Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan to Begin B1G Play against In-State Rival MSU
9/12/2017 12:46:00 PM | Field Hockey
» No. 8 Michigan will open Big Ten Conference play against in-state rival Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 15) at Phyllis Ocker Field.
» Nine different Wolverine players have recorded goals through the opening six games, including seven who scored in Michigan's 9-0 win over UC Davis in its last outing.
» Goalkeeper Sam Swenson carries a 1.59 goals-against average and .727 save percentage on the season and has allowed just three goals over the last four games with a pair of shutouts.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Sept. 15 -- vs. Michigan State (Phyllis Ocker Field), 7 p.m.
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The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (4-2) will open Big Ten Conference play -- and wrap up its five-game homestand -- this Friday (Sept. 12), hosting in-state rival Michigan State (3-4) at 7 p.m. on Phyllis Ocker Field. The conference contest will be streamed live on BTN Plus.
PROMOTIONS
• Make it a Wolverine Weekend!
• Field Hockey Fridays, $1 Hot Dog Day, Michigan Fan Flags giveaway [ more promotions ]
WOLVERINE BITES
• Friday's matchup at Michigan State marks the start of U-M's 2017 Big Ten Conference schedule. The Wolverines will seek 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.
• Michigan was impressive in its annual preseason exhibition contest against Michigan State, knocking off the Spartans, 4-0, at Ocker Field on Aug. 19. Junior Emma Way tallied a pair of goals in the first half, while freshman Halle O'Neill and sophomore Meg Dowthwaite posted second-half markers. The Wolverines held MSU to just five total shots; senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson earned one save to claim a complete-game shutout. [ Full Recap ]
• Freshman Halle O'Neill will square off against a familiar face on Friday night. Her older sister, Madison, is junior forward on the Spartan squad. It's not the only Michigan-Michigan State family rivalry among the Wolverine squad; senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson's younger brother, Matt, is a sophomore at MSU.
• Nine different Wolverine players have recorded goals this season, including five with multiple tallies. Seven players scored in U-M's 9-0 win against UC Davis last Sunday (Sept. 10). It was Michigan's biggest single-game goal output since scoring 10 against Central Michigan last season.
• Junior Emma Way tallied her first collegiate hat trick -- second career multi-goal game -- with three tallies against UC Davis. Way scored on a rebound midway through the first half, and with four goals on the season, is just two shy of her 2016 season total. It was the first hat trick for a Michigan player since Rachael Mack, the program's all-time leading scorer, posted four goals against Ball State in 2013.
• Sophomore Meg Dowthwaite has scored six goals through six games this season, already surpassing her 2016 season total, and leads the Wolverines in both goals and points (16). Dowthwaite netted a pair of first-half markers against Liberty (Sept. 1) -- her first collegiate multi-goal game. Dowthwaite currently ranks second among the Big Ten goal leaders.
• Sophomore Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort, Michigan's primary stick stopper on the attack corner unit, shares the top spot in the Big Ten with six assists through six games this season.
• Senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson carries a 1.59 goals-against average and .727 save percentage on the season and has allowed just three goals over the last four games, including shutouts against Liberty and UC Davis. Of the nine goals she's allowed this season, six have come off an attack corner and another off a penalty stroke.
• Six Michigan newcomers have made their official collegiate debuts so far this season. Freshmen Kayla Reed and sophomore Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort have started all six, while freshman Halle O'Neill has started the last five straight. Freshmen Kragen Metz, Maya Gompper and Sidonie LaPlante have also debuted; LaPlante played the final 20:53 in goal against UC Davis.
• Michigan dropped a spot in response to its William & Mary loss, falling to No. 8, in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll of the season, released Tuesday (Sept. 12). UConn, who handed U-M its only other loss this season, is now ranked No. 1, while W&M surged to No. 18. Michigan has faced four teams currently ranked among the nation's top 25. [ Full NFHCA Poll ]
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Michigan State -- The Spartans enter the weekend with a 3-4 record after dropping a pair of non-conference games to ranked opponents last weekend, falling to No. 25 Old Dominion (3-2) and No. 10 Virginia (6-1) in Norfolk, Virginia. Kendal Anderson leads MSU with four goals on the season, while goalkeeper Katie Miller owns a 3.32 goals-against average and .667 save percentage. Michigan leads the all-time series against Michigan State, 40-25-6, and have won the last three meetings, including 4-1 and 2-1 decisions last season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wolverines split their home games for the second straight weekend, falling 1-0 to William & Mary last Friday (Sept. 8) before bouncing back with a 9-0 rout against UC Davis on Sunday (Sept. 10). Michigan struggled mightily on offensive against the Tribe with just five total shots, and an early W&M goal off an odd-man rush in the eighth minute proved the decider. The Wolverines responded with nine goals off 30 shots against the Aggies two days later. Sophomore Emma Way posted her first collegiate hat trick, while sophomore Meg Dowthwaite tallied a goal and three assists. [ Recaps: William & Mary | UC Davis ]
UP NEXT
Fri., Sept. 22 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 3 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 24 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), Noon
