Week #9: Wolverines to Wrap Home Schedule vs. MSU, UNH
10/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 21, 2014
THIS WEEK
Friday, Oct. 24 -- vs. Michigan State (Phyllis Ocker Field), 3:30 p.m.
Free Admission | TV: Big Ten Network | | Maize Out/Pom-Pons Giveaway
Sunday, Oct. 26 -- vs. New Hampshire (Phyllis Ocker Field), 1 p.m.
Free Admission | | BTN Plus | Senior Day
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1 Game Day Information: Phyllis Ocker Field Information | Free Admission
The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (10-5, 5-1 Big Ten) will wrap up its 2014 regular-season home slate this weekend at Phyllis Ocker Field, hosting intrastate rival Michigan State (8-7, 3-4 Big Ten) at 3:30 on Friday (Oct. 24) before closing out the weekend against New Hampshire (5-10) at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 26).
The Wolverines enter the weekend in a three-way tie atop in the Big Ten Conference standings with Maryland and Northwestern, which carry similar 5-1 league records. Michigan defeated Northwestern, 2-1, last Friday (Oct. 17) while falling to Maryland, 2-0, on Sept. 26. The Wildcats previously defeated Maryland, 3-2, on Sept. 20.
Friday's Big Ten match will be aired live on the BTN and will be a Maize Out at Ocker Field.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Michigan State -- The Spartans are 8-7 on the season and 3-4 in Big Ten play after splitting a pair of conference games last weekend, defeating Iowa (2-0, Oct. 17) before falling to Northwestern (5-2, Oct. 19). MSU has played a league-high seven overtime games this season. Abby Barker leads Michigan State with 12 goals and 11 assists, while goalkeeper Sierra Patton owns a 2.31 goals-against average and .737 save percentage. The Wolverines own a 37-24-6 advantage in the all-time series against the Spartans, dating back to 1973, but dropped last season's meeting, 3-2 in double overtime, in East Lansing, Mich.
New Hampshire -- The Wildcats enter the weekend with a 5-10 record after claiming a pair of wins last weekend, defeating Vermont (5-1, Oct. 17) and Harvard (1-0, Oct. 19). Meg Flatley leads New Hampshire with 10 goals, while goalkeeper Carlie Tarbell owns a 2.21 goals-against average and .676 save percentage. The Wolverines own a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series against New Hampshire, dating back to 1991, and have won the last two meetings, including a 5-4 decision in the most-recent matchup in 2011.
WOLVERINE BITES
• The Wolverines will honor their five-member graduating class -- fifth-year seniors Sammy Gray, Lauren Hauge, Ainsley McCallister and Leslie Smith and senior Emy Guttman -- prior to Sunday's game vs. New Hampshire.
• Fifth-year senior Leslie Smith has scored in five straight games, upping her season total to a career-best 11 goals this season. Her previous best was nine goals, which she recorded last season. Smith has scored in nine of 15 games this year.
• Fifth-year senior Ainsley McCallister recorded her fifth multi-assist game of the season with two helpers against Northwestern (Oct. 17). She leads the Big Ten with a career-best 16 assists. She moved to eighth place among U-M's all-time single-season leaders in the category and is tied with Sarah Wilhite (2008). McCallister needs one more helper to reach the seventh spot, currently held by Catherine Foreman (17, 2001).
• McCallister also upped her career assist total to 33 and ranks fourth among U-M's all-time leaders in the category. She is tied with Jennifer Lupinski (1992-95) and needs five more to reach the third spot, currently held by Adrienne Hortillosa (38, 2001-04).
• Smith also ranks high among the Wolverines' career assist leaders with 28, sharing the sixth spot with Kelli Gannon (1997-2000) and Mary Fox (2003-06). With 29 career goals and 86 career points, she is close to cracking the top 10 in both career categories, needing seven goals and five points to reach each respective No. 10 spot.
• Senior Emy Guttman netted her second goal of the season with the game-winning tally at 56:03 against Northwestern (Oct. 17). She owns five career game-winning goals.
• Junior Lauren Thomas owns two helpers on the season, assisting on the Wolverines game-winning tallies at Indiana (Oct. 3) and against Northwestern (Oct. 17). Thomas, U-M's sweeper, owns seven career goals and eight assists.
• Fifth-year senior Sammy Gray posted her first ever multi-goal game with two markers in the second half at Iowa (Oct. 10). With her two goals, she doubled her career high in the category.
• Freshman Veerle Lubbers ranks second on the Wolverine team with eight assists this season and has tallied a helper in each of the last four games. Lubbers, U-M's primary stick stopper, needs just one more helper to match the program high for assists by a freshman; Catherine Foreman (1998-2001) and Aline Fobe (2011) both tallied nine in their rookie campaigns.
• Michigan has outscored its home opposition, 24-7, this season.
• The Wolverines have matched or outshot their opponent in every game since the season opener. U-M has held its opponents to single-digit shots in each of the last six games. Michigan has held three teams to just two shots this season -- William & Mary (Sept. 6), Central Michigan (Sept. 7) and Iowa (Oct. 10).
• Michigan has not allowed more than two goals in each of its last 14 games. Freshman Sam Swenson owns a 1.33 goals-against average, ranking third among the Big Ten leaders and 12th in the NCAA in the category.
• Swenson recorded a career-best seven saves in U-M's loss against Maryland (Sept. 26). Her previous best was six, which she recorded in the Wolverines' overtime win at Penn State (Sept. 19). Swenson did not allow a goal for a stretch of 230 minutes played, spanning five games (Sept. 6-19). She has recorded each of U-M's six wins and boasted complete-game shutouts against William & Mary (Sept. 6) and Providence (Sept. 12).
• Junior Shannon Scavelli and sophomores Eliza Stein and Courtney Enge all own career highs in all three major statistical categories this season, most notably Scavelli, who ranks second on the team with seven goals. Sophomore Sina Lampe also boasts a career high with two goals.
• At Iowa (Oct. 10), sophomore/freshman Carly Bennett recorded her second career multi-assist game. She leads the U-M freshmen in scoring with four goals, five assists and 13 points.
• Twelve different Wolverine players has scored a goal this season, including sophomore Courtney Enge, sophomore/freshman Carly Bennett, freshmen Morgan Malone and Veerle Lubbers, who have all scored their first collegiate goals. Bennett, Malone and Lubbers have also all registered their first collegiate assists this season.
• Michigan saw its home winning streak halted at 15 games with its loss against Maryland on Friday, Sept. 26. The Wolverines' previous home loss had been Oct. 5, 2012, against Northwestern. U-M went a perfect 8-0 home record last season at Ocker Field.
• Nine Michigan players have earned their first collegiate playing time this season: junior/sophomore Parker Procida, sophomore/freshmen Casie Ammerman, Carly Bennett, Morgan Dever, Allie Sardo and freshmen Veerle Lubbers, Morgan Malone, Sam Swenson and Katie Trombetta.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolverines rallied to defeat No. 9-ranked Northwestern, 2-1, in their final home game under the lights last Friday (Oct. 17). Battling through a steady, driving second-half rainstorm, senior Emy Guttman netted the game-winner at the 56:03 mark, tipping a corner shot from junior Lauren Thomas. The Wildcats struck first with a confusing goal early, but Michigan dominated the majority of the first half, tying the score on fifth-year senior Leslie Smith's 11th goal of the season off a corner opportunity at 31:19. Freshman goalkeeper Sam Swenson earned four saves -- all in the second half -- to keep NU off the board late. [ Full Recap ]
UP NEXT
Sunday, Nov. 2 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), Noon
Contact: Leah Howard
