Michigan
Princeton
U-M's Bid to Repeat as NCAA Champ Foiled by Princeton
11/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Site: State College, Pa. (Bigler Field)
Event: NCAA Tournament (First Round)
Score: #9 Princeton 4, #4 Michigan 3
Records: U-M (18-4), PU (12-6)
Next U-M Match: Season completed
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The University of Michigan field hockey team's bid to repeat as NCAA champion came to an unexpected halt on Saturday (Nov. 16) as the Wolverines were upset by Princeton, 4-3, at Penn State's Bigler Field in a rematch of last year's NCAA semifinal. Freshman defender Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) notched the first two goals of her career and senior forward/midfielder Jessica Rose (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS) scored another in the loss, which was the first first-round setback for the Wolverines in their NCAA Tournament history.
Princeton edged the Wolverines in every statistical category, outshooting U-M 19-12 and taking 10 penalty corners to Michigan's nine. Played under rainy conditions in 35-degree weather, the game showcased the speed of the two teams, as most of the scoring opportunities came in transition play.
After a near-goal by Princeton that was whistled dead before the shot was taken 10 minutes into the game, the Wolverines jumped out to a 1-0 lead 10:26 into the first half when Hillman netted her first career goal, lifting from the right side of the circle a shot that arched over Princeton netminder Kelly Baril.
Princeton threatened to tie the game just minutes later on a penalty corner but was stopped by sophomore goalkeeper Molly Maloney (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest HS). The Tigers eventually tied the game on another penalty corner at 16:35 when Rachel Becker poked the ball into the cage after a scramble resulted from Maloney's rebound on the initial corner shot. Maloney halted the first scoring attempt, but the rebound got past her and hit the post before Becker was able to get her stick on it for the goal.
Michigan regained the momentum and the advantage five minutes later on a penalty corner with Hillman's second goal of the game. As the Wolverines were pressing in the Princeton zone, junior forward/midfielder Laura Woitkewitsch (Cologne, Germany) drew a penalty corner, resulting in Hillman's tally, a shot from the right side of the circle that caromed off a Princeton defender and into the cage.
The second half featured a scoring frenzy as the two teams combined for four goals in an eight-minute span. With the Wolverines holding a 2-1 lead, Princeton reeled off two straight goals three minutes apart to take a 3-2 lead with 9:03 remaining. After taking four straight penalty corners in a three-minute span, the Tigers tied the game at 57:50 when Lauren Quinn fired a shot from the right side on an odd-man rush that left Maloney to cover three Princeton players.
The Tigers took the lead 3:03 later, capitalizing on a Michigan penalty-corner attempt and breaking out to give the Tigers an advantage heading the other way. With Kelly Darling and Natalie Martirosian heading into the circle, Maloney came out to challenge Martirosian, but the ball deflected off Maloney and right to Darling on the left side. Darling sent it to the cage for Martirosian, who tapped it in for the easy score.
The Wolverines charged back and forced the play inside the Princeton 25-yard line, resulting in a pair of penalty corners, including one with 7:20 remaining that Michigan converted. On U-M's ninth corner of the day, junior defender Stephanie Johnson (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) fired a shot from the left side of the circle into the middle, where Rose redirected the shot past Baril to tie the game with 7:07 left in regulation.
The Tigers completed the scoring with 4:02 left in the game as Becker netted her second of the day, tipping in a shot over Maloney. Maloney stopped six shots in the contest, while Baril made five saves as the Tigers outshot Michigan 19-12.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Princeton | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Michigan | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Lori Hillman, 10:26 (Kristi Gannon)
1st -- PU, Rachel Becker, 16:35 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Hillman, 21:28 (Gannon)
2nd -- PU, Lauren Quinn, 57:50 (Claire Miller)
2nd -- PU, Natalie Martirosian, 60:53 (Kelly Darling)
2nd -- U-M, Jessica Rose, 62:53 (Stephanie Johnson)
2nd -- PU, Becker, 65:58 (Martirosian)
Shots: U-M 12, PU 19
Saves: U-M 6 (Molly Maloney), PU 5 (Kelly Baril)
Penalty Corners: U-M 9, PU 10
QUOTES
Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the game ... "I think it was a very exciting match, certainly for the fans, even though it was raining. I think a lot of goals were scored, it was a lot of exciting, fast-break hockey, and Princeton was exceptionally dangerous. It was a fun game to watch, I'm sure."
On Princeton limiting Michigan's opportunities on odd-man rushes ... "I think a part of that was their speed matching ours, and they played nice defense. There were a couple of chances we had and their defenders came up with the play. That's why you play the game, and that's why they won."
On fighting back after falling behind ... "I think right until the very end in the last 30 seconds we still felt we could tie it up, and I think that's the mark of a really poised team and we had been able to do that all year, but they were just too tough and time ran out."
On what they knew about Princeton ... "We knew that they hadn't lost any players from their semifinal team last year, and we thought the draw was a very difficult draw. We considered it a semifinal matchup, because we knew it would be very, very close, and certainly we were ready for that. That was indicative of the back-and-forth play."
On the season ... "I think it's disappointing because it's a new season with NCAAs and our goals were set high and we certainly had a goal to get to the semifinals. Princeton is a tough and wonderful opponent and they deserve to be going forward. That's just how it ended up. Disappointing but certainly a strong team is going to be advancing past us."
U-M Junior Defender Stephanie Johnson
On the game ... "It's always disappointing, but I was really proud of the way our team carried ourselves and the way we responded to some of the adversity out there, the weather and coming back from a goal deficit. I was really proud of the way we held our heads up and walked off the field as a team. We win as a team and lose as a team and we carried that with us today."
NOTES
• Michigan fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its four NCAA Tournament appearances. Entering the weekend, U-M was 3-0 in the first round.
• U-M and Princeton played in a rematch of last year's NCAA semifinal in Kent, Ohio. The Wolverines won the initial meeting 4-2.
• The Wolverines posted four losses in 2002, tying the school record for fewest losses in a campaign.
• Lori Hillman netted the first two goals of her career. Entering the game, she only had one point with an assist against Virginia (Nov. 2).
• Jessica Rose netted her sixth goal of the year, doubling her goal total from a year ago.
