Michigan
Indiana
Wolverines to Kick Off Postseason at Big Ten Tournament
11/5/2024 12:49:00 PM | Field Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (12-4) will begin the postseason portion of its 2024 schedule as the No. 3 seed at the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Wolverines will face No. 19-ranked and No. 6-seeded Indiana (9-8) in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 7) at Maryland's Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md.
The winner will face either No. 5 Maryland or No. 16 Iowa in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 8). Thursday's matchup will be streamed live on B1G+, while the semifinals and final will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
Notes
• Michigan owns the most Big Ten Tournament titles in conference history with eight, most recently winning the crown in 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. The Wolverines won back-to-back crowns in 1999 and 2000, again in 2004 and 2005 and claimed titles in 2010, 2017, spring 2021 and 2022. U-M also has advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game in three of the last four years -- and 16 times in 26 seasons.
• Michigan will open the Big Ten Tournament against No. 19 Indiana and looks to avenge its 2-1 loss in the regular-season matchup on Oct. 27 at Phyllis Ocker Field. The Wolverines led in both shots (10-4) and corners (4-2) in that contest and knotted up the score just 18 seconds into the second half on a tip goal from graduate student Kate McLaughlin. Indiana responded with the game-winning goal at 41:36 late in the third quarter.
• Indiana enters the postseason with a 9-8 record and went 4-4 in Big Ten play en route to a Big Ten Tournament berth for the first time since 2021. The Hoosiers ended the regular season with a 1-0 win at home against Michigan State last Friday (Nov. 1). Ines Garcia Prado leads IU with eight goals and one assist, while goalkeeper Sadie Canelli owns a 1.10 goals-against average and .768 save percentage. Michigan carries a 23-9 advantage in the all-time series against Indiana. The Hoosiers' win a couple of weeks ago snapped an eight-game U-M win streak in the series.
• Michigan finished the regular season third in the Big Ten standings with a 5-3 record against league opponents. U-M earned shutouts in all five of its conference wins -- Michigan State (3-0, Sept. 23), Ohio State (1-0, Oct. 6), Rutgers (4-0, Oct. 11), Penn State (6-0, Oct. 18) and Iowa (3-0, Nov. 1).
• U-M ranks sixth nationally with a 1.00 goals-against average, while sophomore/freshman Hala Silverstein ranks eighth individually with her 1.06 goals-against average. Michigan has earned shutouts in eight of its last 12 games, including five of eight Big Ten matches. Silverstein owns three complete-game shutouts this season and combined with senior/junior Caylie McMahon for five more.
• The Wolverines also rank third nationally -- and lead the Big Ten -- with a 3.69 goals-per-game average and ranks third with a 2.67 scoring margin.
• Senior/junior Abby Tamer leads the team with 12 goals on the season, while graduate student Kate McLaughlin ranks second with 11 -- career highs for both. Tamer also boasts a team-best 13 assists and 37 points. McLaughlin ranks 10th nationally with a 0.92 goals-per-game average, while Tamer listed 20th at 0.75 goals per game. Tamer also ranks sixth -- first in the Big Ten -- with 0.75 assists per game and seventh with 2.25 points per game.
• Fourteen U-M players have scored at least one goal this season, including five with six or more. With 59 total goals on the season, the Wolverines have long since surpassed their entire 2023 total (38).
• Michigan has been strong on its attack corner this season, capitalizing on 31 of 123 total opportunities for a 25.2 percent conversion rate. On the flip side, Michigan has allowed just five goals off 54 penalty corners against -- a conversion rate of 9.3 percent.
• The Wolverines' 11-game game winning streak was snapped with a 2-0 defeat at No. 8 Maryland on Oct. 20. The win streak tied Michigan's longest since starting the season 11-0 in fall 2021. Michigan has outscored its opposition 53-6 over the stretch.
