Weekly Release #7

Upcoming Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 6 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 5 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 9 -- vs. Connecticut (Ocker Field), 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 16 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 1 p.m. CDT

This Week's Lineup -- at Michigan State, vs. Connecticut
The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (6-6, 0-2 Big Ten) will play a pair of top-15 ranked opponents this week, squaring off against Michigan State on the road before wrapping up the weekend with Connecticut at home. On Thursday (Oct. 6), the Wolverines will head to East Lansing, Mich. to face the No. 10-ranked Spartans at 5 p.m. at the MSU Field Hockey Complex in a Big Ten Conference slate. U-M will return home to Phyllis Ocker Field on Sunday (Oct. 9) for a 12:30 p.m. affair with No. 15 Connecticut.

Wolverines and Spartans Vie for Challenge Cup Point
Returning for its third season, the Pontiac Challenge Cup pits Michigan and Michigan State against each other in the fall, winter and spring. U-M has captured the trophy in every session over the previous two seasons and the Wolverine field hockey team has won each intrastate match. Michigan leads the 2005 fall session 1.5-0 after wins by volleyball and football. The victor of Thursday's affair will earn one full point towards the Challenge Cup standings.

Scouting the Spartans
Michigan leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 30-21-6 and has won 10 of the last 12 meetings with the Spartans. The two intrastate rivals squared off twice last season with the Wolverines taking the regular-season match and MSU winning in the NCAA quarterfinal round. Both affairs were close one-goal games. Senior Adrienne Hortillosa scored the overtime game-winning when the two teams faced in Big Ten competition, sending the Wolverines to a 1-0 victory. Hortillosa paced U-M again a month later in the NCAA First/Second Round with a pair of markers, but the Spartans came back with two goals in the second half for the 3-2 win. For more information on Michigan State, visit www.msuspartans.com.

Scouting the Huskies
Michigan and Connecticut will meet for just the second time on Sunday (Oct. 9) in a rematch from the 1999 NCAA Final Four. The Wolverines hold a 1-0 lead in the all-time series after downing the Huskies 4-3 in the national semifinals. The last scheduled meeting between the two programs was cancelled after the September 11 tragedy. For more information on Connecticut, visit www.uconnhuskies.com.

STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll
The Wolverines dropped to the 14th spot in the most recent STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, released on Tuesday (Oct. 4). Demonstrating the strength of the Big Ten Conference this season, six Big Ten schools are listed among the top 15 in this week's national rankings. The STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll can be found by visiting the NFHCA's site.

STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll (10/4/05)

Rank, Team (record) Points Previous 1. Wake Forest (10-0) 600 1 
2. Maryland (13-1) 560 2 
3. Duke (9-2) 514 4 
4. American (10-0) 504 4 
5. North Carolina (8-2) 492 3 
6. Penn State (12-1) 414 7 
7. Indiana (11-1) 400 8 
8. Old Dominion (8-4) 393 6 
9. Ohio State (10-2) 355 10 
10. Michigan State (8-4) 304 9 
11. Northeastern (11-1) 295 12 
12. Iowa (7-4) 259 14 
13. Louisville (10-3) 241 11 
14. MICHIGAN (6-6) 162 13 
15. Connecticut (8-3) 158 18 
16. Villanova (10-2) 156 15 
17. Boston College (7-3) 139 16 
18. James Madison (6-5) 99 17 
19. Boston University (8-3) 97 20 
20. Richmond (5-5) 41 19

Statistically Speaking ...
National statistics, compiled by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), are released every Tuesday during the season. Junior goalkeeper Beth Riley holds down the 16th spot on the nation's saves list with 74 stops.

Among the Big Ten Conference, senior/junior Katie Morris holds the eighth position in points (19), while sharing the sixth position in goals (8). Junior Kara Lentz (Manchester, Mass./St. Paul's School) lists ninth in coference assists with four. In the U-M cage, junior Beth Riley sits second in saves (74) and saves per game (6.17). Throughout the 2005 season, the latest standings and statistics from the Big Ten can be found by visiting the Big Ten's website.

Having a Career Year
With Michigan's 4-3 win at Kent State (Sept. 25), junior Beth Riley earned her 36th career win to take sole possession of Michigan's all-time wins record. Riley was previously tied with Katie Oakes (1997-99) at 35. Riley also sits within striking distance of several other U-M career records. She shares the fourth spot -- with Oakes and Maryann Bell (1983-86) -- with 48 career games played. She boasts 11 career shutouts and needs two more to reach the fifth position on Michigan's all-time shutout rankings, currently held by Maureen Tasch (13, 1998-2001).

Hillman, Fuchs Earn Seventh-Place USA Finish at Junior Worlds
Behind the play of senior captain Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) and guidance of assistant coach Tracey Fuchs, the USA Under-21 team posted a 4-2-2 mark en route seventh place -- its best finish in four appearances -- at the Junior World Cup, held Sept. 14-25, in Santiago, Chile. Hillman started every game in the U.S. backfield and contributed to just 14 goals allowed against the toughest junior teams in the world. Team USA wrapped up the competition with a 4-2 victory over South Africa in the seventh/eighth-place contest.

Free Hits
Freshmen Erin Dallas and Stepanie Hoyer connected on all three of Michigan's goals last weekend. Dallas tallied two goals and a helper, while Hoyer notched one marker and a pair of assists.

On the Horizon
Michigan will hit the road for a Big Ten Conference match against Northwestern next Sunday (Oct. 16) in Evanston, Ill. The contest is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CDT at the Wildcats' Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex.