Wolverines to Face Boston University in NCAA Opener
11/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Michigan field hockey team will begin its quest for the program's second NCAA championship on Saturday (Nov. 12) when it travels to Columbus, Ohio, to face Boston University at 11 a.m. in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship.
The Wolverines (17-5) are making their seventh straight appearance in the tournament and will engage the Terriers in the fifth series meeting between the two programs. The series is knotted a 2-2 with U-M claiming the most recent contest, a 3-0 decision on Sept. 28, 2002. Ohio State is the host school for the event, and will face No. 4 seeded Old Dominion in the other first-round matchup at 2 p.m. on Saturday. All matches will take place at North Turf Field on the campus of Ohio State.
Saturday's winners will meet in the second round, which is scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 13) at 2 p.m., with the victor advancing to the national semifinals on Friday, Nov. 18, at Trager Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky.
Michigan received one of eight automatic berths to the tournament after capturing its second straight Big Ten Conference Tournament title with a 3-0 victory over Indiana last Sunday (Nov. 6) in Iowa City, Iowa. Boston University (16-5) also claimed an automatic bid after claiming the America East Conference title and defeating Central Michigan 5-3 in one of two NCAA play-in games.
U-M owns an 11-5 record in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to the semifinals in three of its six appearances, playing in the national title game twice. In NCAA Tournament play, the Terriers are 4-8 and will be making their first appearance in the annual tournament since the 2000 campaign. The two programs will meet for the first time in postseason competition.
The Big Ten is represented by four schools, but the Atlantic Coast Conference sports the most qualified teams with five, including three of the top four seeds in the tournament. In addition to Michigan and Ohio State, Penn State will travel to College Park, Md., to face American and Indiana will head to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face North Carolina.
NCAA Release (11/8/05)
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
