Belassi Nets Eight Points in Win Over Central Michigan

Tuesday, October 10

Ann Arbor, Mich.

3:00 PM

Michigan

(8-7)

Central Michigan

(6-7)

Team	1	2	Final F
Central Michigan	1	1	2
Michigan	2	5	7

Belassi Nets Eight Points in Win Over Central Michigan

10/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Phyllis Ocker Field)
Score: #20 Michigan 7, Central Michigan 2
Records: U-M (8-7), CMU (6-7)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Oct. 15 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 1 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior Lucia Belassi (Paysandu, Uruguay/Liceo #1) recorded a career-high eight points, on two goals and four assists, to lead the No. 20-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team to its greatest goal output in two years, as the Wolverines posted a 7-2 victory over Central Michigan on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 10) at Phyllis Ocker Field.

After scoring just two goals in the first half and carrying a narrow one-goal advantage at halftime, Michigan exploded on offense, scoring four goals within a four-minute window early in the second frame. Belassi sealed the U-M victory on the Wolverines' first shot of the half, scoring the eventual game-winning goal at the 42:48 mark after chipping in a pass from junior Ashley Lennington (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle HS) out of the scrum in front of the Chippewa cage. Following a U-M penalty corner less than two minutes later, Belassi corralled the rebound from the direct shot and pushed the ball past CMU goalkeeper Danielle Frank for her second marker of the game and her third career multi-goal effort.

Freshman Paige Laytos (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS) also picked up a pair of tallies and, like Belassi, extended her scoring streak to three games -- just days after earning her first career goal. Laytos' second marker of the contest came at 45:11, only 44 seconds after the restart, as she redirected a pass from Belassi to the lower corner of the Central Michigan cage.

The Wolverines used a similar setup to complete their scoring barrage a minute later -- at the 46:38 mark -- as Belassi fired a pass to the center of the CMU circle to find freshman Jenner Johnson (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest HS) all alone in front of the cage. The action pulled the Chippewas' Frank out of position, and Johnson redirected the ball into an empty goal for her first career score.

After CMU converted on a rebound at 56:02 to inch closer on the scoreboard, sophomore Stephanie Hoyer (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) responded just a minute later with her second goal in as many games, capping the Wolverines' offensive production. Senior/junior Eleanor Martin (Anchorage, Ky./Louisville Collegiate School) dribbled the ball into the Chippewa circle, directly at Frank, before dishing a pass to Hoyer stationed on the left post.

U-M had taken an early lead in the contest when Lennington pulled the ball out of a scrum in front of the Central Michigan cage and found the back corner at 7:45, but, despite Michigan's 18-3 advantage in first-half shots, the Chippewas evened the score midway through the first frame on a tap-in goal off the right goalpost. Laytos reclaimed the Wolverines' lead for good, however, late in the frame, chipping in a point-blank opportunity just 33 seconds before the halftime buzzer.

The Wolverines dominated in both statistical categories, outshooting the Chippewas 28-4 and outcornering them 8-2. Senior goalkeeper Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) made one save to claim her third win, while Frank made 13 stops on Michigan's 20 shots on goal.

The Wolverines (8-7, 2-1 Big Ten) will wrap up the road portion of their schedule on Sunday (Oct. 15), travelling to Bloomington, Ind., to face No. 11 Indiana. The match is slated for a 1 p.m. start at the John Mellencamp Pavilion.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	F
Central Michigan	1	1	2
Michigan	2	5	7

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st-- U-M, Ashley Lennington, 7:45 (Lucia Belassi)
1st -- CMU, Samantha Sandham, 20:22 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Paige Laytos, 34:27 (Belassi)
2nd -- U-M, Belassi, 42:48 (Lennington)
2nd -- U-M, Belassi, 44:27 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Laytos, 45:11 (Belassi)
2nd -- U-M, Jenner Johnson, 46:38 (Belassi)
2nd -- CMU, Erin Dottery, 56:02 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Stephanie Hoyer, 57:20 (Eleanor Martin)

Shots: U-M 28, CMU 4
Saves: U-M 1 (Beth Riley 1, Paige Pickett 0), CMU 13 (Danielle Frank 13, Kahla Schwall 0)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, CMU 1
Penalty Corners: U-M 8, CMU 2

NOTES

• Highlights of today's match against Central Michigan will be available on Michigan All-Access (subscription required). Rates are set at $6.95/month and $49.95/year. For more information, visit Michigan All-Access and select "Field Hockey" from the "All Sports" menu, then go to "Highlights."

