Michigan
Northwestern
Michigan to Kick Off Homestand with Two-Game Set vs. Northwestern
3/17/2021 2:32:00 PM | Field Hockey
» Michigan will open a four-game homestand with a pair of games against Northwestern this weekend, hosting the Wildcats at 3 p.m. on Saturday (March 20) and Monday (March 22) at Ocker Field.
» Sarah Pyrtek owns Michigan's early points lead with a goal and an assist; she scored the late game-winner in U-M's 1-0 road win at Iowa last weekend.
» Goalkeeper Anna Spieker leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally with a .941 save percentage; she boasts 16 saves over one goal through two appearances his season.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, March 20 -- vs. Northwestern (Phyllis Ocker Field), 3 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video
Monday, March 22 -- vs. Northwestern (Phyllis Ocker Field), 3 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (2-1, 2-0 Big Ten) will return home to Phyllis Ocker Field this weekend, kicking off a four-game homestand with a pair of contests against No. 4 Northwestern (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten). The teams will meet for a Big Ten Conference slate at 3 p.m. on Saturday (March 20) before wrapping up the series with a non-conference game at 3 p.m. on Monday (March 22). Both games will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus.
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan owns a 2-0 record in Big Ten play, with wins against Indiana (2-1, March 5) and Iowa (1-0, March 12). The Big Ten is playing a conference-only schedule in 2020-21; in all two-game series this season, only the first contest counts toward the conference standings. U-M is the only unbeaten program in the standings.
• Junior goalkeeper Anna Spieker leads the Big Ten conference -- and ranks third nationally -- with a sterling .941 save percentage, boasting 16 saves over one goal allowed. Spieker registered the ninth complete-game shutout of her career in the opener against Iowa and posted nine saves in the series finale (March 14) -- her most in a game since similarly tallying nine against Iowa in 2018. Her career high is 11, which she recorded against UConn in 2018.
• Sophomore Sarah Pyrtek scored the late game-winning goal against Iowa on a sweep to the left side of the cage at the 53:44 mark. Pyrtek owns three collegiate goals -- all three have been game-winners, including a similarly late tally (52:00) last season in a 2-1 win at California.
• Pyrtek owns Michigan's very early lead in scoring, with one goal, one assist and three points. She helped on junior Tina D'Anjolell's goal in the second Iowa game. It was D'Anjolell's seventh career goal. Four different Wolverine players have scored goals through three games this season.
• Six Wolverine freshmen made their collegiate debuts this season. Anouk Veen assisted on U-M's two goals against Indiana, while goalkeeper Gillian Dumont earned the season-opening win the cage. Veen, Dumont, Rosie Hope, Pilar Oliveros and Lora Clarke have all started at least one game, while Kate McLaughlin has earned significant minutes off the bench. Michigan has a large 10-member freshman class.
• The Wolverines have claimed two of the last three Big Ten regular-season titles and seek their 11th in program history. Michigan shared the regular-season crown in 2018 with a 7-1 mark, a year after posting a perfect 8-0 mark en route to the outright title in 2017. With its 10 regular-season crowns -- nine under head coach Marcia Pankratz -- U-M boasts the second most of any Big Ten school behind Iowa (12).
• Pankratz owns a 306-134 career record over her 21 seasons at the helm of the Michigan program (1996-2004, '09-19). She ranks 12th all-time among NCAA Division I coaches with a .695 win percentage --- eighth among active coaches -- and lists 18th in total wins.
Scouting the Opposition
Northwestern -- The Wildcats are 5-1 on the season and 3-1 in the Big Ten standings after earning a pair of shutout wins, 5-0 and 4-0, against Indiana at home last weekend. Bente Baekers lead Northwestern in scoring with three goals and four assists, while Peyton Halsey owns four goals. Goalkeeper Florien Marcussen owns a 1.00 goals-against average and a .500 save percentage. Michigan trails in the all-time series against the Wildcats, 33-29, but has claimed seven of the last 10 meetings. Northwestern claimed last season's meeting, earning a 1-0 decision in a shootout in Evanston.
Last Time Out
Michigan split a pair of road games at Iowa last weekend, defeating the Hawkeyes, 1-0, on Friday afternoon (March 12) before narrowly falling in a shootout, 2-1, on Sunday (March 14). Sophomore Sarah Pyrtek netted the late game-winner the first contest, while junior Tina D'Anjolell scored U-M's goal in the second. Junior goalkeeper Anna Spieker earned 16 total saves on the weekend. [ Recaps: Game 1 | Game 2 ]
Up Next
Friday, March 26 -- vs. Rutgers (Phyllis Ocker Field), 4 p.m.
Sun., March 28 -- vs. Rutgers (Phyllis Ocker Field), Noon
