Michigan
Maryland
Wolverines Set to Face Maryland in NCAA Semifinals
11/14/2017 6:36:00 PM | Field Hockey
» Michigan, the No. 3 seed at the 2017 NCAA Tournament, will face Maryland in the semifinals at 4:45 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 17) at Louisville's Trager Stadium.
» The Wolverines, the regular-season and Big Ten Tournament champions, advanced to the NCAA Final Four for the fourth time in program history and first time since 2003.
» Michigan has won each of its last 18 games, outscoring its opposition, 61-6, over the stretch with 15 shutout wins, including an active six-game shutout streak.
THIS WEEK
NCAA TOURNAMENT (Tournament Central)
Friday, Nov. 17 -- vs. Maryland (Louisville, Ky.), 4:45 p.m.
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• Game Day Information: Phyllis Ocker Field Information
The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (21-2) will seek its second national title in program history when it travels to Louisville, Kentucky, for the final four of the 2017 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, slated for Friday and Sunday (Nov. 17-19) at the Cardinals' Trager Stadium.
The Wolverines will face No. 9 Maryland (15-6) at 4:45 p.m. on Friday, immediately following the other semifinal match, which pits No. 1 Connecticut (21-0) against No. 4 North Carolina (18-4) at 2 p.m. The winners will advance to the national championship game, which is slated for a 2 p.m. start on Sunday.
2017 NCAA TOURNAMENT FINAL FOUR
Fri.-Sun., Nov. 17-19
Trager Stadium (Louisville, Ky.)
Friday, Nov. 17
Semifinal 1 -- Connecticut vs. North Carolina, 2 p.m.
Semifinal 2 -- Michigan vs. Maryland, 4:45 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19
Championship Game -- Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner, 2 p.m.
NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES
• The Wolverines have played one game against each of the other three semifinalists this season. Michigan defeated North Carolina, 3-2, on Aug. 26 in Iowa City, Iowa, and beat Maryland, 3-2 (2OT), on Sep. 29, as part of their current 18-game win streak. The Wolverines dropped a 2-1 decision to UConn (Sept. 3).
• Michigan is making its fourth trip to the NCAA Final Four in program history (1999, 2001, 2003, 2017). The Wolverines have advanced to the championship game in two of their three previous appearances, winning one national title (2001).
• The Wolverines are making their 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and third in as many seasons. U-M owns a 17-12 record in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to the semifinals in four of its 14 appearances, twice playing in the national title game. In 2001, the Wolverines captured the first NCAA championship for a Michigan women's team in U-M athletics history.
• Twenty-three of Michigan's 29 NCAA Tournament games have been decided by just one goal with U-M carrying a 14-9 record in those contests.
• With its 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, Michigan ranks fourth among Big Ten Conference schools in the category. All of U-M's appearances have come over the last 19 years -- since 1999. Only Maryland (19) and Penn State (15) boast more over the same stretch.
Michigan vs. the NCAA Final Four Field
Maryland: Michigan and Maryland have met 18 previous times, with the Terrapins holding a 16-2 advantage in the series. However, Michigan defeated Maryland in their Sept. 29 matchup this season, 3-2 (2OT). Junior Emma Way scored the game-winning goal at the 99:59 mark with a diving attempt to knock in a rebound. The Wolverines' other win against Maryland came in the 2001 national championship game, clinching the program's only national title. This will be the third time the two programs meet in the NCAA Final Four. Both of the previous matchups were in the NCAA championship game (1999, 2001), with each side winning once.
Connecticut: Michigan trails in the all-time series against UConn, 7-3, and has lost each of the last seven meetings dating back to 2006. Earlier this season, the Wolverines dropped a tight 2-1 game to the Huskies at Ocker Field (Sept. 3). The two programs have met once previously in the NCAA Tournament, with the Wolverines defeating the Huskies, 4-3, in the 1999 NCAA semifinals.
North Carolina: Michigan trails the all-time series against North Carolina, 22-5, but the Wolverines defeated the Tar Heels, 3-2, in this year's regular-season matchup (Aug. 29). Sophomore Meg Dowthwaite, graduate student Esther de Leijer and graduate student Carly Bennett each scored second-half goals in that contest, and senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson made 10 saves to secure the victory. The two programs have met four previous times in the NCAA Tournament, splitting the games, 2-2.
WOLVERINE BITES
• The 2017 Wolverines are now the winningest team in Michigan program history with their 21-2 season record. It is just the second 20-win season in program history, joining the 1999 squad that went 20-7 en route to NCAA runner-up honors. Michigan's .917 win percentage this year ranks second nationally to undefeated UConn (21-0). No other program has fewer than four losses on their records.
