Michigan
Kent State
Wolverines to Open Home Slate with Kent State, Vermont
9/2/2026 4:05:00 PM | Field Hockey
By Talia Black
Promotions
Sept. 4
• Home Opener/Student Tailgate: Free concessions for the first 150 students
Sept. 6
• Alumni Weekend: All alumni in attendance will be recognized on the field at halftime
• Schedule cup giveaway for the first 250 fans
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team will open its 2026 home slate this weekend at Phyllis Ocker Field, hosting Kent State (0-2) at 5 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 4) and Vermont (2-0) at 2 p.m. on Sunday (Sept. 6). Both games will be streamed live on B1G+.
Notes
• Michigan owns a 222-67 record since Ocker Field opened in 1995, including a 77-20 mark over the last 11 seasons.
• U-M tied a program record for second-most goals in a single game with a 13-0 shutout win over Bellarmine in last season's home opener, a game in which nine different Wolverines found the back of the net. Michigan is 21-10 all-time in home openers at Ocker Field.
• In the 2025 campaign and first season with head coach Kristi Gannon Fisher at the helm, the Wolverines went 5-1 and outscored their opponents 26-6 with a pair of shutouts.
• The Maize and Blue went 1-1 to open the 2026 season at the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, topping No. 2 North Carolina 2-1 in overtime before falling to No. 7 Wake Forest 2-0 at Wake Forest's Kentner Stadium. The Wolverines held North Carolina without a penalty corner for the first time since facing UConn in 2014.
• Eva Bernardy, who was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, scored the first goal against the Tar Heels on a penalty stroke before UNC tied the game, but Sofia Ghanbari put the game away in overtime in her collegiate debut for Michigan's first victory over North Carolina since 2021. Junior Cami Wiseman fired a team-leading six shots with five on target.
• Freshman Tilly Gibson earned her first collegiate minutes, starting in both games, while transfer Milaw Clause and freshman Lilly Mitchell also made their Wolverine debuts.
• Kent State holds an 0-2 record following the first week of the 2026 season, falling to Lafayette, 2-1, last Friday (Aug. 28) and VCU, 1-0, in overtime on Sunday (Aug. 30) in Evanston, Ill. The Wolverines lead 15-4-3 in the all-time series against the Golden Flashes, who will look for their first win of the season when they travel to Ann Arbor this weekend.
• Vermont started the season with a 2-0 record for the first time since 2016, opening its 2026 campaign with a 5-2 home win against Northeastern on Friday (Aug. 28) and a shutout road win over Quinnipiac on Sunday (Aug. 30). Seven different Catamounts have found the back of the net through two games this season. U-M will look to remain undefeated in the all-time series against Vermont (3-0) in Sunday's matchup.
