Quick Goal Jump Starts U-M Shutout Over Northeastern

Sunday, September 19

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Noon

Michigan

(5-3)

Northeastern

(7-2)

Northeastern

Michigan

9/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ocker Field)
Score: #9 Michigan 3, #8 Northeastern 0
Records: U-M (5-3), Northeastern (7-2)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Sept. 24 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 4 p.m. EST/CDT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team relied on solid two-way play to register its second shutout in as many games, blanking No. 8 Northeastern 3-0 on Sunday (Sept. 19) at Ocker Field.

Sophomore Jill Civic (Wescoville, Pa./Emmaus HS) opened the scoring early, finding the back of the Northeastern cage just 21 seconds into regulation play to give the U-M the only advantage it would need. Sophomore Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) took the initial shot -- the Wolverines' first of the contest -- which was rebounded off of Huskie goalkeeper Diana Nelson to the front of the cage. Civic pulled the loose ball out of the scrum in front of the cage and powered it past Nelson low to the left side.

Senior Jessica Blake (Perth, Western Australia/St. Mary's Anglican) extended her scoring to eight games midway through the first half, scoring an unassisted goal at the 18:06 mark to lengthen the U-M lead. Pressuring deep in the Huskie circle on a Michigan offensive attack, the Wolverine senior picked up the ball off of a rebound and roofed to the upper left corner, giving Michigan a 2-0 advantage heading into the halftime break.

The second half marked a change in the tempo of the game as the defensive effort tightened up on each side of the ball and play was largely contained to the midfield region. Fox completed her third mulit-point game of the season late in the frame, adding a insurance goal for the Wolverines at the 60:41 mark. Junior Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) picked up the ball at midfield and fed it ahead to Fox on the 25-yard line. Fox used her speed to brush off a Huskie defender as she carried the ball into the circle and tucked it past Nelson into the low left corner of the Northeastern cage.

The Wolverines outshot Northeastern 18-11 in the contest but were out-cornered 9-4. Sophomore Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) made four stops in the U-M cage to earn her ninth career shutout, while Nelson tallied six saves in the losing effort.

The Wolverines hit the road next weekend, traveling south for a pair of contests in the Hoosier State. On Friday (Sept. 24), U-M kicks off Big Ten Conference competition with a 4 p.m. EST/CDT match against Indiana in Bloomington, Ind. The Wolverines return to the field on Sunday (Sept. 26) in Muncie, Ind., to square off against Ball State for 1 p.m. EST/CDT start.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	F
Northeastern	0	0	0
Michigan	2	1	3

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Jill Civic, 0:21 (Mary Fox)
1st -- U-M, Jessica Blake, 18:06 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Fox, 60:41 (Lori Hillman)

Shots: U-M 18, NU 11
Saves: U-M 4 (Beth Riley), NU 6 (Diana Nelson)
Defensive Saves: None
Penalty Corners: U-M 4, NU 9
Penalty Strokes: None

NOTES

• Michigan improved its all-time series record against Northeastern to a perfect 7-0.

• Senior Jessica Blake owns a eight match scoring streak with at least one point in each of the U-M games this season. Blake leads the Wolverines in scoring this season with 24 points (11-2-24).

• In just eight games this season, sophomore Mary Fox has already record career highs in assists (6) and points (10) while matching her career-high mark in goals (2).

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On Michigan's weekend performance ... "It was a good weekend. We certainly finished in our game on Friday; that was a nice match for us. It was nice to see some goals, which helps us gain some confidence, and we got a lot of players some experience. Today, Northeastern's a great team; they're in the top 10, and they're a difficult team to play against. They've got some really great, fast athletes. I thought our intensity, our effort and our aggressiveness was at its highest so far this season. We went to the ball well, stayed focused for 70 minutes and finished our opportunities. I'm really happy with the effort today."

U-M Senior Jessica Blake
On the U-M improvements ... "There's been an improvement all around the field, especially, I think, with the offense. Our defense has always been really strong; we have some great people back there. Our offense was actually swinging in a circle, which I think was one of our problem against Wake Forest and UNC. The defense has helped us a lot in practice, because they're stepping up and being really hard on us in practice. So, when we get into game situation, it's easier to put it away, because we're used to having that hard pressure against us."

U-M Junior Lori Hillman
On Mary Fox's second-half goal ... "I think the other team was trying to transfer the ball, and their back had fumbled it a little bit. So, I got it away from her and looked up to see Mary just running; she runs very well. I slid her the ball and hoped she could convert, and she did an awesome job of finishing the ball."

On the preparation for this weekend ... "We definitely worked on our fitness all week; we did some extra running and other conditioning. We knew how it felt last week, and we hated that feeling and never want to feel that way again. We just wanted to play the whole game this time. We're a lot happier today than we were a week ago."