Michigan
Penn State
Michigan to Face Penn State in Postseason Opener
11/5/2019 1:29:00 PM | Field Hockey
» Michigan, the No. 4 seed at the 2019 Big Ten Tournament, will face host Penn State in the quarterfinals on Thursday (Nov. 7) at 11 a.m. in State College, Pennsylvania.
» The Wolverines seek the seventh Big Ten Tournament title in program history and second in three seasons.
» U-M defeated Penn State, 3-1, in its regular-season meeting (Oct. 20) at Phyllis Ocker Field.
THIS WEEK
Thursday, Nov. 7 -- vs. Penn State – Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals (State College, Pa.), 11 a.m.
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The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (13-5) will begin the postseason portion of its 2019 schedule as the No. 4 seed at the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Wolverines will face No. 5-seeded Penn State (6-11) at 11 a.m. Thursday (Nov. 7) at the PSU Field Hockey Complex in State College, Pennsylvania. The winner of that game will face No. 2-ranked -- No. 1 seed -- Maryland (16-2) in the first semifinal match at 4 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 8).
2019 Big Ten Tournament Schedule
Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 7-10
PSU Field Hockey Complex (State College, Pa.)
Thursday, Nov. 7 • Quarterfinals (BTN+)
Game 1 -- #4 seed Michigan vs. #5 seed Penn State, 11 a.m.
Game 2 -- #2 seed Iowa vs. #7 seed Ohio State, 2 p.m.
Game 3 -- #3 seed Northwestern vs. #6 seed Rutgers, 5 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 8 • Semifinals (BTN)
Game 4 -- #1 seed Maryland vs. Game 1 Winner, 4 p.m.
Game 5 -- Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 10 • Championship Game (BTN)
Game 6 -- Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 2 p.m.
Big Ten Tournament Notes
• U-M will look to capture its seventh tournament crown in school history. The Wolverines won back to-back tournament crowns in 1999 and 2000, again in 2004 and 2005 and most recently won titles in 2010 and 2017. Michigan has advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game in 13 of the last 21 seasons.
• The Big Ten will announce its award winners for the 2019 season on Wednesday (Nov. 6). The Wolverines have won 22 individual awards since 1997, most recently in 2018 when Emma Way was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. At least one Wolverine has been picked for the All-Big Ten first team each year since 1995. Last season, Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort and Emma Way earned first team honors, while Maggie Bettez was selected to the second team.
• Penn State will host the Big Ten Tournament for the fourth time since 1995. Michigan reached the championship game in the Nittany Lions' last turn in 2011, but fell to the host team, 3-2, in the final.
Michigan vs. the Big Ten Tournament Field
Penn State: Michigan trails, 27-23, in the all-time series against PSU, but has claimed eight of the last 10 meetings, including a 3-1 decision this season in Ann Arbor, highlighted by a pair of penalty-corner goals from junior/sophomore Emma Tamer. The teams are 7-7 in Big Ten Tournament play and have met six times in the championship game -- Michigan claimed the most recent meeting, 1-0, in the 2017 final. PSU owns a league-best seven tournament titles, while U-M ranks second with six crowns.
Maryland: The Terps hold an 18-3 advantage in the all-time series against Michigan, but the teams are split over their last four meetings. The Wolverines claimed this season's regular-season matchup, 1-0, in Ann Arbor, as senior Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort netted the game-winner at 28:57 and sophomore goalkeeper Anna Spieker earned four saves. U-M has faced Maryland only once in Big Ten Tournament play, falling to the Terps, 5-1, in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament final.
Iowa: Michigan trails, 43-25, in the all-time series against Iowa. U-M has claimed six of the last eight meetings, but the Hawkeyes have won the last two, including a 1-0 decision in the regular-season finale last weekend to clinch a share of the Big Ten title. Head coach Marcia Pankratz was a two-time NCAA All-American during her collegiate career at Iowa (1982-85). Michigan holds a 6-5 advantage in Big Ten Tournament games against the Hawkeyes but dropped a 2-1 decision in the 2018 semifinals.
Northwestern: Michigan trails, 33-29, in the all-time series against the Wildcats, but has claimed seven of the last 10 meetings. Northwestern used a shutout to edge Michigan, 1-0, in the regular-season meeting this year in Evanston, Illinois. U-M had two shootout goals waved off and eventually lost on the sixth attempt. Michigan owns a 4-2 edge against Northwestern in Big Ten Tournament meetings and has won each of the last two, including a 3-1 decision in the 2018 quarterfinals.
