Way's Hat Trick Leads U-M Past Northwestern

Saturday, September 27

Ann Arbor, Mich.

11:00 AM

Michigan

(4-6, 1-0Big Ten)

Northwestern

(5-5, 0-1Big Ten)

Team	1	2	Final F
Northwestern	0	0	0
Michigan	1	2	3

9/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Phyllis Ocker Field)
Score: #19 Michigan 3, Northwestern 0
Records: U-M (4-6, 1-0 Big Ten), Northwestern (5-5, 0-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Oct. 3 -- vs. Temple (Ann Arbor, Mich.),4 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Sophomore Meredith Way (Newmanstown, Pa./Warwick HS) collected her second hat trick of the season to lead the No. 19-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team to a 3-0 victory over Northwestern in its Big Ten Conference opener on Saturday morning (Sept. 27) at Phyllis Ocker Field.

Meredith Way

Michigan posted significant advantages in the shot and penalty-corner categories, outshooting the Wildcats 20-4, including a 13-2 differential in the second half, while outcornering them 11-3 in the game and 7-1 in the second half. All three of Way's markers came on penalty-corner conversions as the Wolverine striker netted two on the direct shot. The three-goal performance marked the second multi-goal effort of Way's career and the first time in four seasons that a Wolverine player registered a pair of hat tricks in one season.

Way, who upped her season total to nine goals, scored the only goal Michigan needed at the 9:04 mark after successfully converting on U-M's second penalty-corner opportunity of the contest. Way netted the direct shot as her low blast hit a Wildcat defender's stick near the left post and redirected high past NU goalkeeper Emily Kyle. Senior/junior Heather Wiley (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) and senior captain Sarah Wilhite (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey HS) earned assists with the stop and the push, respectively. The helper extended Wilhite's point streak to nine straight matches.

With the advantage, the Wolverines picked up the pace in the second half and peppered Kyle with a barrage of shots early in the frame before eventually breaking through at the 58:11 mark in the aftermath of a broken corner opportunity. Way was unable to get the direct shot off but battled to maintain possession in the middle of the circle, emerging from the scramble to fire a low shot past the sprawling Wildcat goalkeeper.

Michigan converted again on its next and final penalty-corner opportunity, cushioning its lead to three goals in the final minute of regulation play. Way again converted on the direct shot, rocketing a hard, low ball that fluttered just enough to sneak above a laid-out Kyle at the 69:07 mark. Wiley and Wilhite picked up assists on the goal to also claim multi-assist games.

Sophomore/freshman Christi Barwick (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) and senior/junior Paige Pickett (Dallas, Texas/Episcopal School of Dallas) split time in the Wolverine cage, earning a pair of saves each to claim the combined shutout -- Michigan's second of the season. On the other end of the field, the Wildcats' Kyle stopped 10 of the Wolverines' 13 shots on goal.

Michigan will return to competition next weekend with a pair of games at Ocker Field. U-M will face Temple at 4 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 3) before wrapping its homestand against conference rival Ohio State at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 5). The Michigan/Bear Invitational will close play tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 28) with a 1 p.m. neutral-site meeting between California and Northwestern at Ocker Field.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Northwestern	0	0	0
Michigan	1	2	3

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Meredith Way, 9:04 (Heather Wiley, Sarah Wilhite)
2nd -- U-M, Way, 58:11 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Way, 69:07 (Wiley, Wilhite)

Shots: U-M 20, NW 4
Saves: U-M 4 (Christi Barwick 2, Paige Pickett 2), NW 10 (Emily Kyle)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, NW 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 11, NW 3

NOTES

• With the victory, Michigan improved to 19-28 in the all-time series against Northwestern. U-M has won each of the last 17 meetings dating back to the 1997 campaign.

• Sophomore Meredith Way became the first Wolverine player to register a pair of hat tricks in one season since Jessica Blake posted four-goal and a three-goal efforts within a five-game window during the 2004 season. Three-time All-American April Fronzoni, who was on Northwestern's sideline today as a volunteer coach, achieved the identical feat during the 2003 season.

• Senior Sarah Wilhite has tallied at least one point in each of the last nine games -- all but the season opener -- and leads the Wolverine team with six multi-point efforts. Meredith Way has notched at least a point in seven of 10 games this season, including the last three in a row.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Nancy Cox
On starting the Big Ten schedule with a win ... "The Big Ten is the most important thing. We're off to a great start. Everything that preceded today prepared us for today. These guys know that. The Big Ten is the most important thing for this team, and they are well apprised of it."

On Northwestern's play ... "Anytime you play in a Big Ten match, you know the opposing Big Ten team is going to bring their 'A' game, and Northwestern always brings their 'A' game. There was about 10-15 minutes in the second half when our players really got rattled and it was because of the pressure that Northwestern's forwards were putting on our backfield. They did a great job in making it a great match, and kudos to Northwestern today, particularly their forward presence. Their goalkeeper also stood on her head to make some of those saves. She really kept them in the match."

On improvements from Thursday's game to today ... "Our forwards really stepped up and pressured the ball well. One of the things when you have a young group, in terms of our overall presence on the field, they occasionally aren't so confident. Today what you saw was young women stepping up to the play like we know that they can. Our force, our presence on the field was much better today than it has been."

On looking for goals outside of penalty-corner opportunities ... "You try to bat, at a minimum, 20 percent off of corners, and we have been successful in doing that. But, absolutely, I would like to see goals come out of other situations. I'd like to see Alicia Mayer, Jess Allen, Katie Adams, Sarah Wilhite and some of the some players putting the ball in the back of the net. Steph Hoyer has three quality opportunities, and eventually those are going to fall for her."

U-M Sophomore Midfielder Meredith Way
On her second goal ... "It was designed to be just one of our regular corners -- stop it and hit it -- and I think Heather [Wiley] just missed it a bit. We had a couple quick passes here and there, and I just did a little flick pass in toward the goal. I wasn't really expecting it to go in. I think the keeper was caught a little off guard. I was just hoping to send it in and maybe someone else could tip it, but it ended up going in."

On Michigan's fresh start in the Big Ten ... "It's been a little frustrating. Last season we won seven overtimes, so every time we go into one, we think, 'Alright, this is what we do.' But we had those two overtime losses [against UConn and Cal], and that was frustrating. We had some of our alumni come back yesterday and talk to us about how every season they struggled at the start before going on to win Big Tens and making the NCAA Tournament. I think hearing that a reminder for us that the Big Ten is a fresh start. So, we really needed this -- to start off the Big Ten schedule in this way. This was a good win for us."