Michigan
Penn State
Johnson's Two Goals Lead U-M to Outright Big Ten Title
10/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Site: State College, Pa. (Bigler Field)
Score: #2 Michigan 3, #6 Penn State 1
Records: U-M (15-1, 6-0 Big Ten), PSU (12-3, 3-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, Oct. 26 -- vs. Old Dominion (State College, Pa.), 2 p.m.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The University of Michigan field hockey team defeated No. 6 Penn State 3-1 on Friday afternoon (Oct. 25) and in doing so claimed the Big Ten Conference title outright.
The Wolverines (15-1, 6-0 Big Ten) received scoring efforts from junior forward April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa./Wyoming Valley West HS) and junior defender Stephanie Johnson (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School), who had two goals. Michigan stretched its school-record winning streak to 14 games, which is tied with Lafayette for the longest win streak this season.
Michigan jumped out to an early lead in the contest when Fronzoni scored at 6:32. The Nittany Lions responded two and a half minutes later when Kelly Concini converted as a result of a PSU penalty corner opportunity. Johnson's first marker, which occurred at 18:59, proved to be the game-winning goal. The Wolverines found the back of the Penn State cage just 10:42 later as Johnson scored her second goal of the game and tied her career high for goals in a season with 11.
Goalkeeper Molly Maloney (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest HS) saw four shots in the opening frame, stopping three.
In the second half neither team scored as the Maize and Blue dropped back into a defensive shell in order to protect its lead in the cold weather conditions. The Nittany Lions got off five shot attempts with just two actually making it to Maloney in the goal. Michigan took just a single shot in the second period.
Michigan will return to action at 2 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 26) against No. 1 Old Dominion. The neutral-site contest will take place at Bilger Field in State College, Pa.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Penn State | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, April Fronzoni, 6:32 (unassisted)
1st -- PSU, Kelly Concini, 9:06 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Stephanie Johnson, 18:59 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Johnson, 28:41 (Kristi Gannon)
Shots: U-M 9, PSU 10
Saves: U-M 5 (Molly Maloney), PSU 3 (Annie Zinkavich)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, PSU 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 8, PSU 6
Penalty Strokes: U-M 0, PSU 0
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the game ... "It was a close game. Penn State's speed was real close to ours, and they were the fastest team we've played to date. Their field was real bouncy, and our defense was able to trap the ball, which made a big difference. Our defense played real solid. Molly Maloney played solid today in goal and made some important saves on breakaway situations. When your score opportunistic goals and you have solid goalkeeping, it's going to be a good day."
On running the table in the Big Ten ... "I'm really proud of our team. This is the toughest Big Ten Conference ever, with every team a quality team. The Big Ten is the toughest conference in the nation, and to not lose a game is a really important accomplishment for them."
NOTES
• Michigan extended its school-record winning streak to 14 games and is currently tied with Lafayette for the longest winning streak in the NCAA.
• With the win over Penn State, Michigan clinched its second outright Big Ten regular-season title. U-M won its first conference championship in the 2000 campaign. The Wolverines shared the Big Ten regular-season championship with Penn State in 1997.
• April Fronzoni's goal gives her 100 points for her three-year career. Fronzoni becomes the fourth U-M player to reach the century mark, joining Mary Callam (136, 1976-79), Kelli Gannon (126, 1997-2000) and Julie Flachs (107, 1994-97).
• Kristi Gannon's eighth assist of the season gives her 19 for her career, which ties her for eighth place on the U-M career assist list. She is tied with Katie Thomas (1989-92) and Ali Balmer (1998-2001).