Ohio State: The Wolverines own a 40-26-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Buckeyes and have won each of the last 10 meetings, dating back to 2012. Each of the last three regular-season meetings were decided in overtime, including a 2-1 decision this year in Columbus after senior Meg Dowthwaite netted the game-winner at the 68:02 mark. Michigan holds an 8-4 advantage in Big Ten Tournament meetings against the Buckeyes, most recently defeating OSU, 3-0, in the 2017 quarterfinals.
Rutgers: Michigan is 8-1 in the all-time series against Rutgers since 1992 after seeing its perfect series record snapped in a 3-0 Scarlet Knights win three weeks ago in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers scored all three of its goals off its potent penalty-corner attack. The Wolverines are 1-0 against Rutgers in Big Ten Tournament competition, earning a 3-0 win in the 2014 first round.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan ranks ninth nationally with a 1.65 scoring margin, aided mightily by its stout defense. The Wolverines rank third in the nation in goals-against average (0.96) and second with nine credited shutouts. Michigan has allowed just 5.2 shots per game.
• Michigan has boasted eight shutout wins on the season, including seven over its last 13 games while an eighth over that stretch required a shootout to break a scoreless tie -- and for which sophomore goalkeeper Anna Spieker was credited a complete-game shutout.
• Spieker ranked second in the Big Ten -- and fifth nationally -- with a career-best 0.99 goals-against average; she is one of five players nationally with a GAA below 1.00. Spieker posted complete-game shutouts against No. 10 Wake Forest (Sept. 1), Appalachian State (Oct. 5), Michigan State (Oct. 6) and Maryland (Oct. 11) and combined with junior Sidonie LaPlante for U-M's other four shutout wins.
• Thirteen different Wolverines have scored at least one goal this season, including two freshmen -- Nina Apoola and Sarah Pyrtek -- who have tallied the first of their careers.
• Senior Meg Dowthwaite shares the team lead with seven goals. Dowthwaite, who has posted double-digit goals in each of the last two seasons -- including a team-best 19 en route to All-America honors in 2017 -- boasts 41 career goals, moving her into the eighth spot among U-M's all-time leaders in the category. Dowthwaite also has 102 career points and similarly ranks eight among U-M's leaders.
• Junior/sophomore Emma Tamer, who tallied her second multi-goal effort in three games with her two markers against Penn State (Oct. 20), was named the Big Ten and NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week for the effort. Tamer shares the team lead with seven goals -- the first markers of her collegiate career -- all scored over the last seven games.
• Senior Fay Keijer is enjoying a career year as a senior this season. She ranks fourth on the team with 16 points off six goals and four assists. She has already matched her career high in goals -- she also recorded six as a sophomore (2017) -- and has surpassed her best assists and points marks.
• Head coach Marcia Pankratz earned her 300th career win in dramatic fashion with the Wolverines' 1-0 decision against No. 2 Maryland on Oct. 18. She is now 304-133 over her 20 seasons at the helm of the Michigan program (1996-2004, '09-19). Pankratz ranks 12th all-time among NCAA Division I coaches with a .697 win percentage -- seventh among active coaches -- and lists 18th in total wins.
• Two of the Wolverines' five losses on the season have come in the shootout -- at No. 21 Stanford (3-2, Sept. 6) and at No. 7 Northwestern (1-0, Sept. 29) -- and both required a sixth round of attempts. They are U-M's first shootout games since the format replaced penalty strokes in 2012.
• Michigan closed out the home portion of its 2019 schedule with a 7-2 record at Ocker Field, outscoring its opposition, 25-8. Since 2010, the Wolverines have posted an 81-18 record at Ocker Field. The Wolverines rank second nationally in total attendance (5,216) and list third with an average attendance of 580.
Scouting the Opposition
Penn State: The Nittany Lions are 6-11 on the season and finished 4-4 in Big Ten play after defeating Rutgers, 2-1, at home last Sunday (Nov. 3). Anna Simon leads Penn State in scoring with eight goals and two assists, while goalkeeper Brie Baracco carries a 2.26 goals-against average and .683 save percentage. Michigan trails in the all-time series against PSU, 27-23, but has claimed eight of the last ten meetings, including a 3-1 decision this season in at Phyllis Ocker Field.
Last Time Out
The Wolverines fell to No. 9 Iowa, 1-0, on Sunday (Nov. 3) in their regular-season finale at Phyllis Ocker Field. The Hawkeyes scored the game's lone goal off a penalty-corner deflection at the 18:00 mark; it was Iowa's only corner chance of the contest. Michigan outshot the Hawkeyes, 9-3, and outcornered them, 4-1. U-M's best scoring chance came on a flurry from the right side of the circle early in the third quarter. [ Full Recap ]
Up Next
Sunday, Nov. 10 -- NCAA Selection Show (NCAA.com), 10 p.m.
Fri-Sun., Nov. 15-17 -- NCAA First/Second Rounds (Campus Sites)
