Michigan Field Hockey Hosts Key League Games
10/7/1998 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
By Joel Snyder, Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
While Michigan football takes a weekend off, the focus shifts to Ocker Field, where the defending Big Ten Conference champion U-M field hockey team faces a crucial weekend in its title defense. Coming off a weekend in which they defeated Iowa and Northwestern on the road, head coach Marcia Pankratz and the Wolverines (10-2, 3-0) are ranked 11th in the nation heading into home matches against No. 8 Ohio State on Friday (Oct. 9) at 3 p.m. and No. 6 Penn State on Sunday (Oct. 11) at 1 p.m.
The Wolverines can take a huge step towards the conference championship with two home victories this weekend as the first half of the 10-game league schedule comes to a close. Michigan and Ohio State enter the weekend tied for first in the Big Ten at 3-0, while Penn State (2-1) is one game back.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1, 3-0) come to town riding a seven-game winning streak. Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Schwartz, a native of Australia, leads the Big Ten with a 0.77 goals against average and has recorded five shutouts this season. She was recently named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week. The Wolverines trail the all-time series with OSU 17-16-2, with their most recent meeting being a 3-1 U-M victory in last year's Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Sixth-ranked Penn State (8-3, 2-1) is coming off of a week in which it suffered a 1-0 loss to Ohio State, putting the Nittany Lions one game behind in the Big Ten race. Dawn Lampley leads the Big Ten in both goals and assists and is the biggest threat for the Nittany Lions, the defending Big Ten Tournament champions. Senior leadership comes from Lampley and goalie Jamie Smith, who ranks third in the Big Ten in goals-against average. PSU is 12-2 all-time against Michigan, including a 2-1 win in the 1997 Big Ten Tournament title game.
Michigan sophomore Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual HS) leads the Wolverines in scoring, with 22 points on nine goals and four assists. She scored two goals against Iowa on Friday and contributing a goal and two assists against Northwestern last week to earn Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. Senior goaltender Kati Oakes (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS) sits only percentage points OSU's Schwartz as the Big Ten's GAA leaders.
Also stepping up for the Wolverines is senior captain Amy Philbrook (Marblehead, Mass./Marblehead HS), who has scored eight goals this season. However, Philbrook is questionable for this weekend's games due to a knee injury sustained at Northwestern. If Philbrook cannot play, senior Lindsay Babbitt (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson HS), the team leader with eight assists, will need to step up to fill the void.
Contact: Brent Richards (734) 763-4423
While Michigan football takes a weekend off, the focus shifts to Ocker Field, where the defending Big Ten Conference champion U-M field hockey team faces a crucial weekend in its title defense. Coming off a weekend in which they defeated Iowa and Northwestern on the road, head coach Marcia Pankratz and the Wolverines (10-2, 3-0) are ranked 11th in the nation heading into home matches against No. 8 Ohio State on Friday (Oct. 9) at 3 p.m. and No. 6 Penn State on Sunday (Oct. 11) at 1 p.m.
The Wolverines can take a huge step towards the conference championship with two home victories this weekend as the first half of the 10-game league schedule comes to a close. Michigan and Ohio State enter the weekend tied for first in the Big Ten at 3-0, while Penn State (2-1) is one game back.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (8-1, 3-0) come to town riding a seven-game winning streak. Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Schwartz, a native of Australia, leads the Big Ten with a 0.77 goals against average and has recorded five shutouts this season. She was recently named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week. The Wolverines trail the all-time series with OSU 17-16-2, with their most recent meeting being a 3-1 U-M victory in last year's Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Sixth-ranked Penn State (8-3, 2-1) is coming off of a week in which it suffered a 1-0 loss to Ohio State, putting the Nittany Lions one game behind in the Big Ten race. Dawn Lampley leads the Big Ten in both goals and assists and is the biggest threat for the Nittany Lions, the defending Big Ten Tournament champions. Senior leadership comes from Lampley and goalie Jamie Smith, who ranks third in the Big Ten in goals-against average. PSU is 12-2 all-time against Michigan, including a 2-1 win in the 1997 Big Ten Tournament title game.
Michigan sophomore Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual HS) leads the Wolverines in scoring, with 22 points on nine goals and four assists. She scored two goals against Iowa on Friday and contributing a goal and two assists against Northwestern last week to earn Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week honors. Senior goaltender Kati Oakes (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS) sits only percentage points OSU's Schwartz as the Big Ten's GAA leaders.
Also stepping up for the Wolverines is senior captain Amy Philbrook (Marblehead, Mass./Marblehead HS), who has scored eight goals this season. However, Philbrook is questionable for this weekend's games due to a knee injury sustained at Northwestern. If Philbrook cannot play, senior Lindsay Babbitt (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson HS), the team leader with eight assists, will need to step up to fill the void.
Contact: Brent Richards (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
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