Wolverines Use Second-Half Surge to Beat Maine

Sunday, September 1

Orono, Maine

1:00 PM

Michigan

(1-1)

Maine

(0-2)

Team	1	2	Final F
Michigan	2	2	4
Maine	2	0	2

9/1/2013 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Orono, Maine (Maine Field Hockey Complex)
Score: #9 Michigan 4, Maine 2
Records: U-M (1-1), Maine (0-2)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, Sept. 7 -- vs. North Carolina - ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Iowa City, Iowa), 2 p.m. CDT

ORONO, Maine -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team used a strong second half to surge past Maine, 4-2, for its first win of the 2013 season on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 1) at the Maine Field Hockey Complex. The victory is the 200th for head coach Marcia Pankratz in her 14th year at the helm of the Wolverine program.

Lauren Thomas

Senior captain Rachael Mack (Bromsgrove, England/Bromsgrove School) scored two goals against the Black Bears, both in the first half, to up her weekend total to three tallies. She gave U-M a quick lead, scoring on the game's first shot on a steal at the 1:16 mark. Michigan batted the ball into the circle from the right side, and a Maine defender stopped it front of the cage and attempted a pass at the one-yard line. Mack swiped at the ball and got her stick on it, knocking it into the cage.

The Black Bears responded quickly, however, with two goals in similar fashion. Cassidy Svetek fed the ball into the circle from the right, and as fifth-year senior goalkeeper Haley Jones (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) stepped up to challenge, it got past her. Kaitlynn Stymiest was camped out in front and tapped it into the empty cage at 3:23. Svetek set up Maine's second goal just seven minutes later, at 10:12, feeding a forward pass to Marrisa Shaw, who knocked it in from the left side.

Maine held the advantage until the waning moments of the half when Mack evened the score on the direct shot of a late Wolverine penalty corner, carrying the ball to the right before blasting a hard, low shot to the board at 31:12. Senior/juniors Ainsley McCallister (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) and Leslie Smith (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey HS) earned assists for the stop and the insert, respectively.

The Wolverines then broke through on a penalty corner opportunity at the 55:58 mark. Sophomore Lauren Thomas (Aylesbury, England/Aylesbury HS) scored on the direct shot, taking the insert from Smith and sweeping it into the lower left corner of the cage for the game-winner.

Michigan added an insurance goal less than five minutes later, at 60:32, on a redirection from senior Michelle Roberts (Pocomoke, Md./Pocomoke HS). Senior/junior Sammy Gray (Wilmette, Ill./North Shore Country Day School) drove the ball into the circle from the right 25, and Roberts got her stick on it to tip it in.

Maine pulled the goalie for an extra attacker with five minutes left in regulation, but play stayed in the Black Bears' defensive half for most of the remaining time. Mack just missed completing a hat-trick performance, sending an open-net redirection just wide of the cage.

Michigan outshot the Black Bears, 15-9, and outcornered them, 7-0. Jones earned three saves in the Wolverine cage -- Thomas also picked up a defensive save -- while Ford and Kolysher Sydney combined for three stops for Maine.

The Wolverines will head to Iowa City, Iowa, next weekend to participate in the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. U-M will face North Carolina on Saturday (Sept. 7) and Wake Forest on Sunday (Sept. 8). Both Michigan games are slated for a 2 p.m. CDT at the Hawkeyes' Grant Field.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Michigan	2	2	4
Maine	2	0	2

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Rachael Mack, 1:16 (unassisted)
1st -- Maine, Kaitlynn Stymiest, 3:23 (Cassidy Svetek)
1st -- Maine, Marissa Shaw, 10:12 (Svetek)
1st -- U-M, Mack, 31:12 (Ainsley McCallister, Leslie Smith)
2nd -- U-M, Lauren Thomas, 55:58 (Smith)
2nd -- U-M, Michelle Roberts, 60:32 (Sammy Gray)

Shots: U-M 15, Maine 9
Saves: U-M 4 (Haley Jones), Maine 3 (Natasha Ford 1, Kolysher Sydney 2)
Defensive Saves: U-M 1, Maine 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 7, Maine 0

NOTES

• With today's win, Michigan improved to 6-2 in the all-time series against Maine.

• Head coach Marcia Pankratz improved to 200-91 in her career, becoming the 32nd NCAA Division I coach to reach 200 career wins. Among current active coaches, Pankratz ranks 18th in total wins and ninth in career winning percentage (.687).

• Senior Rachael Mack boasts nine multi-goal efforts in her career.

• Sophomore Lauren Thomas owns three game-winning goals in her career.

• Senior/junior Leslie Smith posted two assists in each of the Wolverines' games this weekend. She led U-M with 12 assists last year.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On today's performance ... "We definitely picked it up in the second half. We needed to clean up some defensive organization. Particularly, they weren't making good decisions on the fast breaks coming at us. So we made some adjustments at halftime and cleaned that up for the second half, which was good and necessary. I thought we made some good adjustments from yesterday to be more aggressive on our press and give them less time to make decisions, and our corner execution was also very good today.

"I think they're still getting their feet on the ground and going through a couple growing pains this weekend to figure out the identity of Team 41. I think it's really coming together. I was pleased with the game today and with how they adjusted, reacted and really fought through the whole game together. This has been a really good, connected team. They are really playing as a whole unit, which is nice to see."

On what she learned through opening weekend ... "You come out of the first weekend with a lot fewer questions. In this sport, you only get 12 days to prepare with a whole new class of freshmen, and a few of those are very important pieces to our puzzle. You get to re-figure out positions, communication, how we play with each other, what our style is going to be and what our personality is going to develop into. Playing on the road at Maine, it's not an easy place to play. So, I thought we did a nice job rebounding from yesterday's game and coming out strong today."

U-M Senior Rachael Mack
On bouncing back from yesterday's loss ... "UMass is great team. I think we experienced some first-game nerves, and we're still trying to figure out how to play together. I think we learned a lot from yesterday's game, and we tried to tweak and implement them into our game today. Some of those we did a little halfhearted in the first half, but it was much better in the second. That's where we won the match. I think we really came together as a team. We stuck together, worked as a unit, took what we'd learned and made it happen."

On U-M's corner execution ... "We've really worked on our corners, because obviously the corner is a great opportunity to score. So, it feels really good to get those looking clean and crisp."

U-M Sophomore Lauren Thomas
On the Wolverines' game ... "We started off a bit shaky, and I think the nerves were there. With that third goal, it allowed us to be a bit more relaxed and just play our hockey. The fourth goal from Michelle [Roberts] came as a relief. We got together as a group and discussed how we needed to stay calm and keep the pressure on. We ended very strong. So, it showed us that we can really step up from a shaky start and win 4-2."