• With its victory, U-M improved to 25-14-2 in the all-time series against Central Michigan. The Wolverines have won the last 16 meetings, dating back to 1990.

• Michigan's seven goals are the Wolverines' highest single-game goal total in two seasons, dating back to Sept. 17, 2004, when U-M recorded an 11-0 win against Central Michigan.

• Adding two goals and four assists from today's game, junior Lucia Belassi has set career highs in every scoring category this season. She leads the Wolverines with eight goals, five assists and 21 points.

• Juniors Lucia Belassi and Ashley Lennington and freshman Paige Laytos all extended their scoring streaks to three games with at least one point in Michigan's wins over Michigan State (Oct. 6), Miami of Ohio (Oct. 8) and Central Michigan (Oct. 10). Sophomore Stephanie Hoyer owns goals in back-to-back games.

• Freshman Jenner Johnson scored her first career goal in the second half against Central Michigan. She is the third Wolverine newcomer to accomplish the task this season, joining fellow freshmen Kelly Fitzpatrick and Paige Laytos.

• Today's contest marked the 75th game of senior goalkeeper Beth Riley's career. She owns the U-M school record for games played by a goalkeeper.

• Freshman/sophomore Heather Wiley registered two shots in her collegiate debut.

• All 20 members of the Michigan field hockey team saw action in today's game against Central Michigan.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Nancy Cox
On improving half to half ... "We have to put together 70 minutes of hockey. You have to respect all of your opponents, and you have to bring your 'A' game every time. That is our challenge right now. The fact that we missed 10 minutes in that match -- and the first 35 quite frankly -- is disappointing. If you can score five in the second half, you should be able to duplicate that in the first half. So, that's the kind of effort we are looking for from this group. We're not going to relent until we get that. They need to figure it out, and we need to figure it out collectively as a group."

On momentum from this game into the weekend ... "It's a great lead-in to our match on Sunday, because IU, I believe, is leading the Big Ten. It will be a great opportunity for our players to really demonstrate whether we really do have this scoring prowess. Over the past 72-hour period, we have demonstrated that we can score 12 goals. I'm very interested to see if we can have that same scoring prowess against IU, because they are, statistically, one of the stronger teams in the Big Ten defensively. That will be a real test for where we are. Quite frankly, we are up to the challenge."

On Lucia Belassi ... "Lucia has exceptional vision and exceptional ball speed. She has great perception of the field, and she can direct the show when she chooses to. She picks her moments in the circle to draw corners and to get great shots off on goal. One of the things that she has been working on is a quicker release in the circle, and she started to demonstrate that. I think Lucia in the middle of the field really sets our forward motion, because she knows how to lead off the ball and without the ball."

U-M Junior Forward Lucia Belassi
On improving half to half ... "We weren't finishing our chances early in the game, so it was a bit of a challenge to overcome that adversity at the beginning. At the start of the second half, we knew we could do better if we stick to the tactics. We figured it out, but we wish it wouldn't happen that way."

On the numerous scoring opportunities ... "I thought the forwards had great motion, and that opened up great lead passes and space for everyone to move. We were just leading off of each other. The midfielders found me every time I was open. So, I just tried to find a way to score."

U-M Freshman Forward Paige Laytos
On her recent goal-scoring tear ... "I'm not sure it's necessarily becoming easier; I just think it's just having more confidence in myself and the ability of my teammates to get the ball where it needs to be. I just need to make sure I fulfill my responsibility to finish it and put it in the goal and not let it get past the post, which is something we've been struggling with. I'm just making sure we don't have to keep working on that in practice."

On Lucia Belassi's playmaking ... "Lucia always has great vision of the field and always knows where people are and exactly where the ball needs to go. I guess today we finally were getting to where we needed to be."

On Michigan's tendecy to score in the second half ... "We shouldn't be waiting until the second half to figure out the defense. We need to do it much quicker, and we need to get the points on the scoreboard sooner than the second half. We spend those first 10 minutes trying to figure it out, and it hurts us a little bit."