• U-M extended its winning streak to 18 games with its NCAA first/second-round wins last weekend (Nov. 11-12). It is the longest winning streak in program history. Over its win streak, Michigan has outscored its opposition, 61-6, and recorded 15 shutouts.
• The Wolverines lead the Big Ten -- and rank top 10 nationally -- in nearly all team offensive and defensive statistical categories. Most notably, Michigan ranks first nationally in goals-against average (0.61), first in save percentage (.860), first in shutouts (16) and fifth in scoring margin (2.39) The team's .917 winning percentage ranks second.
• With 73 goals through 23 games this season, Michigan has already recorded its most goals since 2004 when it tallied 76 markers in 23 games. Fourteen different Wolverine players have recorded goals this season, including 10 with multiple tallies and seven who have tallied their first collegiate goals.
• The Wolverines are 3-0 in overtime contests this season, with wins over Ohio State, Maryland and most recently, Syracuse. Junior Emma Way scored the overtime game-winner in each of the two regular-season overtime games, while sophomore Meg Dowthwaite had the tally in the NCAA first-round win over Syracuse.
• Michigan has recorded a school-best 16 shutouts this season, including 15 over its last 18 games and six in a row. The Wolverines previously recorded 10 shutouts in two occasions -- in 1992 and, with senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson in the cage, again in 2015. Swenson now owns 23 complete-game shutouts and has contributed to 35 over her Michigan career -- also a program record.
• Michigan earned the Big Ten's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the conference tournament title with a 1-0 decision against Penn State last Sunday (Nov. 5) -- behind a late goal from graduate student Esther de Leijer and nine saves from senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson. It was the Wolverines' sixth Big Ten tournament title in program history and first since 2010. Michigan also claimed the tournament crown in 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2005.
• The Wolverines, who went 8-0 in conference play to capture the outright regular-season title, swept both the regular-season and tournament crowns for the fourth time in program history. Michigan previously achieved the feat in 2000, 2004 and 2010. With its nine regular-season crowns -- eight under head coach Marcia Pankratz -- Michigan boasts the second most of any Big Ten school behind Iowa with 11. The Wolverines previously won regular-season titles in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2011. Five of their league titles have come in outright fashion.
• Senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson currently leads the nation with a .850 save percentage -- after stopping all 15 shots faced in NCAA first/second-round play -- and a 0.63 goals-against average. Of the 15 goals she's allowed this season, 10 have come off an attack corner and one off of a penalty stroke. Among active NCAA career leaders, Swenson also ranks first with a .797 career save percentage and second with a 0.98 career goals-against average.
• Junior Emma Way scored all three goals in Michigan's 3-0 win against Northwestern in the NCAA quarterfinals (Nov. 12). The hat trick was Way's second of the season; she also tallied three goals in a win over UC Davis (Sep. 10), and it was the first hat trick by a Michigan player in the NCAA Tournament since Rachael Mack recorded three goals in a first-round victory over New Hampshire in 2011.
• Sophomore Meg Dowthwaite has scored 19 goals through 23 games this season and ranks 16th nationally -- with a 0.83 goals-per-game average. Dowthwaite, who owns eight game-winners, also ranks 19th nationally with two points per game. She has scored in all but seven games this season. Dowthwaite, like Swenson and Trombetta, was named to the All-Big Ten first team.
• Graduate Student Carly Bennett posted a career-best game in the Wolverines' 6-2 win at Louisville (Oct. 22), contributing to four of six U-M tallies with two goals and two assists. It was Bennett's third career multi-goal game. She added another marker at Central Michigan (Oct. 24) to up her season total to a career-best nine. Her previous best was seven, which she recorded last season.
• In addition to Dowthwaite and Bennett, Way and sophomore Fay Keijer also boast career highs in goals, assists and points. Way ranks second on the Wolverine team with 13 goals, including four game-winners and 10 assists, while Keijer ranks fifth with six goals and three assists.
• The Wolverines wrapped the home portion of their 2017 campaign with an 11-2 mark at Phyllis Ocker Field, including wins in their last 10 appearances at home. Michigan led the nation in total attendance 7,268) and ranked second in average attendance (559).
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolverines earned a pair of shutout wins in their NCAA first/second-round matchups at Ocker Field, edging Syracuse, 1-0, in overtime on Saturday (Nov. 11) before earning a 3-0 decision against Northwestern on Sunday (Nov. 12) -- their third win over the Wildcats in three weeks. Sophomore Meg Dowthwaite netted the game-winner on a deflection just 1:24 into the extra frame against the Orange, while junior Emma Way posted a hat trick in the quarterfinals, scoring the first and game-winning goal at the 8:10 mark. Senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson posted eight saves on the weekend. [ Recaps: Syracuse | Northwestern ]
