Michigan
(16-6)
Ohio
(18-5)
Belassi Delivers in OT for Michigan Win at NCAAs
11/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Phyllis Ocker Field)
Event: NCAA Tournament (First Round)
Score: #6 Michigan 1, #15 Ohio 0 (OT)
Records: U-M (16-6), Ohio (18-5)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Nov. 11 -- vs. Wake Forest in NCAA Second Round (Phyllis Ocker Field), 2 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament after it claimed a 1-0 overtime victory against No. 15 Ohio on Saturday (Nov. 10) on Phyllis Ocker Field. Senior captain Lucia Belassi (Paysandu, Uruguay/Liceo #1) registered the game-winning goal at the 83:10 mark of the contest on a rebound in front of the Bobcat cage.
Belassi's goal was her third overtime tally of the season and sent the Wolverines to the NCAA second round for the seventh time in nine years. Sophomore Kelly Fitzpatrick (Hummelstown, Pa./Palmyra HS) took the initial shot that set up the goal, firing the ball from the right side of the circle and hitting Ohio goalkeeper Jessie Martin in the pads. The ball kicked out to the penalty-stroke area, where Belassi corralled it and pushed a low shot into the bottom left corner.
Despite registering no shots on goal through regulation play, the Bobcats largely controlled the overtime frame, outshooting Michigan 6-5 while drawing a pair of penalty-corner opportunities. Junior/sophomore goalkeeper Paige Pickett's (Dallas, Texas/Episcopal School of Dallas) stopped a pair of OU shots on goal in the extra stanza, including a point-blank effort by Marcy Dull a little more than six minutes in.
Fitzpatrick had a number of scoring chances throughout the contest, pacing the Wolverine offensive effort with seven shots, including three on goal in overtime. She secured a break-away opportunity early in the extra frame and cruised into the circle on the left side of the field. Martin, however, challenged the play near the top of the circle -- as she did several times throughout the match -- laying out to knock the ball loose before Fitzpatrick could get a shot off.
Michigan's first chance of the contest came on a similar play from Fitzpatrick. The U-M sophomore got behind the Ohio defense when she subbed back into the game near the eight-minute mark and, alone in the circle, accepted a pass right in front of the Bobcat cage. Martin, however, sprawled on the ground and stopped the shot from Fitzpatrick.
Both teams drew penalty-corner opportunities late in the first half and Michigan peppered Martin with back-to-back direct shots from Belassi and fifth-year senior captain Kristen Tiner (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School). The Wolverines maintained the momentum in the second half and dominated the frame with a 7-1 advantage in shots. U-M miscued on a couple of perfect set-ups, including a late two-on-one between junior Stephanie Hoyer (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and Fitzpatrick. The former used her speed to get around several Ohio defenders and force the ball into the circle. Drawing Martin out to the left, Hoyer rifled a pass across the goalmouth, but Fitzpatrick, who was alone on the right post, could not get her stick on the ball.
The Wolverines recorded significant advantages in both statistical categories, outshooting the Bobcats 17-9 and outcornering them 6-3. Pickett earned two saves for the Wolverines -- both in overtime -- to tally her fifth shutout of the season, while Martin posted 12 stops in the OU cage.
The Wolverines will face Wake Forest, a 3-2 winner over Michigan State in the first opening-round match, in the NCAA quarterfinal round Sunday (Nov. 11) at 2 p.m. at Ocker Field
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | F |
| Ohio | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
OT -- U-M, Lucia Belassi, 83:10 (unassisted)
Shots: U-M 17, Ohio 9
Saves: U-M 2 (Paige Pickett), Ohio 12 (Jessie Martin)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, Ohio 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 6, Ohio 3
Penalty Strokes: None
NOTES
• 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).
QUOTES
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 Kristen 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."
U-M 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."
Team Stats
Belassi, Lucia
rebound in front to lower left corner
83:10
