Wolverines to Host No. 10 Rutgers for Third Straight Top-10 Series

» Michigan will host No. 10 Rutgers this weekend, with games slated for 4 p.m. on Friday (March 26) and noon on Sunday (March 28) at Ocker Field.
» Rutgers in U-M's third straight top-10 opponent; the Wolverines, who shot up to No. 6 in the latest NFHCA poll, owns wins over current No. 2 Iowa and current No. 5 Northwestern.
» Goalkeeper Anna Spieker leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally with a .875 save percentage; she boasts 28 saves over four goals through four appearances his season.

THIS WEEK
Friday, March 26 -- vs. Rutgers (Phyllis Ocker Field), 4 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, March 28 -- vs. Rutgers (Phyllis Ocker Field), Noon
TV: Big Ten Network+ | Live Stats | Live Video

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The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (3-2, 3-0 Big Ten) will face its third straight top-10 opponent this weekend, hosting No. 10 Rutgers (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) for a two-game set at Phyllis Ocker Field. The teams will face off in Big Ten Conference play at 4 p.m. on Friday (March 26) before wrapping the series with a non-conference slate at noon on Sunday (March 28). Both games will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus.

Wolverine Bites

• Michigan owns a 3-0 record in Big Ten play, with wins against Indiana (2-1, March 5), Iowa (1-0, March 12) and Northwestern (3-2, March 20). 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.

• The Wolverines shot up five spots to No. 6 in the second NFHCA coaches poll of the season, released Tuesday (March 23), and boast wins over current No. 2 Iowa and No. 5 Northwestern. U-M and Iowa played before the first set of rankings this season, while Northwestern was listed at No. 4 when U-M won last weekend. The Big Ten Conference makes up half of the top 10; Penn State also lists No. 7, while Rutgers is No. 10.

• Junior goalkeeper Anna Spieker leads the Big Ten -- and ranks eighth nationally -- with a sterling .875 save percentage, boasting 22 saves over four goals allowed. Spieker registered the ninth complete-game shutout of her career in the opener against Iowa (March 12) 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 owns Michigan's early lead in scoring, with two goals, an assist and five points. She scored the late game-winning goal in the opener against Iowa on a sweep to the left side of the cage at the 53:44 mark. She also tallied the go-ahead marker in the fourth quarter against Northwestern (March 20).

• Junior Katie Anderson also boasts a pair of goals this season and has already matched her career high. She came into the season with three career goals. She scored U-M's first goal of the season off a penalty corner against Indiana (March 5) and added a first-quarter tally -- the equalizer -- in the Wolverines' win against Northwestern.

• 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 307-135 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

Rutgers -- The Scarlet Knights are 5-1 on the season and 3-1 in the Big Ten standings after earning a pair of wins, 2-0 and 5-1, at home against Michigan State last weekend. Mil Redlingshoefer and Kassidy Shetler lead Rutgers in scoring with seven points apiece, while Shetler in the goals leader with three markers. Goalkeeper Gianna Glatz boasts a 0.53 goals-against average and a .857 save percentage. Michigan is 8-1 in the all-time series against Rutgers since 1992 but dropped the most recent meeting -- a 3-0 Rutgers win in Piscatway last season.

Last Time Out

Michigan split its games against No. 4 Northwestern at home last weekend, taking the conference meeting, 3-2, on Saturday (March 20) before falling, 1-0, in overtime in non-conference play on Sunday (March 22). Junior Katie Anderson, sophomore Sarah Pyrtek and junior Kathryn Peterson scored U-M's goals in the series opener, including two in a narrow three-minute stretch in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Junior goalkeeper Anna Spieker posted six saves in each game. [ Recaps: Game 1 | Game 2 ]

Up Next

Friday, April 2 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 3 p.m.
Sunday, April 4 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 1 p.m.