Wolverines Explode for Seven Goals to Blow Away Pacific

Friday, September 28

Ann Arbor, Mich.

4:00 PM

Michigan

(7-4)

Pacific

(3-7)

Team	1	2	Final F
Pacific	1	0	1
Michigan	4	3	7

Wolverines Explode for Seven Goals to Blow Away Pacific

9/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Phyllis Ocker Field)
Score: #17 Michigan 7, Pacific 1
Records: U-M (7-4), Pacific (3-7)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Oct. 5 -- vs. Northwestern (Phyllis Ocker Field), 4 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 17-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team took advantage of scoring spurts and a balanced attack to claim a dominant 7-1 victory against Pacific on Friday afternoon (Sept. 28) at Phyllis Ocker Field. Six different players scored goals for the Wolverines, who improved to 5-0 at home this season.

Michelle Roberts

The score remained tied early on after both teams scored in the sixth minute of play. Sophomore Axelle Wouters (Antwerp, Belgium/Onze Lieve Vrouwe Antwerp) initiated scoring with an unassisted effort at the top of the circle, losing the ball and regaining control before firing a hard shot past Pacific goalkeeper Ashlee Schlesier at 6:11. The Tigers responded immediately, however, converting on a redirection shot in front of the U-M cage just 17 seconds later.

After just missing on several other scoring opportunities in the early part of the first half, the Wolverines broke through with three goals within a narrow four-minute span midway through. Freshman Aisling Naughton (Goatstown, Ireland/Mount Anville Secondary), who notched two markers in the contest, netted the game-winner at the 17:30 mark, accepting a goalmouth pass from junior Michelle Roberts (Pocomoke, Md./Pocomoke HS) and banging it into the lower right corner.

Roberts found the back of the cage herself moments later, at 20:03, laying out to tip in a crossing pass from junior Rachael Mack (Bromsgrove, England/Bromsgrove School) near the right post. Mack, in turn, scored a little more than a minute later, at 21:27, on a redirection shot in front of the goal. With the tally, Mack extended her scoring streak to seven straight games.

Michigan's second-half goals came in similar quick order. Naughton scored her second marker of the game at the 46:50 mark on another assist from Roberts. Freshman Taryn Mark (West Vancouver, B.C./West Vancouver Secondary) pushed the ball into the circle from the right side, and Roberts got her stick on it to tip it to the left post, where Naughton buried it to the opposite lower corner.

Freshman Jaime Dean (Marathon, N.Y./Whitney Point HS) collected her first collegiate goal on a rocket shot from the top of the arc at the 52:13 mark, before junior/sophomore Leslie Smith (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey HS) closed out scoring moments later, at 55:51, with her third successful penalty stroke of the season.

U-M outshot the Tigers, 31-2, and outcornered them, 8-2. Both squads played two goalkeepers in the contest; senior/junior Haley Jones (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) earned the victory for the Wolverines, while Pacific's Schlesier stopped 14 of Michigan's 21 shots of goal on the losing end.

Michigan will return to Big Ten Conference competition next Friday (Oct. 5), hosting Northwestern at 4 p.m. at Ocker Field.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Pacific	1	0	1
Michigan	4	3	7

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Axelle Wouters, 6:11 (unassisted)
1st -- Pacific, Samantha Romero, 6:28 (Dinah Compton)
1st -- U-M, Aisling Naughton, 17:30 (Michelle Roberts)
1st -- U-M, Roberts, 20:03 (Rachael Mack)
2nd -- U-M, Mack, 46:50 (Taryn Mark)
2nd -- U-M, Jaime Dean, 52:13 (Mark)
2nd -- U-M, Leslie Smith, 55:51 (penalty stroke)

Shots: U-M 31, Pacific 2
Saves: U-M 0 (Haley Jones, Adrianna Crovo), Pacific 14 (Ashlee Schlesier 14, Maggie Corder 0)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, Pacific 1
Penalty Corners: U-M 8, Pacific 2

NOTES

• With today's win, Michigan improved to 7-0 in the all-time series against Pacific.

• Michigan is 5-0 in games at Ocker Field this season, outscoring its opposition, 35-13. Last year, the Wolverines went 8-2 at home.

• The Wolverines' seven goals are their most since scoring seven last season against Yale (Oct. 8, 2011).

• Junior Rachael Mack upped her career goal total to 44 and moved to fifth among Michigan's all-time leaders in the category, where she is tied with Molly Powers (1999-2002).

• Mack extended her scoring streak to seven straight games, boasting 11 goals over the stretch. Adding two assists, she has registered a point in each of the last nine games.

• Freshman Aisling Naughton notched her first collegiate multi-goal game with a marker in each half vs. Pacific. She boasts five goals on the season.

• Junior/sophomore Leslie Smith is 3-for-3 on penalty stroke opportunities this season. She also scored one in U-M's preseason exhibition contest vs. Michigan State.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On today's non-conference game ... "It's not always easy to play on a Friday. Girls are in class all day long, racing around, and it's hard to herd them all in and get them focused. I was happy with how they came out, stayed focused and followed the game plan. It was also a good opportunity to get our younger players some experience. We're really banged up, have some significant injuries right now, so it was helpful to give some of those players a whole week of rest before our game against Northwestern."

On U-M's offensive production ... "Pacific has a strong team. But you can sometimes get into those slogs where you're battling a team toe-to-toe when you don't need to be. That happens a lot, especially with a young team, where you can play down to the other team's level. Avoiding that was one of our important emphases. I thought we did a great job staying focused on what we wanted to do, and it really paid off, because we actually got better as the game went on."

On the plethora of goal scorers ... "We're getting more versatile. Some of that is because we've had to, because we don't have many seniors or upperclassmen and we've had a lot of injuries. Our players have had to be flexible and play different positions. That's been working out well. We'll be better for it down the stretch."

U-M Freshman Aisling Naughton
On what was working for Michigan ... "We were transferring the ball quite nicely. We settled down toward the second part of the first half, which was good because we were a little on edge at the start. We started playing two-touch hockey. We went back to basics, simple passes and simple ball in space. That worked very well."

On U-M's seven goals ... "I think it would boost anyone's confidence. When you see the ball going in the net, it's so much better than seeing it go wide. You actually feel that what you're doing in practice makes them go in. Obviously, 31 shots is a fair amount. Only seven went in, but at least those shots are there. Once they're on target and at the goal, if we're making the keeper work, that's really our aim."

U-M Junior Michelle Roberts
On Michigan's offense today ... "We worked well together. We were really focused in the circle and knew we needed to work hard to put away our chances. Scoring is a great confidence builder, and it's comforting to know that everyone on our team is capable of scoring goals. Leslie [Smith] is scoring as a defender. We have several freshmen who scored today. Everyone is contributing really well. We're not just counting on a few people. We have a lot of different players getting into these games, and they're all capable of putting the ball in the goal. That's big boost as we look ahead to the rest of our Big Ten schedule."