Michigan
Princeton
Strong Second Half Puts Michigan in NCAA Title Game
11/16/2001 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Site: Kent, Ohio (Dix Stadium)
Event: NCAA Tournament (Semifinals)
Result: #7 Michigan 4, #6 Princeton 2
Records: U-M (17-5), Princeton (17-3)
Next U-M Game: Sunday, Nov. 18 -- vs. Maryland/Wake Forest at NCAA Tournament Final (Kent, Ohio), 2 p.m.
KENT, Ohio -- Three second-half goals, including a penalty stroke by sophomore defender Stephanie Johnson (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) with 5:57 remaining, propelled the seventh-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team to its second NCAA championship game in three seasons as the Wolverines downed No. 6 Princeton 4-2 on Friday (Nov. 16) in the first NCAA semifinal at Kent State's Dix Stadium.
After a fairly even first half, the Wolverines (17-5) peppered the Tiger defense with 13 second-half shots, including 10 on net, while holding Princeton to just four shots, including two that reached senior goalkeeper Maureen Tasch (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS). Michigan outshot the Tigers in the contest 19-8 while outcornering them by an 11-3 margin.
Michigan found itself down by one goal less than 10 minutes into the game when Princeton's Emily Towsend picked up a loose ball and put it past Tasch. With the Tigers attempting their second penalty corner of the game, Cory Picketts put a shot on net, which was saved by Tasch and left in front between two U-M defenders and Townsend. Townsend picked up the ball and beat a sprawling Tasch on her left side to go up 1-0.
The Wolverines answered just over 10 minutes later at the 13:29 mark when junior forward Jessica Rose (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS) put a rebound past PU goalkeeper Kelly Baril. Working out of its fifth penalty corner of the game, Johnson took the initial shot, which caromed to Rose on the right side for the score.
Early in the second half, the Tigers regained the lead at 2-1 just over five minutes into the stanza when Picketts lofted a pass from Ilvie Friebe over Tasch. The Wolverines responded immediately, scoring 40 seconds later, as junior forward Molly Powers (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park-River Forest HS) took a pass from freshman midfielder Jessica Blake (Perth, Western Australia/St. Mary's Anglican) and shelved it over Baril.
The Wolverines took their first lead of the game with 25:15 remaining off the stick of sophomore forward April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West HS), who scored on an individual effort along the right goal line, beating Baril from a near-impossible angle to put U-M up for good, 3-2.
Johnson gave Michigan a two-goal lead on her penalty stroke, which was set up by Powers. The Wolverines put a shot on net from outside the circle, which was let go by Baril and stopped by the left post. As the ball lay at the left post, Powers and Baril met at the ball, and a shot by Powers was batted down by a hand from the Tiger defense, setting up Johnson's insurance goal.
With the win, the Wolverines advance to the NCAA championship game to face the winner of the second semifinal between No. 1 Maryland and No. 3 Wake Forest. Michigan last faced Maryland in the 1999 NCAA final, falling by a 2-1 margin, while the Wolverines and Demon Deacons met in the 2001 season opener for both schools, a 3-2 (ot) Wake Forest win on Aug. 25 at U-M's Ocker Field.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Princeton | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- PU, Emily Townsend, 25:02 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Jessica Rose, 13:29 (unassisted)
2nd -- PU, Cory Picketts, 29:56 (Ilvie Friebe)
2nd -- U-M, Molly Powers, 29:16 (Jessica Blake)
2nd -- U-M, April Fronzoni, 25:15 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Stephanie Johnson, 5:57 (penalty stroke)
Shots: U-M 6-13--19, PU 4-4--8
Saves: U-M 3-2--5 (Maureen Tasch), PU 2-7--9 (Kelly Baril)
Defensive Saves: None
Penalty Corners: U-M 8-3--11, PU 2-1--3
Penalty Strokes: U-M 1-1 (Stephanie Johnson); PU 0-0
N O T E S
• Michigan advances to the national championship game for the second time in three seasons. U-M fell to Maryland, 2-1, in the 1999 NCAA final.
• Tonight's game was the first-ever meeting between Princeton and Michigan.
• The two-goal margin of victory was Michigan's largest in the NCAA Final Four. U-M's previous two games at the Final Four were decided by a single marker.
• Stephanie Johnson has converted both of her penalty strokes in the NCAA Tournament this season. Former Wolverine Ashley Reichenbach was the last to accomplish that feat, converting both of her attempts in the first and second rounds of the 1999 tournament. Johnson has notched a penalty-stroke goal in each of her last two games and has five (in seven attempts) this season.
• April Fronzoni has four goals in three games during this year's NCAA Tournament.
• Molly Powers netted her second goal of the tournament, and has 2-1-5 totals in her three outings.
• Jessica Rose scored her first goal since a 4-0 win at Central Michigan on Oct. 21, a span of five games.
• With an assist on Powers' goal, Jessica Blake picked up her first point since scoring the game-winner in a 2-1 victory at Ohio on Oct. 14.
• U-M is outscoring opponents by an 11-5 margin in the NCAA Tournament.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On Michigan's demeanor in the game ... "We came out really loose and relaxed, and that was important for us. Over the whole season we've had a lot of adversity, in our own minds anyways, but we've had a really successful season. We set a lot of really high expectations for this team and sometimes we haven't met them. We learned to not get really excited about the big wins and not don't get too down about the losses and try to learn and move forward and grow as a team, and to really stay connected and unify."
On the game ... "The game was kind of a microcosm of our season in that there were ups and downs, and we tried to stay focused and play well. We talked at halftime to stay patient, because we were playing really well, and to stay positive, and things really worked out for us. Every little play and every little inch mattered, and that was evident throughout the majority of the game."
Sophomore Forward April Fronzoni
On her game-winning goal ... "I think it definitely was a turning point, but the first turning point was when we were able to come back in less than a minute and tie the game up. I think my goal added to it and just carried the momentum forward."
On her goal ... "It was from a very tough angle. I just saw a tiny opening, and either I was going to go back into millions of feet or go for it, and I took the chance and went for it. Luck was on my side."
Junior Forward Molly Powers
On her game-tying goal ... I thought (Jessica) Blake was going to take the shot, but it came off the stick at a funny angle and I was preparing myself for the rebound. It just came toward my side and I could see the goalie going down, so I decided to lift it up over her and use her momentum against her. It was great because they had just scored on us and were starting to get a little confidence, and we wanted to steal the momentum back from them."
On trailing twice by one goal ... "It's always difficult to be down by one, but it's a 70-minute game, and there is always time to catch up. That's the way we look at it. We always go out expecting to win and so even though we're down, we can't lose faith in ourselves. We believe in ourselves that we're going to come back and score. Even though we're down one, we don't look at it like the game is decided by that factor. It's just a matter of taking it one goal at a time and believing in ourselves."
