Michigan
Maryland
Wolverines to Kick Off Homestand against No. 15 Maryland, Ball State
9/26/2017 4:16:00 PM | Field Hockey
» No. 6 Michigan will return home for contests against No. 15 Maryland (Friday, 6 p.m.) and Ball State (Sunday, 1 p.m.) at Ocker Field.
» Michigan leads the Big Ten -- and ranks sixth nationally -- with a 3.44 goals-per-game average; the Wolverines also lead the Big Ten and rank seventh nationally with a .980 goals-against-average.
» Goalkeeper Sam Swenson owns a 1.01 goals-against average and .824 save percentage on the season and has allowed just three goals over the last seven games with five shutouts.
THIS WEEK
Fri., Sept. 29 -- vs. Maryland (Phyllis Ocker Field), 6 p.m.
Free Admission | Live Stats | Live Video
Sun., Oct. 1 -- vs. Ball State (Phyllis Ocker Field), 1 p.m.
Free Admission | Live Stats
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
• Game Day Information: Phyllis Ocker Field Information | Free Admission
The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (7-2, 3-0 Big Ten) will return home this weekend, kicking off a four-game homestand with a pair of weekend contests at Phyllis Ocker Field. On Friday (Sept. 29), the Wolverines will host No. 15 Maryland (6-4, 2-1 Big Ten) at 6 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend against Ball State (4-5) at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 1). Admission is free to both games.
PROMOTIONS
• Maryland: Field Hockey Friday (more promotions)
• Ball State: Sunday Funday, Michigan sunglasses giveaway, postgame autographs (more promotions)
WOLVERINE BITES
• Michigan currently sits atop the Big Ten standings with 3-0 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. Rutgers is also currently undefeated in conference play with a 2-0 mark.
• The Wolverines lead the Big Ten Conference -- and ranks sixth nationally -- with a 3.44 goals-per-game average. After suffering its lone shutout defeat of the season against William & Mary (Sept. 8), the Wolverines have responded with 19 goals over their next four games, including a 6-0 victory in their Big Ten opener against Michigan State (Sept. 15).
• Michigan has shut out each of its last four opponents -- a stretch that includes three Big Ten foes -- since the William & Mary loss and boast five total shutouts on the season -- more than half of its nine-game total. It's the longest shutout streak since U-M and senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson similarly posted four in a row late in the 2015 season.
• After their weekend sweep on the road, the Wolverines surged up to No. 6 in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll of the season, released Tuesday (Sept. 26). UConn, who handed U-M one of its two losses this season, remains at No. 1, while Michigan owns wins over No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 North Carolina. [ Full NFHCA Poll ]
• Senior goalkeeper Sam Swenson repeated as the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week -- and earned her third weekly honor of the season -- after posting 15 saves and holding Ohio State and Penn State without a goal through 154:40 of play en route to Michigan's back-to-back shutout wins. The weekly honor was Swenson's ninth defensive award of her career.
• With her four straight shutout wins, Swenson currently boasts a 1.01 goals-against average and .824 save percentage on the season, leading the Big Ten in both categories and ranking seventh and third nationally, respectively. Swenson has allowed just three goals over the last seven games with Liberty, UC Davis, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State. Of the nine goals she's allowed this season, six have come off an attack corner and another off a penalty stroke.
• Sophomore Meg Dowthwaite has scored eight goals through nine games this season, already surpassing her 2016 season total (5), and leads the Big Ten -- and ranks eighth nationally -- with .890 goals per game. Dowthwaite, who also boasts three game-winners, has scored in all but two games this season. Dowthwaite has also matched her career best with five assists, and leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth nationally with 2.33 points per game.
• Junior Emma Way, who netted U-M's overtime game-winner at Ohio State, has matched her career best with six markers this season and achieved new highs with six assists and 18 points. Earlier this season, Way tallied her first collegiate hat trick -- second career multi-goal game -- with three tallies against UC Davis. 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 Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort, Michigan's primary stick stopper on the attack corner unit, ranks second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally with eight assists and a .890 assist-per-game average. Just nine games into the season, Fernandez Lacort already owns more helpers than any Wolverine player recorded in 2016.
• Ten 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.
• Six Michigan newcomers have made their official collegiate debuts so far this season. Freshmen Kayla Reed and sophomore Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort have started all nine, while freshman Halle O'Neill has started the last eight straight. Freshmen Kragen Metz, Maya Gompper and Sidonie LaPlante have also debuted; LaPlante played the final 20:53 in goal against UC Davis.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Maryland -- The Terrapins are 6-4 on the season and 2-1 in Big Ten play after splitting a pair of games with No. 19 Iowa (W, 2-1) and No. 14 Northwestern (L, 3-2) over the weekend. Lein Holsboer leads Maryland with six goals and 14 points, while goalkeeper Sarah Holliday owns a 1.35 goals-against average and .759 save percentage. The Terps own a 16-1 advantage in the all-time series against Michigan. The Wolverines only-ever win against Maryland came in the 2001 National Championship game.
Ball State -- The Cardinals enter the weekend with a 4-5 record after dropping a pair of close games to Indiana (2-1) and No. 13 James Madison (2-0) last weekend. Michelle Shampton leads Ball State with eight points and is tied for the team lead with three goals. Goalkeeper Grace Chavez boasts a 1.20 goals-against average and .788 save percentage. Michigan leads the all-time series against Ball State, 15-5, and won the teams' last meeting, 10-2, in 2013.
LAST TIME OUT
Michigan earned a pair of Big Ten road wins last weekend, defeating rivals Ohio State, 1-0 in overtime, and Penn State, 3-0, to extend its shutout streak to four in a row. Emma Way netted the overtime game-winner on a tip at the 84:40 mark against the Buckeyes, while Meg Dowthwaite, Carly Bennett and Esther de Leijer all tallied goals against PSU. Goalkeeper Sam Swenson posted 15 saves -- and was aided by four defensive saves -- on the weekend en route to the shutouts. [ Recaps: Ohio State | Penn State ]
UP NEXT
Fri., Oct. 6 -- vs. Rutgers (Phyllis Ocker Field), 6 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 8 -- vs. Stanford (Phyllis Ocker Field), 2 p.m.
