Big Ten Tournament Champs: U-M Defeats Iowa in Final

Sunday, November 7

Evanston, Ill.

1:00 PM CT

Michigan

(16-5)

Iowa

(13-7)

Iowa

Michigan

11/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score

EVANTSON, Ill. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team captured the Big Ten Conference Tournament title with a 3-2 victory over No. 14 Iowa on Sunday (Nov. 7) at Northwestern's Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex. It is the third conference tournament title in program history -- and first since back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000 -- and marks the second time that the Wolverines swept the regular-season and tournament crowns.

Seniors (from left) Molly Maloney, Katy Moyneur, Jessica Blake, Kate Dillon and Adrienne Hortillosa celebrate the championship.

The Hawkeyes struck first in the contest with a goal at the 11:48 mark as Debbie Birrell capitalized on a flurry in front of the U-M cage to put the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS). The Hawkeyes' Sarah Dawson started the play from the right side of the circle, rifling the ball toward the goal, where it was batted around before Birrell slammed it to the back of the cage.

The Wolverines took advantage of a penalty corner to even the score at 1-1 as junior/sophomore Katie Morris (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) continued her momentum from a two-goal performance in yesterday's semifinal contest, tallying the equalizer at the 27:01 mark. Iowa goalkeeper Barb Weinberg made the initial two saves off the corner, turning away shots from senior Jessica Blake (Perth, Western Australia/St. Mary's Anglican) and sophomore Kara Lentz (Manchester, Mass./St. Paul's School), but could not control the rebound as Morris flipped the ball high to the right corner of the cage to even the score at 1-1.

U-M continued to pressure late in the first half with three corners in the final 10 minutes of the frame. U-M again capitalized on a flurry around the Hawkeye cage following a penalty corner situation as sophomore Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) gave the Wolverines their first advantage at 33:47. As the ball bounced around the striking circle, Lentz corralled it deep on left side of the circle and fired a shot that found the near post. The ball deflected behind Weinberg and directly to the stick of Fox on the right side, where she tapped it into the open cage.

Penalty corners continued to play an important role in the second half as each team registered a goal off the direct shot. U-M extended its lead at the 51:46 mark as Blake blasted a shot from high on the left side of the circle that deflected off a Hawkeye defender past Weinberg. Lentz and junior Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) collected assists on the push in and stop. Iowa capitalized on its own penalty corner just five minutes later as Tammy Leister scored off the direct shot that deflected off a U-M defender.

Holding its one-goal advantage, the Wolverines clamped down on the Iowa attack as they contained play to the offensive and midfield zones. U-M led the Hawkeyes in both major statistical categories with a 13-9 shot advantage and 15-8 advantage in corners. Riley made three stops in the U-M cage while Weinberg earned eight saves for the Hawkeyes.

The Wolverines, who earned an automatic NCAA berth, will await the NCAA Championship selections on Tuesday (Nov. 9) at 7 p.m. The 16-team tournament opens with first- and second-round matches Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 13-14, at four campus sites to be announced.

The Big Ten Tournament championship game will be televised tape-delayed by CSTV on Monday (Nov. 8) at 9 p.m. EST.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	F
Iowa	1	1	2
Michigan	2	1	3

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- UI, Debbie Birrell, 11:48 (Caroline Blaum)
1st -- U-M, Katie Morris, 27:01 (unassisted)
1st -- U-M, Mary Fox, 33:47 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Jessica Blake, 51:46 (Lori Hillman, Kara Lentz)
2nd -- UI, Tammy Leister, 56:41 (Sarah Dawson, Lauren Stiver)

Shots: U-M 13, UI 9
Saves: U-M 3 (Beth Riley), UI 8 (Barb Weinberg)
Defensive Saves: None
Penalty Corners: U-M 15, UI 8
Penalty Strokes: None