Saydjari Scores a Pair to Guide Michigan to Upset of No. 6 Spartans

Friday, October 1

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

(7-4, 2-0Big Ten)

Michigan State

(9-2, 1-1Big Ten)

Michigan State

Michigan

Saydjari Scores a Pair to Guide Michigan to Upset of No. 6 Spartans

10/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Kent Reichert

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ocker Field)
Score: #19 Michigan 2, #6 Michigan State 1
Records: U-M (7-4, 2-0 Big Ten), MSU (9-2, 1-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Oct. 3 -- vs. Maryland (Ocker Field), 1 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team conquered in-state rival and No. 6-ranked Michigan State, 2-1, on Friday afternoon (Oct. 1) at Ocker Field. The Wolverines' winning streak has reached seven games as they remain undefeated in Big Ten play (2-0). Senior Zara Saydjari (Skowhegan, Maine/Skowhegan Area) owned a pair of crucial goals, one in each half, to secure the victory for the Maize and Blue.

Zara Saydjari

Michigan had the advantage of a penalty corner at 17:13 in the first half. Redshirt junior Katie Adams (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) pushed the ball into play, fifth-year senior Paige Laytos (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) stick-stopped, and senior Meredith Way (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) tried the shot. The Spartan keeper blocked Way's attempt, but Saydjari was in position to lift the ball over the keeper and put the ball in the back of the cage.

Michigan State put the tying goal on the board before the opening 35 minutes of play expired. After a desperate defensive play by Way, the Spartans were awarded a penalty stroke. MSU's Jantine Steinmetz put the ball in the upper left corner to lock the score at one goal apiece entering the intermission.

The Maize and Blue kept the action contained in Spartan territory before reclaiming the lead at 14:36 in the second half. A soft shot came off junior Bryn Bain's (Berlin, N.J./Eastern Regional) stick at the top of the circle. Saydjari, stationed at the inside-left of the cage, was in position once again to complete the play by lifting the ball in off the Spartan keeper.

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Haley Jones (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) made a key save late in the second half off a Spartan corner to protect the Wolverine lead and ensure the 2-1 win.

Michigan returns to play Sunday (Oct. 3) at 1 p.m., taking on the challenge of No. 1-ranked Maryland at Ocker Field.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Michigan State	1	0	1
Michigan	1	1	2

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Zara Saydjari, 17:13 (unassisted)
1st -- MSU, Jantine Steinmetz, 33:24 (penalty stroke)
2nd -- U-M, Saydjari, 49:24 (Bryn Bain)

Shots: U-M 4, MSU 10
Saves: U-M 6 (Haley Jones), MSU 1 (Molly Cassidy)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, MSU 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 1, MSU 3

NOTES

• Zara Saydjari recorded her third career goal against Michigan State. Saydjari also had the game-winning goal in the Wolverines' 1-0 win over MSU on Oct. 17, 2008.

• Saydjari scored her third career game-winning goal in the win over the Spartans. It also was the 10th and 11th career goals at U-M for the senior forward.

• Michigan starts 2-0 in the Big Ten for the third time in the last four years. The 2007 and 2008 teams also had 2-0 Big Ten starts with the 2007 team going a perfect 6-0 in conference play.

• The seven-game winning streak is tied for the sixth-longest winning streak in Michigan field hockey history. The feat has been achieved 10 times, with a 14-game winning streak being the program high in the 2002 season.

• Michigan now holds a 35-23-6 series advantage on MSU. The Wolverines also have won the last three games against the Spartans at Ocker Field.

• Haley Jones was one save off a career high, stopping six Spartan shots. She now has an .806 save percentage to go along with a 0.94 goals-against average.

• Michigan is now a perfect 6-0 at Ocker Field this season. The last time U-M started with a 6-0 home record was in 2006, when the Wolverines went 7-2 in Ann Arbor.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On today's game ... "It was an exciting, great game. Michigan State is a terrific, wonderful team. I thought both teams played hard and just like any rivalry would be it came out that both were just playing as hard as they could for their schools. We were just fortunate to come out on top today. It was nice. I thought our team played hard and I was proud of them."

On the impact of the seniors ... "Good for Zara [Saydjari], but it's about the team. Sometimes one player will carry the load like Alicia [Mayer] did against Penn State and today it was Zara. Meredith [Way] is always a foundation back there. It was a good team effort. They really embraced that and fought hard together like a good Michigan team."

On keeping focus during the game ... "We talked about just trying to stay even keeled and staying focused on the task, not to get too excited or too down and just to play all 70 minutes. I was proud of how we reacted to them coming back. It's a hockey game, there is probably a time when they're going to come back. Just staying poised and focused even at the end when they were putting a lot of pressure on us was good. We're playing with a lot of confidence which is good."

U-M Senior Forward Zara Saydjari
On her two-goal game ... "I don't know what it is about Michigan State, but I always feel great every time we play them. I have so much faith in our team when we play Michigan State and I don't know if it's because it is a Big Ten match, but something always feels right on those days."

On the team's composure ... "I think we struggled a little bit in the first half with the press. Towards the end when things got kind of sticky with four minutes left I think we kept calm compared to Michigan State. I thought we did a really good job of managing our time well and staying calm under pressure."

On winning seven games in a row ... "It has definitely changed our mentality. You can only not believe in yourself for so long. If you string seven wins in a row you have to start believing that you can do things. We just beat the No. 6 team in the country. If we don't believe in ourselves by now then I don't know what to say, but I think everyone is on the same page that we're ready to do this and every time we step on the field we're expecting to win or come close. That's different from last year because last year we would only hope that we could win or hope that we would only lose by a little."