Belassi's OT Game-Winner Sends U-M Past California

Saturday, October 22

Berkeley, Calif.

Noon PT

Michigan

(10-6, 2-3Big Ten)

California

(9-7, 5-1NorPac)

Team	1	2	OT 3	Final F
Michigan	1	1	1	3
California	1	1	0	2

10/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Berkeley, Calif. (Maxwell Family Field)
Score: #10 Michigan 3, California 2 (OT)
Records: U-M (10-6), California (9-7)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Oct. 23 -- vs. Pacific (Berkeley, Calif.), 3 p.m. PDT

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Sophomore Lucia Belassi (Paysandu, Uruguay) tallied the game-winning goal less than six minutes into the first sudden-death overtime to send the No. 10-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team past California, 3-2, on Saturday (Oct. 22) at the Golden Bears' Maxwell Family Field.

The Wolverines applied steady pressure deep in the California zone early in the overtime frame. Senior captain Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) played a hard shot onto the Golden Bear cage at the 75:51 mark, and Belassi was able to get her stick on it, sending it to the upper corner past Cal goalkeeper Veronica Sykes. It was Belassi's first game-winning tally of her U-M career.

Michigan had held a 2-1 advantage entering the final minute of regulation, but a goal by Golden Bear Jennifer Crane at the 69:18 mark knotted the score at two apiece and sent it into the extra frame.

The score was tied at 1-1 at the halftime intermission after the Wolverines rallied from an early deficit to even up things just before the break. Junior/sophomore striker Kristen Tiner (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) scored at 27:56 off a direct penalty corner opportunity. Tiner took a low shot to Sykes' glove side, and the ball redirected off a Golden Bear defender. Junior Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) and Hillman earned assists on the play for the insert and the stop.

Fox earned a goal of her own off another U-M penalty corner at the 65:54 mark. The Wolverine junior moved to the front of the California cage after playing in the ball and was in the right spot to slam a shot past Sykes, giving Michigan their first lead of the game late in the contest. The initial shot by Tiner was blocked, but freshman Stephanie Hoyer (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) corralled the ball and dished it off to an open Fox.

The Wolverines were significantly outshot and outcornered in the contest by 16-9 and 11-3 margins, respectively. Riley made eight stops for the win in the U-M cage, while Sykes earned three saves on Michigan's six shots on goal.

The Wolverines will wrap up their final road series of the season and try to extend their four-game winning streak tomorrow (Sunday, Oct. 23) with a non-conference match against the Pacific Tigers. The game is slated for a 3 p.m. PDT start at Calfornia's Maxwell Family Field in Berkeley, Calif.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	OT	F
Michigan	1	1	1	3
California	1	1	0	2

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- Cal, Valentina Godfrid, 10:52 (Jenna Long)
1st -- U-M, Kristen Tiner, 27:56 (Lori Hillman, Mary Fox)
2nd -- U-M, Fox, 65:54 (Stephanie Hoyer)
2nd -- Cal, Jennifer Crane, 69:18 (Godfrid)
OT -- U-M, Lucia Belassi, 75:51 (Hillman)

Shots: U-M 9, Cal 16
Saves: U-M 8 (Beth Riley), Cal 3 (Veronica Sykes)
Defensive Saves: U-M 2, Cal 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 3, Cal 11

NOTES

• Michigan improved to 5-0 in the all-time series against California. The Wolverines also own an impressive 28-2-1 record against teams from the NorPac Conference.

• Sophomore Lucia Belassi is the third Wolverine to nab her first career game-winner this season, joining junior Kara Lentz and freshman Erin Dallas. Belassi has also registered a career-high five goals in 2005.

• Today's three goal scorers (Kristen Tiner, Mary Fox, Lucia Belassi) all scored in Michigan's 6-1 victory at Northwestern last weekend.

QUOTES

U-M Senior Captain Lori Hillman
On the game ... "First of all, Beth (Riley) played out of her mind. They had a couple really quick shots, consecutively on goal, and Beth was just stopping all of them. We've been down many times before this year, so I think that it's important that we continue to never give up and keep fighting. That's something that we definitely did today."

On the team's current momentum ... "We talked last night about how we're definitely on the upswing of things. This is great timing. Even if we are going into overtime and having close games, it's great practice for the Big Ten Tournament."

U-M Junior/Sophomore Kristen Tiner
On the game ... "The game was a lot more evenly-matched than the shots and corners suggested, and I think we actually dominated most of the second half. They did get a few corners that were a little questionable. In overtime, Lori (Hillman) and Jilliane Whitfield came up with some really big defensive plays and got our attack going. We moved the all up the field, and Lori played an insert ball into the circle and Lucia (Belassi) had a great tip into the goal."