Wolverines Overwhelm UC Davis to Complete Weekend Sweep

Sunday, September 15

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

(3-3)

UC Davis

(1-4)

Team	1	2	Final F
UC Davis	1	0	1
Michigan	3	3	6

Wolverines Overwhelm UC Davis to Complete Weekend Sweep

9/15/2013 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Phyllis Ocker Field)
Score: Michigan 6, UC Davis 1
Records: U-M (3-3), UC Davis (1-4)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Sept. 20 -- at William & Mary (Williamsburg, Va.), 7 p.m.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan field hockey team earned goals from six different players in a 6-1 win over UC Davis on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 15) in front of 329 fans at Phyllis Ocker Field. The victory completed a perfect home weekend for the Wolverines -- their first matches in Ann Arbor of the 2013 season.

Rachael Mack

While Michigan outshot the Aggies, 34-5, and outcornered them, 19-1, it was UC Davis that struck first in the contest as Stephie Sabraw got her stick on a hard pass from outside the circle to redirect it high into the Wolverine cage at the 4:41 mark.

The Wolverines poured on the pressure from that point on, responding with four quick, successive penalty corners over the next five minutes before eventually breaking through on their fifth opportunity at the 17:18 mark. Sophomore Jaime Dean (Marathon, N.Y./Whitney Point HS) inserted the ball and immediately moved to the left post, where she tipped senior Rachael Mack's (Bromsgrove, England/Bromsgrove School) shot in front for her second goal of the season.

Freshman Eliza Stein (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) netted the first goal of her collegiate career on another corner opportunity six minutes later, at 23:10, accepting a backhanded pass from Mack on the right side of the circle and flicking it into Aggie cage. Sophomore Shannon Scavelli (Yorktown Heights, Pa./Lakeland Shrub Oak HS) extended U-M's lead to 3-1 just before halftime with her first goal of the season at 31:44, carrying the ball into the circle from the left side of the field and firing a high shot to the opposite side of the cage.

The Wolverines struck again on a penalty corner early in the second half as senior/junior Ainsley McCallister (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS), after stopping the ball for Mack, received a pass back, carried it to the right side of the circle and fired it to the opposite corner. It deflected off a UCD defender and past Aggie goalkeeper Danielle Herrington at 41:44.

After posting a career-best three assists, Mack netted one of her own at the 52:12 mark. Stein carried the ball into the circle from the right side and passed in front to Scavelli, who pushed it to the left post, where Mack lifted it high to collect her sixth marker of the season. Senior/junior Leslie Smith (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey HS) closed out the game's scoring just two minutes later, at 54:23, hammering in a rebound off another Wolverine corner opportunity.

Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Haley Jones (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) earned a pair of saves in the Michigan cage, allowing just one goal in 128 minutes of play over the home weekend, while Herrington stopped three of U-M's nine shots on goal.

The Wolverines return to the road this weekend, heading to Williamsburg, Va., to face William & Mary at 7 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 20) before wrapping up the trip at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Sept. 22) against Maryland in College Park, Md.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
UC Davis	1	0	1
Michigan	3	3	6

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- UCD, Stephie Sabraw, 4:41 (Agustina Singh)
1st -- U-M, Jaime Dean, 17:18 (Rachael Mack)
1st -- U-M, Eliza Stein, 23:10 (Mack)
1st -- U-M, Shannon Scavelli, 31:44 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Ainsley McCallister, 41:44 (Mack)
2nd -- U-M, Mack, 52:12 (Scavelli)
2nd -- U-M, Leslie Smith, 54:23 (unassisted)

Shots: U-M 34, UCD 5
Saves: U-M 2 (Haley Jones 2, Chris Lueb 0), UCD 3 (Danielle Herrington 3, Erica Cohen 0)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, UCD 1
Penalty Corners: U-M 19, UCD 1

NOTES

• Michigan improved to 2-0 in the all-time series against UC Davis.

• The Wolverines paid tribute to former coach and U-M women's athletic director Phyllis Ocker with a moment of silence prior to the game. UC Davis' captains also presented Michigan a special flag in recognition of Ocker during the pregame coin flip.

• Michigan also honored the Wounded Warrior Project organization prior to the game and wore special camouflage shirts during warmup.

• Michigan's 34 shots are its most since similarly tallying 34 against Ball State in 2006. U-M's 19 penalty corners are its most since recording 27 against Saint Louis in 2009.

• Senior Rachael Mack has scored at least one goal in five of six games this season. It was the first multi-assist effort of her career.

• Eight different Wolverines have scored at least one goal this season.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On Michigan's several goal scorers ... "It was a good team effort. We had a lot of diversity, depth and versatility in our goal scoring, which is important. As everybody knows, Rachael Mack is our best firepower goal-scorer, so she gets double teamed a lot. It was nice to see other players help in that department and become dangerous themselves and get some confidence."

On the corner execution ... "It was good practice for us. We need to sharpen up our corner attack, no question, but I give UC Davis a lot of credit too. They had a very fast flyer and some smart defenders in there. They defended well. So, as much as we need to work on some things, it was really UC Davis' defense that held us off."

On the home weekend sweep ... "It's good for our confidence. I think we've got a lot of talent and depth, but we also have some young players. It's important that when they're in there, they feel confident and know that they can play against anybody. This weekend was a good opportunity for them to do that."

U-M Fifth-Year Senior Haley Jones
On a successful weekend ... "We really needed to get a home weekend under our belts. It was nice to play in front of a home crowd and score a lot of goals. I think, from here on out, we have that fire now, and we just want to keep going and keep winning."

On the team getting comfortable with positioning ... "We've been moving around a lot and shifting around to find that sweet-spot lineup that fits perfectly. We're lucky to have a lot of depth, and we're rotating a lot. But this weekend really helped us work on doing the rotation and getting settled quickly. I think we finally got it clicking today."

On her play this weekend and the defensive effort ... "I was really happy with this weekend. We sort of walked away from the previous two weekends a little upset about the outcome and the goals we let in. I think we really stepped up this weekend. The defense did a great job helping me out. We're all really confident. Our defense is moving around a lot, and I was really proud of them."

U-M Freshman Eliza Stein
On her first collegiate goal ... "It felt really good. We've all been working so hard in practice the last few weeks, so it was exciting to finally get in there and show them our stuff. I was very excited about it."

On what worked for Michigan ... "We just played simple and playing the easy balls. Sometimes we've tried to be fancy, but simple balls always work the best. Positive communication and movement throughout the midfield always works well. We kept a positive attitude."

On her adjustment to the college game ... "It's definitely so much faster. That was a big adjustment for me. But the girls have been so great at teaching us the ways, and the coaching staff has been amazing. So, it was actually easier than I thought it would be, just because everyone has been so supportive. We're all working through it together. They we're freshmen, and we're going to make mistakes. But that's not okay; we all have to be at the Michigan standard. We're all working hard together."