Wolverines Set to Host No. 20 Rutgers, No. 12 Stanford

Friday, October 6

Ann Arbor, Mich.

6:00 PM

Michigan

Rutgers

Wolverines Set to Host No. 20 Rutgers, No. 12 Stanford

10/3/2017 6:13:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Leah Howard

» No. 4 Michigan will continue its stretch of home games against Rutgers (Friday, 6 p.m.) and Stanford (Sunday, 2 p.m.) at Phyllis Ocker Field.
» Michigan leads the Big Ten -- and ranks seventh nationally -- with a 3.55 goals-per-game average; the Wolverines also lead the Big Ten and rank fourth nationally with a 0.95 goals-against average.
» Goalkeeper Sam Swenson owns a 1.01 goals-against average and .807 save percentage on the season and has allowed just two goals over the last six games.

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
• Game Day Information: Phyllis Ocker Field Information | Free Admission

The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (9-2, 4-0 Big Ten) will close out its homestand with a pair of ranked opponents this weekend at Phyllis Ocker Field. The Wolverines continue will Big Ten Conference play against No. 20 Rutgers (7-4, 2-1 Big Ten) at 6 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 6) before facing regional foe No. 12 Stanford (7-3) in a BTN-televised contest at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 8).

Michigan will also host a neutral-site contest between Rutgers and Stanford at 4 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 7) at Ocker Field. Admission is free for all three games.

PROMOTIONS
• Rutgers: Field Hockey Friday (more promotions)
• Stanford: Sunday Funday, Michigan scarves giveaway, postgame autographs (more promotions)

WOLVERINE BITES

• Michigan sits atop the Big Ten standings with 4-0 league record. The Wolverines are seeking their ninth Big Ten title in program history and first since 2011. With its eight regular-season crowns -- seven under head coach Marcia Pankratz -- Michigan boasts the second most of any Big Ten school, behind Iowa with 11. U-M has finished top three in the regular-season standings in each of the last seven seasons, including runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015.

• The Wolverines lead the Big Ten Conference -- and rank seventh nationally -- with a 3.55 goals-per-game average. After suffering their lone shutout defeat of the season against William & Mary (Sept. 8), the Wolverines have responded with 27 goals over their next six games, including a 6-0 victory in their Big Ten opener against Michigan State (Sept. 15).

• This past weekend Michigan extended its winning streak to six games -- a stretch that includes four Big Ten foes -- since the William & Mary loss. U-M boasts six total shutouts on the season, more than half of its 11-game total.

• After their weekend sweep at home, the Wolverines surged to No. 4 in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll of the season, released Tuesday (Oct. 3). UConn, which handed U-M one of its two losses this season, remains at No. 1. Michigan owns wins over No. 5 Penn State and No. 6 North Carolina. [Full NFHCA Poll]

• Halle O'Neill earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after scoring her first collegiate goal on a corner tip against No. 15 Maryland on Friday (Sept. 29) and recording her first collegiate assist on Sunday (Oct. 1) against Ball State. She also helped Michigan's defense hold its opponents to just two goals on 11 total shots over a span of 169:59 en route to back-to-back wins. The weekly honor was O'Neill's first of her career.

• With her six straight wins, Sam Swenson currently boasts a 1.01 goals-against average and .807 save percentage on the season, leading the Big Ten in both categories and ranking seventh and fifth nationally, respectively. Swenson has allowed just two goals over the last six games with UC Davis, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Maryland and Ball State. Of the 11 goals she has allowed this season, seven have come off an attack corner and another off a penalty stroke.

• Sophomore Meg Dowthwaite has scored 10 goals through 11 games this season, already surpassing her 2016 season total (5), and ranks third in the Big Ten -- and 12th nationally -- with .901 goals per game. Dowthwaite, who also boasts three game-winners, has scored in all but three games this season. Dowthwaite has also surpassed her career best with seven assists this season, which is second in the Big Ten and ranks ninth nationally with 2.45 points per game.

• Junior Emma Way netted U-M's double-overtime game-winner against No. 15 Maryland -- her second overtime game-winner of the season. She has surpassed her career best with eight markers this season and achieved new highs with eight assists and 24 points.

• Sophomore Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort, Michigan's primary stick stopper on the attack corner unit, ranks third in the Big Ten and 11th nationally with nine assists and an .818 assist-per-game average. Eleven games into the season, Fernandez Lacort already owns more helpers than any Wolverine player recorded in 2016.

• Twelve different Wolverine players have recorded goals this season, including seven with multiple tallies. Seven players scored in U-M's 9-0 win against UC Davis (Sept. 10) -- the program's biggest single-game goal output since scoring 10 against Central Michigan last season.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Rutgers -- The Scarlet Knights are 7-4 on the season and 2-1 in Big Ten play, with conference wins against Indiana (2-0) and Iowa (1-0) and a loss to Northwestern (3-2) in their only game last weekend. Daphne Groothuis and Linde van Schaik lead Rutgers with six goals apiece, while goalkeeper Gianna Glatz owns a 1.45 goals-against average and .727 save percentage. Michigan is a perfect 6-0 in the all-time series against Rutgers since 1992 and earned a 3-1 win in last season's meeting in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Stanford -- The Cardinal enter the weekend with a 7-3 record after Ohio State snapped their seven-game winning streak with a 3-2 overtime win last Saturday (Sept. 30) in Palo Alto, California. Corinne Zanolli leads Stanford with eight goals, while goalkeeper Kelsey Bing owns a 1.44 goals-against average and .813 save percentage. The Wolverines hold an 8-3 advantage in the all-time series against Stanford and have claimed each of the last two games, including a 2-1 decision last year in Palo Alto.

LAST TIME OUT
Michigan earned a pair of home wins last weekend, defeating No. 15 Maryland, 3-2, in double overtime on Friday (Sept. 29) before cruising to a 5-0 decision against Ball State on Sunday (Oct. 1). The Wolverines took a 2-0 lead against the Terps before Way eventually netted the game-winner at the 99:59 mark -- with just one second remaining in the second overtime. Dowthwaite posted two goals and an assist to lead U-M against Ball State, while goalkeeper Swenson, who recorded four saves against Maryland, combined with freshman Sidonie LaPlante for the shutout win. [ Recaps: Maryland | Ball State ]

UP NEXT
Friday, Oct. 13 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 15 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), Noon CDT