Wolverines Upend No. 1 Seed, Advance to Big Ten Final

Saturday, November 5

Iowa City, Iowa

11:00 AM CT

Michigan

(13-7, 3-3)

Penn State

(17-2, 6-0)

Team	1	2	Final F
Michigan	2	0	2
Penn State	0	1	1

Wolverines Upend No. 1 Seed, Advance to Big Ten Final

11/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Grant Field)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (Semifinals)
Score: #10 Michigan 2, #6 Penn State 1
Records: U-M (14-7), PSU (17-3)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Nov. 6 -- vs. Indiana at Big Ten Final (Iowa City, Iowa), 1 p.m. CST

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the second straight year, edging out top-seeded and No. 6-ranked Penn State 2-1 in the first semifinal contest Saturday (Nov. 5) at Iowa's Grant Field. The Wolverines built an early lead on a pair of first-half penalty corners and held strong through a late PSU charge.

With the victory, the Wolverines advance to the championship game at 1 p.m. CST on Sunday (Nov. 6), when they will look to defend their conference tournament crown against No. 2 seed Indiana, a 3-1 winner over third-seeded Ohio State in the second semifinal.

Michigan took advantage of its early penalty corners, scoring on back-to-back opportunities midway through the opening half. Junior Kara Lentz (Manchester, Mass./St. Paul's School) notched her second marker of the tournament at the 15:51 mark, accepting a pass from senior captain Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) off of the stop before blasting a hard shot to the upper left corner past a sprawling Nittany Lion goalkeeper Megan Akstin.

Junior/sophomore striker Kristen Tiner (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) extended the Wolverines' advantage a little more than six minutes later, capitalizing on U-M's third penalty corner of the contest. From her position just inside the top of the striking circle, Tiner blasted a low shot to the back of the PSU cage. Junior Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) and Hillman earned assists for the push and the stop.

Penn State poured on the offense in the second half, outshooting the Wolverines 8-3 and outcornering them 6-1. The U-M backfield minimized the scoring threat by keeping half of the shots away from the Wolverine cage. For the ones that did reach the goal, junior Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) was exceptional, making several crucial saves to keep the Wolverines ahead on the scoreboard. The Nittany Lions' Shaun Banta made good on one opportunity, however, scoring an unassisted goal at 68:18 to cut the Michigan lead to one. The Wolverines responded by clamping down on defense and did not allow Penn State another shot in the contest.

Through 70 minutes of play, Penn State registered a 12-6 advantage in shots and outcornered the Wolverines 7-4. Riley was nearly perfect in the U-M cage, stopping four of the Nittany Lions' five shots on goal, while Akstin made one save in the PSU loss.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	F
Michigan	2	0	2
Penn State	0	1	1

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Kara Lentz, 15:51 (Lori Hillman)
1st -- U-M, Kristen Tiner, 22:02 (Hillman, Mary Fox)
2nd -- PSU, Shaun Banta, 68:16 (unassisted)

Shots: U-M 6, PSU 12
Saves: U-M 4 (Beth Riley), PSU 1 (Megan Akstin)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, PSU 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 4, PSU 7

NOTES

• This season's Big Ten Tournament marks the seventh time that U-M has advanced to the conference tournament final in the last nine years. The Wolverines own a 3-3 record in those championship game appearances.

• Michigan improved to 9-20 in the all-time series against Penn State and has won seven of the last 10 contests. The Wolverines improved their record against PSU in the Big Ten Tournament to 3-4.

• With her pair of helpers, senior captain Lori Hillman claimed sole possession of the eighth spot on Michigan's career assists list with 24. She needs two more to reach the seventh position, currently held by Kristi Gannon (26, 2000-03).

• The Wolverines have boasted a 9-2 record this season when they scored first.

• Junior Kara Lentz currently owns Michigan's longest scoring streak at three games (2-1-5). She and junior/sophomore Kristen Tiner have each earned points in both Big Ten Tournament games.

• Junior/sophomore Kristen Tiner's game-winning goal against Penn State was the first of her career.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Nancy Cox
On the win ... "This was a tremendous win for Michigan, not only for the victory, but to beat the No. 6 team. The kids have been working very hard, and they are continuing to learn and grow as field hockey players and as individuals. They have embraced the learning curve. That is exactly what we've asked them to do, and that is the biggest thing in our program."

U-M Junior Kara Lentz
On the importance of gaining the early lead ... "Our goal has been set to set the tempo and try to keep that going throughout the game. It certainly helps to get a couple goals early to get the lead. That was a major goal for us coming into this tournament, and I think it has been crucial for the success we've had."

On Michigan's second-half defensive effort ... "We just kept playing hard and playing scrappy, and I think that really interrupted their game. We kept them out of our circle. We minimized the calls against us. Our defense has stepped up very well for this tournament, and they are really playing well."

U-M Senior Captain Lori Hillman
On the game ... "I think the two biggest factors for us in the game today was putting together a full game and our execution of things, which we have been working hard on all year. When there was about 10 minutes left, Penn State really started putting a lot of pressure on our defense. It was important for us to stay disciplined in order to stay successful. Jilliane (Whitfield) had a great game for us, along with the other defenders and Beth (Riley)."