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 PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (Championship Game)
Score: #8 Michigan 3, #14 Iowa 2
Records: U-M (16-5), Iowa (13-7)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, Nov. 13 -- NCAA Tournament First Round (Campus Sites)

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.

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

NOTES

• CSTV will televise today's Big Ten Tournament championship game via tape delay tomorrow (Monday, Nov. 8) at 9 p.m. EST.

• With their third Big Ten Tournament title, the Wolverines have now claimed the second-most conference tournament crowns since its inception in 1994, ranking behind Penn State, which won four in a row from 1995-98.

• Today's Big Ten Tournament final marked the 200th career game of head coach Marcia Pankratz's U-M career. During her nine seasons at Michigan, Pankratz has compiled a career mark 146-54 and stands as the Wolverines' all-time winningiest coach.

• Junior Lori Hillman was named the Big Ten Tournament's Most Valuable Player for her contribution in the U-M backfield. The Big Ten all-tournament team consisted of Hillman, U-M senior Adrienne Hortillosa, Indiana's Katie Kanara, Iowa's Heather Schnepf and Kelly Slattery, Michigan State's Jessica Miller and Michelle Hyunh-Ba, Ohio State's Morgan Kuhn and Lindsay Williams, Northwestern's Lauren Kruse and Penn State's Casey Maser.

• Junior Lori Hillman is the third Wolverine to earn Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player honors, joining Kelli Gannon (1999) and Courtney Reid (2000).

• With her goal today, junior/sophomore Katie Morris tied the U-M record for goals by a sophomore (17), equaling Marty Maugh (1980).

• Despite fracturing her thumb in yesterday's semifinal contest against Ohio State, senior captain Katy Moyneur started the game to preserve her streak of 89 consecutive starts for the Wolverines. Moyneur has not missed a start during her four-year collegiate career and ranks seventh on U-M's career games played list, tied with Courtney Reid (1997-2000) and teammate Adrienne Hortillosa. After earning the start, Moyneur was immediately substituted by freshman Ashley Lennington.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On winning the tournament title ... "I feel really satisfied and very pleased for the team. I didn't even realize that -- with the exception of the fifth-year senior -- nobody on our team had won this tournament yet. It's a hard tournament, and it's escaped us over the past four years. So, I'm really happy for them to be able to achieve this goal."

On U-M improvements since losing to Iowa during the regular season ... "I think we managed the clock a little better. We had made some changes after that loss in Iowa City, so it was really nice to see that the team grew and learned from previous games. You have to give Iowa tons of credit, because they were unrelenting in their spirit and their play; they had to play two overtime games before this, and they ran with us toe-to-toe. It was an exciting final."

On the team's tenacity ... "It just goes to show you the heart of this team and the depth that we have. Everyone can contribute and everyone has a role, and sometimes that role changes and they have to adjust and I think that our team did that really well. They know they have to give it all, and sometimes it's playing through some injuries."

U-M Junior Back Lori Hillman

On the team's performance ... "The most important thing today was putting up this win, because it secures us a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It was a great team effort this weekend. I think everyone really stepped up. Beth (Riley) had some great saves; Jillianne (Whitfield) was playing one-on-one with one of the best players on their team, and she really took her out of the game. (Jessica) Blake put some awesome balls on net; it was an all-around great team effort. I think it brings a lot of confidence that we played back-to-back and came out with victories in both games. So, that was a huge step for us in reaching our ultimate goals."

On playing defense during a one-goal game ... "It's nerve-wracking, but at the same time I have a lot of confidence in my teammates. I know that they're doing everything they can to keep the ball up there."

U-M Junior/Sophomore Forward Katie Morris
On the team's weekend performance ... "It was great team win. This whole weekend, our team really connected all the way from the backfield all the way up to the forwards. Mary Fox and Jessica Blake set up great goals, and I just capitalized on those injuries."

On stepping into a goal-scoring position ... "Last season, we really acknowledged that there would be roles need to be filled and there were going to be openings in the forward line. I just tried to work hard and prove to myself and my team that I could be out there. I think playing with confidence and feeding off of all the positive feedback, I've been able to develop into role player on this team."

On team leadership ... "All five seniors have demonstrated great leadership and exactly what it means to be a leader. Throughout the year, the junior class -- I have sophomore eligibility, but I'm a junior in school -- has really connected and learned from our role models from the grade ahead of us. Lori Hillman is an excellent vocal leader, and she leads by example. We're ready; we still have a long way to go this season."

U-M Sophomore Goalkeeper Beth Riley
On the U-M backfield ... "I've got the best defender in the Big Ten right in front of me, and I'm pretty confident in her and everyone else on the team that the ball isn't even going to get back to me."

On this weekend setting up the NCAA Tournament ... "I think we're in a pretty good position right now. I'm really excited that we got this automatic bid and we're going to the big show. It'll be a lot of fun."