Michigan
(1-0)
North Carolina
(0-1)
Wolverines Knock Off No. 1 North Carolina in Season Opener
8/26/2017 3:54:00 PM | Field Hockey
» Michigan defeated No. 1 North Carolina, 3-2, in its season opener at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge -- U-M's second win over the top-ranked Tar Heels in as many years.
» The Wolverines scored twice in the opening 1:01 of the second half to break open the deadlocked game; Meg Dowthwaite, Esther de Leijer and Carly Bennett all scored for U-M.
» Goalkeeper Sam Swenson earned nine saves in the Wolverine cage.
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Grant Field)
Event: ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Score: #11 Michigan 3, #1 North Carolina 2
Records: U-M (1-0), UNC (0-1)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Aug. 27 -- vs. Wake Forest - ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Iowa City, Iowa), 11:30 a.m. CDT
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team scored a surge early in the second half and a late-game defensive stand to knock off No. 1 North Carolina, 3-2, in its season opener at the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Saturday afternoon (Aug. 26) at Iowa's Grant Field.
It was Michigan's second straight season-opening win over the top-ranked Tar Heels in as many seasons.
Michigan scored twice in the opening 1:01 of the second half to break open the scoreless contest, including the game-winner just 11 seconds into the frame when sophomore Meg Dowthwaite corralled a loose ball after an errant UNC pass in the circle, pulled left and sent a low reverse chip just inside the right post to give the Wolverines the first and final lead. Graduate student Esther de Leijer followed just 50 seconds later, at 36:11, receiving a pass from sophomore Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort, who swiped the ball and carried it to the base line before dishing it to the front of the cage, and firing it to the left side past Tar Heel goalkeeper Amanda Hendry.
The Wolverines struck again eight minutes later, at 44:25, when graduate student Carly Bennett banged a shot off a UNC defender and into the cage. Junior Marleise Emrhein carried the ball up the right sideline and fed it up into the right corner, where Bennett picked it up, dribbled it past a UNC defender and fired a shot toward the goal. The ball hit a Tar Heel player and redirected into the nearside corner.
North Carolina, which outshot the Wolverines, 23-5, and outcornered them, 14-1, poured it on over the final 20 minutes, pulling its goalkeeper for an extra attacker and pulling within just one goal after scoring twice within a four-minute window. After the latter goal -- off the penalty corner -- with 13:53 remaining in the contest, Michigan turned away five more corner chances and overturned another on referral to maintain its lead. UNC used its referral with time expired but did not earn the call it was seeking as the game ended with the Wolverines on top.
Senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson earned nine saves, including six off UNC penalty corners, in a spectacular effort in the Wolverine cage.
Michigan will wrap up the ACC/Big Ten Challenge against No. 15 Wake Forest at 11:30 a.m. CDT tomorrow (Sunday, Aug. 27) at Iowa's Grant Field.
Tweet of the Game 
The Victors! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/MHhurMKeHz
— Michigan FieldHockey (@umichfldhockey) August 26, 2017
Team Stats
Dowthwaite, Meg (1)
intercepted in circle, reverse chip
35:11
de Leijer, Esther (1)
Assisted By: Fernandez Lacort, G.
pass to center
36:01
Bennett, Carly (1)
Assisted By: Emrhein, Marleise
deflection off UNC defender
44:25
Marissa Creatore (1)
Assisted By: Gab Major
GOAL by NC Marissa Creatore, Assist by Gab Major, goal number 1 for season.
56:07
Ashley Hoffman (1)
Assisted By: Cassie Sumfest , Gab Major
deflected off a corner
56:11
