu, Uruguay/Liceo #1) recorded the most productive game of her brief collegiate career, earning six points with a two goals and a pair of assists. Belassi notched her first collegiate goal at the 32:45 mark, one-timing a pass from sophomore Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) to the top left corner of the cage.

Sophomore Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) and fifth-year senior Molly Maloney (Lake Bluff, Mich./Lake Forest HS) combined for the shutout victory, each facing one shot during 35 minutes of play. For Central Michigan, Danielle Frank and Sarah Mancusco each collected seven saves in the losing effort.

The Wolverines (4-3) will wrap up their four-game homestand on Sunday (Sept. 19), hosting No. 8 Northeastern in a noon match at Ocker Field.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	F
Central Michigan	0	0	0
Michigan	6	5	11

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Jessica Blake, 15:38 (Adrienne Hortillosa)
1st -- U-M, Hortillosa, 16:28 (Lucia Belassi)
1st -- U-M, Hortillosa, 27:53 (penalty stroke)
1st -- U-M, Blake, 29:39 (Hortillosa)
1st -- U-M, Belassi, 32:45 (Fox)
1st -- U-M, Blake, 34:51 (Fox)
2nd -- U-M, Eleanor Martin, 35:45 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Katie Morris, 57:11 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Lauren Conforzi, 59:42 (Belassi)
2nd -- U-M, Blake, 64:57 (Ashley Lennington)
2nd -- U-M, Belassi, 68:51 (unassisted)

Shots: U-M 42, CMU 2
Saves: U-M 0 (Beth Riley, Molly Maloney), CMU 16 (Danielle Frank 7, Sarah Mancuso 7)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, CMU 2
Penalty Corners: U-M 6, CMU 2
Penalty Strokes: U-M 1, CMU 0

NOTES

• With its victory, U-M improved to 24-14-2 in the all-time series against Central Michigan.

• Michigan's 11 goals were the Wolverines' highest single-game goal total in six seasons, dating back to Sept. 11, 1998 when U-M coincidently recorded an 11-0 against Central Michigan.

• The Wolverines' 42 total shots was the most since August 29, 1999 when Michigan fired 47 at the cage in a 6-1 decision against Radford.

• Seniors Jessica Blake and Adrienne Hortillosa each extended their scoring streaks to seven consecutive games with at least one point in each of the Wolverines' games this season.

• Senior Jessica Blake has already recorded a career-high 10 goals in Wolverines' seventh game this season.

• Junior/sophomore Katie Morris fired a team-leading 11 shots at the Central Michigan cage, including eight shots on goal.

• Sophomore/freshman Eleanor Martin and freshmen Lucia Belassi and Lauren Conforzi each tallied their first collegiate goals in the Michigan victory while freshman Ashley Lennington recorded her first collegiate point with an assist in the second half.

QUOTES

U-M Freshman Lucia Belassi
On the Michigan participation ... "Everybody got to play. These games are very good to allow everyone to get experience and get a chance to play."

On her transition to collegiate field hockey ... "It is really different. I never played in the position that I'm in right now. They used to play me everywhere they needed someone whenever they wanted to, so I am kind of used to playing wherever they want me. I like it a lot. The pace of the game is a lot faster. I played on a team club (in Uruguay), so it wasn't as competitive. Here, the teams are selected people from all different parts, who can play well in every position, so everybody gets to touch the ball. It's a lot faster."

U-M Sophomore Mary Fox
On Belassi's first career goal ... "It was a beautiful goal by Lucia. We both ran down the line together, and I looked inside the circle to see her waiting at the top. I got around a couple of girls, passed it off to Lucia, and she just nailed it to the upper left corner of the goal."

On the U-M offense ... "We had a goal coming into the game to outshoot ourselves from the first half to the second half; so, however many shots we had in the first, we had to exceed that number in the second. We had 19 shots in the first half, and I think we had 23 in the second, so we were able to accomplish that. Our goal was to improve ourselves in the second half, because we were lacking in that area last week. I think we looked better today. Everyone came in the game, and everyone added something to this win."