Michigan
(6-3, 1-1Big Ten)
Maryland
(6-2, 1-1Big Ten)
Michigan's Six-Game Win Streak Ends with Loss to No. 4 Terps
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Phyllis Ocker Field)
Score: #4 Maryland 2, #14 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (6-3, 1-1 Big Ten), Maryland (6-2, 1-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Sept. 28 -- vs. Rutgers (Phyllis Ocker Field), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team suffered its first home defeat in two years, falling to No. 4 Maryland, 2-0, on Friday evening (Sept. 26) in front of 819 fans at Phyllis Ocker Field. The loss also snapped the Wolverines' six-game winning streak.
The contest was evenly matched through the bulk of the contest, with the Wolverines largely controlling possession in the first half, before Maryland surged with a busy 15-minute offensive burst in the second.
Both Terrapin goals, one in each half, came off penalty-corner opportunities. Steffi Schneid broke through for the first goal of the game on Maryland's first corner, at the 26:16 mark, corralling the ball off a blocked shot and sending into to the lower right corner. Junior Lauren Thomas (Aylesbury, England/Aylesbury HS) got in front of the initial, direct shot, but it knocked her stick out of her hand and gave an open lane to Schneid, who drove it across the circle into the opposite corner.
Maryland used another blocked corner shot to claim its second marker at the 59:44 mark and pad its lead to two goals late in the contest. The initial shot hit traffic in front and kicked out to the left side of the circle, where Anna Dessoye gained control and fed a pass to Maxine Fluhary, who carried it to the center and drove a hard shot to the nearside lower corner.
The Wolverines followed the second Maryland goal with three late penalty corner opportunities but could not capitalize, getting just one shot through to UMD goalkeeper Brooke Cabrera in the late flurry.
Maryland outshot the Wolverines, 13-5, including 10-3 in the second half, and outcornered them, 7-5. Freshman goalkeeper Sam Swenson (Harrogate, England/Ashville College) posted a career-best seven saves, including several blocks on second-half Terp corners, while Cabrera stopped both U-M shots on goal.
The Wolverines will wrap up the weekend homestand this Sunday (Sept. 28), hosting Rutgers at 1 p.m. for their facility dedication game at newly renovated Ocker Field. Michigan will also honor its alumni in a halftime presentation. The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus.
GAME SUMMARY
| By Periods | 1 | 2 | F |
| Maryland | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Michigan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- UMD, Steffi Schneid, 26:16 (unassisted)
2nd -- UMD, Maxine Fluharty, 59:44 (Anne Dessoye)
Shots: U-M 5, UMD 13
Saves: U-M 7 (Sam Swenson), UMD 2 (Brooke Cabrera)
Defensive Saves: none
Penalty Corners: U-M 5, UMD 7
NOTES
• With tonight's loss, Michigan fell to 1-14 in the all-time series against Maryland.
• The loss also halted Michigan's home winning streak at 15 games. The Wolverines' last home loss had been Oct. 5, 2012, against Northwestern. U-M went a perfect 8-0 home record last season at Ocker Field.
• It is U-M's first shutout loss this season.
• Freshman goalkeeper Sam Swenson recorded a career-best seven saves. Her previous best was six, which she tallied last Friday (Sept. 19) in U-M's overtime win at Penn State.
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the game ... "It was a great game, back and forth. Maryland is an outstanding team. It was like two gladiators going at it. I think they just had some experienced attackers that were able to finish, and we didn't."
On what U-M needs to work on going forward ... "We'll practice finishing. Our corners were not sharp today. Those are scoring opportunities that we can improve. Some games this season we've been 50 percent, but today we were zero percent. So, we need to polish those up and polish our finishing skills instead the attack circle."
On positives to take from the game ... "I think we outplayed them in the first half. If we had finished, it might have been a little different. But that's the way field hockey games go. I was proud of how hard we played. I they stuck to the tactics that we had worked on all week. It was a good game. Maryland just got the better of us today."
U-M Fifth-Year Senior Ainsley McCallister
On the game and areas to improve ... "We just had a few breakdowns. For the most part, our defensive unit did a really good job of stepping up and not letting them receive the ball without pressure. There were a few breakdowns with our corner unit, and they utilized it. We'll work on that. Offensively, we need to finish our options and create more options. We did a good job with possession in the first half, but we didn't get many scoring opportunities."
U-M Junior Lauren Thomas
On the Wolverines' defensive effort ... "The whole team is our defense. We talk about that in practice quite a bit, 'Attack is the first line of defense.' I thought we defended really well; they just utilized those chances that they got -- better than we did. That's something we'll work on in practice. They're a good, fit team. They matched us in fitness; they were just a little bit quicker than us in terms of getting back. I think we were a little bit hesitant at the end, after the first goal went in. But we're already looking forward to facing them again and put the wrongs right."
On bouncing back after the loss ... "A loss can make a team stronger, because it highlights the things we need to work on. If we can pair that with the strengths we already have, it's only going to make us a better team. It's still early in the season. It's a really strong league. A number of good teams have already lost a game. So, we just need to keep working on it."
On gaining confidence from playing Maryland toe-to-toe ... "We're definitely more than capable of playing with the top teams. I think we proved that last week. At the end of the day, when you play level with another team, it just comes down to the circumstances of the game. Sometimes it's the lucky bounce or the lucky call from the umps; there are some things you can't control. We just need to control the controllables and go from there."
Team Stats
Steffi Schneid
rebound off corner
26:16
Maxine Fluharty
Assisted By: Anna Dessoye
after corner rebound
59:44
