Michigan
Penn State
Week #5: U-M Set for Road Challenges at No. 6 Penn State, No. 3 Maryland
9/19/2018 3:26:00 PM | Field Hockey
» No. 8 Michigan will take on a pair of top-10 ranked Big Ten foes this weekend on the road, facing No. 6 Penn State at 6 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 21) and No. 3 Maryland at noon on Sunday (Sept. 23).
» U-M carries a four-game win streak into the road trip, outscoring its opposition, 16-3, over the stretch.
» Emma Way, who ranks fourth nationally with 1.75 goals per game, has scored in each of the last seven games and is only three goals away from matching her career-best 13.
THIS WEEK
Fri., Sept. 21 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 6 p.m.
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Sun., Sept. 23 -- at Maryland (College Park, Md.), Noon
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The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (5-3, 1-0 Big Ten) will hit the road this weekend for a challenging pair of Big Ten Conference games against top-10 opposition. On Friday (Sept. 21), the Wolverines will face No. 6 Penn State (5-2, 2-1 Big Ten) at 6 p.m. at the PSU Field Hockey Complex in State College, Pennsylvania. U-M will wrap the weekend trip with a noon slate against No. 3 Maryland (9-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday (Sept. 23) at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Maryland.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan carries a season-best four-game win streak, winning each of its games at Ocker Field over the last two weeks by a combined 16-3 margin. The Wolverines established a program record last season with an 18-game win streak.
• The Wolverines also earned their first win over a ranked opponent, with their 3-1 decision against No. 17-ranked Rutgers last Friday (Sept. 14). Michigan has faced four ranked opponents -- and will play two more this weekend -- while two of its three losses have come against No. 1 UConn and No. 2 North Carolina. U-M lists 15th nationally in strength of schedule.
• Michigan is 1-0 in Big Ten play with its Rutgers win. The Wolverines are seeking their second straight Big Ten title and 10th in program history. Michigan captured the regular-season crown outright last season with a perfect 8-0 league record. With its nine regular-season crowns -- eight under head coach Marcia Pankratz -- U-M boasts the second most of any Big Ten school behind Iowa with 11.
• Senior Emma Way ranks fourth nationally with a 1.25 goals-per-game average and 2.75 points per game. She has scored in each of the last seven games and leads the Wolverines with 10 goals on the season -- only three shy of her career best in the category. She has tallied three multi-goal efforts and owns four game-winning goals.
• Way was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after posting three goals and two assists in Michigan's weekend sweep against Rutgers and Central Michigan. She contributed to all three U-M markers against the Scarlet Knights and posted a pair of first-half goals against CMU.
• Freshman Kathryn Peterson shared Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors after tallying a goal apiece against Rutgers and Central Michigan, including the first and game-winning goal in the former. Peterson was one of three Wolverines to register their first collegiate goals last weekend; freshman Sofia Southam tallied a second-half goal against Rutgers, while sophomore/freshman Kate Burney notched two against the Chippewas.
• The Wolverines are 2-0 in overtime games this season, downing Pacific and Monmouth by identical 2-1 scores in back-to-back games two weekends ago. Michigan has had significant success in seven-on-seven play of late, with wins in eight of its last nine overtime games stretching back to the 2015 season.
• Eight Wolverines have made their official collegiate debuts this season: sophomore/freshmen Maya Gompper, Abbey Hutton and Emma Tamer and freshmen Katie Anderson, Tina D'Anjolell, Kathryn Peterson, Sofia Southam and Anna Spieker.
• Michigan gained a pair of spots in response to its Rutgers win, climbing to No. 8, in the latest Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll of the season, released Tuesday (Sept. 18). [ Full NFHCA Poll ]
Scouting the Opposition
Penn State -- The Nittany Lions are 5-2 this season and 1-0 in Big Ten play after defeating Ohio State, 3-2, in their conference opener last Friday (Sept. 14). PSU also earned a 4-0 win over Boston University on Sunday (Sept. 16). Anna Simon and Alexis Horst lead Penn State with four goals apiece, while goalkeeper Jenny Rizzo owns a 1.20 goals-against average and .800 save percentage. Michigan trails in the all-time series against PSU, 27-21, but has claimed six of the last eight meetings, including two last season -- 3-0 and 1-0 in the Big Ten Tournament final.
Maryland -- The Terrapins carry a 9-0 record on the season and are 1-0 in Big Ten play after defeating Michigan State, 5-1, Saturday (Sept. 15). Maryland overcame a three-goal deficit to beat Princeton, 5-4, in double overtime in its last outing on Tuesday (Sept. 18). Nike Lorenz and Linnea Gonzales share the team lead with eight goals apiece, while Noelle Frost and Sarah Holliday have split time in the Terp cage, combining for a 1.58 goals-against average and .659 save percentage. The Terps own a 17-2 advantage in the all-time series against Michigan, but the teams split a pair of matchups last season. The Wolverines defeated Maryland, 3-2, in double overtime in the regular-season meeting -- its first win against the Terps since the 2001 National Championship game -- but Maryland won, 5-1, in the NCAA semifinals.
Last Time Out
The Wolverines closed out their four-game homestand with wins over No. 17 Rutgers, 3-1, and Central Michigan, 9-0, last weekend at Ocker Field. Senior Emma Way posted three goals and two assists, contributing to all three Michigan goals against the Scarlet Knights -- U-M's first win over a ranked opponent this season. The Wolverines scored their most lopsided win in nearly a year with nine goals against CMU; Way, junior Meg Dowthwaite and sophomore/freshman Kate Burney all tallied two goals apiece. [ Recaps: Rutgers | Central Michigan ]
Up Next
Fri., Sept. 28 -- vs. Northwestern (Phyllis Ocker Field), 5 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 30 -- vs. Indiana (Phyllis Ocker Field), 1 p.m.
