Notes & Quotes
11/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Notes & Quotes
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N O T E S
The Wolverines improved their all-time series record against Ohio to 8-0. Michigan has established perfect records against 28 different teams throughout the history of the program.
With the win over Ohio, the Wolverines improved to 13-6 in NCAA Tournament games. They are 7-1 in first-round contests.
Fourteen of Michigan's 17 NCAA Tournament games have been decided by one goal. U-M is 10-4 in those contests.
Today's game was also the seventh NCAA Tournament overtime game for Michigan. It's last three first-round NCAA contests have gone to overtime. U-M owns a near-perfect 6-1 mark when heading to the sudden-death frame. The contest was the Wolverines' eighth overtime appearance of the 2007 season; they are 7-1 in overtime games this season.
Senior Lucia Belassi owns a career-best and team-leading five game-winning goals this season. Three of those deciding markers have come in overtime.
Belassi registered her 90th game played for the Maize and Blue, moving her to the eighth spot among the Wolverines' all-time leaders in the category, where she is tied with three-time All-American April Fronzoni (2000-03). With one more appearance, she will leap to the third spot, currently held by five former Wolverine players, including volunteer coach Kristi Gannon (91, 2000-03).
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Nancy Cox
On the overtime frame... "It was back and forth. Neil [Macmillan] has done a tremendous job with this goalkeeper. It was just like in 2001 when Maureen Tasch was dropping to the ground and blocking space. When they [Michigan] were under a lot of pressure, they dont necessarily think about what you have drilled into them over and over again, meaning get the ball up in the air. So, we made them look very good today because our players weren not very successful in getting the ball up in the air over their goalkeeper. I think the further we go into the tournament we are going to see goalkeepers dropping just to cover the bigger space on the ground. So, we really need to become better and more efficient about getting the ball in the air against the opposing goalkeeper. But she did do a lovely job today. She kept them in the match."
On U-M's seniors... "Kudos to our senior leadership today, especially to Lucia [Belassi] for getting the game-winner, and to Kristin Tiner, Jillianne Whitfield and Ashley Lennington. All of those players stepped up and played a huge role in the overtime. That's what you look for with your senior leadership at this point in the season and their careers, because they are either going to do it or they're not going to do it. It's their team, so it's about now Lucia, Tiner, Jillianne and Ashley play. It's about them. It's their job. Lucia certainly did her job today. She finished."
Senior Captain Lucia Belassi
On the overtime... "I feel like we underestimated them a little bit in overtime, because we are so confident that that situation and we have been so good in it. They had some opportunities that if they had finished them, we would have lost the game. But we managed to play a really good defense, and we managed to pull through and score a goal. It was about time."
On her goal... "It was a shot from Kelly [Fitzpatrick] from the right side. The goalie gave up the rebound, and I thought it was going out-of-bounds, but it didn't. It came right to me. So, I just got the rebound and put it through. The goalie's leg started to cover it, but it slipped through. Since the referee didn't call it for the corner, I got the ball back, turned around and put it in the opposite corner."
On the close game... "A win is a win. At this point in the season, this is it; that's all that matters. We just need to win to keep going, so really it doesn't matter how the game goes as long as you get the win in the end."
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
