U-M Comes from Behind to Knock Off No. 15 Iowa

Saturday, October 5

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

(6-5, 1-1Big Ten)

Iowa

(5-5, 0-2Big Ten)

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

10/5/2013 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Phyllis Ocker Field)
Score: #19 Michigan 3, #15 Iowa 2
Records: U-M (6-5, 1-1 Big Ten), Iowa (5-5, 0-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Oct. 6 -- vs. Ball State (Phyllis Ocker Field), 1 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team scored three unanswered goals to rally past No. 15 Iowa, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 5) in front of 428 fans at Phyllis Ocker Field. The victory evened the Wolverines Big Ten Conference record at 1-1.

Rachael Mack

Iowa scored two goals in the opening eight minutes of play. The Hawkeyes drew quick back-to-back penalty corners, and Stephanie Norlander converted on the latter, knocking in the rebound off the direct shot at the 4:27 mark. Iowa's Natalie Cafone added another less than three minutes later, carrying the ball from right to left into the circle and driving a reverse hit high into the opposite corner.

The Wolverines regrouped on the field, and sophomore Emy Guttman (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) put U-M on the board at the 20:44 mark, corralling the rebound on a shot from outside the circle and knocking it into the cage for her first goal of the season. Senior/junior captain Ainsley McCallister (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) fired the initial shot from just beyond the top of the circle. The ball hit sprawled Hawkeye goalkeeper Kelsey Boyce and bounced straight forward, where Guttman collected it and sent in it behind the goalie.

Sophomore Shannon Scavelli (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland Shrub Oak HS) knotted up the score less than three minutes later, at 23:29, following a turnover deep in the Iowa zone. Senior captain Rachael Mack (Bromsgrove, England/Bromsgrove School) stole the ball on the left side of the field and threaded a pass into the circle -- past Iowa's last line of defense -- to Scavelli's stick. With Boyce stepping out to challenge, Scavelli carried the ball several steps to the right and knocked it into the empty goal.

The Wolverines took their first lead of the game early in the second half, converting on a penalty-corner opportunity at the 39:22 mark. Senior/junior Leslie Smith (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey HS) inserted on the right side, pushing the ball directly to Mack, who rocketed to the nearside lower corner. The ball deflected in front to just clear Boyce's stick.

Michigan outshot the Hawkeyes, 11-7, and outcornered them, 8-3, including a 7-1 advantage in the second frame. Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Haley Jones (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) earned two saves in the Wolverine cage, not including a stellar breakup play late in the first half. Hawkeye goalkeeper stopped four of U-M's seven shots on goal.

The Wolverines will wrap up the weekend homestand tomorrow (Sunday, Oct. 6), hosting Ball State at 1 p.m. at Phyllis Ocker Field.

GAME SUMMARY

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

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- Iowa, Stephanie Norlander, 4:27 (unassisted)
1st -- Iowa, Natalie Cafone, 7:13 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Emy Guttman, 20:44 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Shannon Scavelli, 23:29 (Rachael Mack)
2nd -- U-M, Mack, 39:22 (Leslie Smith)

Shots: U-M 11, Iowa 7
Saves: U-M 2 (Haley Jones), Iowa 4 (Kelsey Boyce)
Defensive Saves: none
Penalty Corners: U-M 8, Iowa 3

NOTES

• Michigan improved to 20-39 in the all-time series against Iowa. U-M has won six straight games against the Hawkeyes.

• U-M also improved to 4-0 in home games this season. The Wolverines have outscored their home opposition, 15-3.

• The Wolverines have held its opponent without a second-half goal in six games.

• Senior Rachael Mack boasts 14 game-winning goals in her career, including three this season.

• Sophomore Shannon Scavelli owns a career-best three goals this year. She tallied two goals as a freshman last season.

• Senior/junior Leslie Smith has earned at least one assist in nearly half of U-M's games this season (5-of-6), leading the Wolverines with nine helpers.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the Wolverines' slow start and comeback ... "This was a big game, and we wanted it badly. So, I think we just came out a little tentative and nervous. That happens. But the great thing about this team is, on their own, they were able to pull themselves out of it as a team. That speaks to the leadership of [Rachael] Mack, Ainsley [McCallister] and the upperclassmen. They really pulled together, ratcheted it up, played more intensely and fought back. That takes a lot of character. This team has got some great synergy and team dynamics, and that was evident today. It wasn't just happenstance to we came back. That's a reflection of how hard they work. From that moment on, when they huddled up and pulled it together, I think we played a really great game. Iowa is an excellent team. That was a big win for us."

On the grittiness of the Wolverines' play ... "It was an awesome field hockey game. Iowa has a great program. They're fast, they're skilled, and they're well coached and very disciplined. So, every single play was in contention -- every play. That makes for a fun game to watch; it sure makes it hard on me though. We were able to execute and pull it out. I think it showed tremendous poise and competitive spirit. I'm very proud of them today."

U-M Senior Rachael Mack
On the Wolverines' response after the second Iowa goal ... "Our start obviously wasn't the best. After that second Iowa goal, we came together, had a bit of a pep talk in the huddle and realized we weren't playing the way we knew we could play. We went out and put 110 percent pressure, winning every single battle that we came across and just stepping up. It was just a mental game at that point -- whether or not we could come back. We did, so I was very proud of the girls for that performance."

On U-M earning its first Big Ten win ... "We obviously really wanted to win that game, especially after losing to Northwestern last weekend. It feels great to get our first Big Ten win. Iowa is a great team; they always come out really strong. We knew it was going to be a great game. They played well. We kept going and earned that win."

On her goal ... "I'm always happy to score. We've really been practicing our corner, so it was great to execute that one."

U-M Sophomore Shannon Scavelli
On the Wolverine win ... "It's important to win these Big Ten games. Coming off a disappointing result last weekend, we trained really hard this week. We wanted to come in strong and really have a mentality of take one game at a time. We came out with a bad start. We'll learn from that. But even though we were two goals down, we stayed together and stayed poised and were able to come back one goal at a time."

On her game-tying goal ... "There was a little scramble in the midfield, and Rachael Mack got the ball and gave me a great pass into space. I was able to get past the goalie and shoot it in. Anytime you score a goal to get your team on the board, its' great, but to tie things up and even it out, it's a wonderful relief. You can start back from square one, and that tends to breathe new life."