Wolverines to Meet No. 17 Ohio State, Kent State on Road Trip

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (4-2, 0-0 Big Ten) will open Big Ten Conference play on the road this Friday (Sept. 15) when the Wolverines travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face No. 17 rival Ohio State (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. at Buckeye Varsity Field. U-M will wrap the weekend with a noon game at Kent State (1-5) on Sunday (Sept. 17) at Murphy-Mellis Field in Kent, Ohio.

Notes

• Michigan has claimed three Big Ten regular-season and three tournament titles over the last six seasons and posted a 36-10 conference record over the stretch. U-M's last regular-season title came during the spring 2021 season, but the Wolverines are the reigning tournament champion after they defeated back-to-back top-four opponents -- and avenged two regular-season losses -- to win their second tournament title in three seasons last year.

• Eleven different Wolverine players have scored at least one goal this season, including seven different goal scorers in last Friday's 7-0 win against Davidson (Sept. 8). Junior Alana Richardson leads U-M with three goals, while four Wolverines own two goals already this fall. Michigan has outscored its opposition 17-5 through six games.

• The Wolverines were particularly effective on their attack corner last weekend, scoring four corner goals against Davidson and converting on 2-of-8 corner opportunities in their 2-0 win over No. 10 Saint Joseph's on Sunday (Sept. 10). Senior Pilar Oliveros and freshman Kelsey Reviello both scored on two direct corner shots -- one in each game -- last weekend.

• Reviello and fellow freshman Natalie Millman both tallied their first collegiate goals in the Davidson win. Millman netted U-M's first and game-winning marker on a tip in front late in the first half. Freshman Esmée de Willigen also scored against Davidson after tallying her first collegiate goal a week earlier in the first half against UC Davis, freshman Juliette Manzur scored the Wolverines' first of the 2023 season in the first quarter of the season opener against No. 1 North Carolina.

• Michigan has earned shutouts in each of its last three games -- a stretch that includes ranked wins over No. 18 Old Dominion (1-0, OT, Sept. 3) and No. 10 Saint Joseph's (2-0, Sept. 10). The Wolverines owns a 0.83 goals-against average on the season and averaged just 7.5 shots against, including four shots against over their current four-game winning streak.

• Junior/sophomore goalkeeper Caylie McMahon ranks fifth nationally with a .821 save percentage and eighth with a 0.85 goals-against average through six games. She earned complete-game shutouts against both Old Dominion and Saint Joseph's -- the first of her career -- after previously contributing to four combined shutouts with Anna Spieker last season. McMahon registered a career-best eight saves against both UNC and Wake Forest over the first weekend, including seven second-half saves against the Tar Heels.

• Ohio State is 6-1 this season and is coming off a split weekend, falling to Louisville, 2-1, last Friday (Sept. 8) before bouncing back with a 6-0 win against Stanford at home on Sunday (Sept. 10). Mckenna Webster leads the Buckeyes with eight goals and four assists, while goalkeeper Abby Danson owns a 1.04 goals-against average and .759 save percentage. Michigan carries a 43-26-2 advantage in the all-time series against OSU and has won 13 straight meetings, including a 3-1 decision last season in Ann Arbor.

• Kent State enters the weekend with a 1-5 record on the season and dropped decisions to Penn State (5-0, Sept. 8) and Bucknell (2-1, Sept. 10) on the road last weekend. KSU's lone win came at home against Michigan State, 1-0, on Sept. 1. Eva Usoz owns three goals to lead the Golden Flash offense, while goalkeeper Cecile van Eijck carries a 2.44 goals-against average and .712 save percentage. Michigan is 14-4-3 all-time against Kent State and has won each of the last four series games, including a 2-1 win at home in 2021 -- the last meeting between programs.

• Junior Abby Tamer will redshirt the 2023 season to train and compete with the USA Field Hockey Women's National Team in its bid to qualify for the 2024 Olympics. Tamer, a 2022 NFHCA All-West Region second-team honoree who has accumulated 13 goals and nine assists over 39 games played and two seasons at Michigan, earned her first senior-level international cap and goal in June.