Penalty Strokes Decide Michigan Win Over Connecticut

Sunday, October 9

Ann Arbor, Mich.

12:30 PM

Michigan

(8-6)

Connecticut

(9-4)

Team	1	2	OT 4	OT 5	OT 6	Final F
Connecticut	1	0	0	0	0	1
Michigan	1	0	0	0	1	2

10/9/2005 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Ocker Field)
Score: #14 Michigan 2, #15 Connecticut 1 (SO)
Records: U-M (8-6), UConn (9-4)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Oct. 16 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), 1 p.m. CDT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team rallied from an early deficit to battle through a marathon game and win on penalty strokes 2-1 over No. 15 Connecticut on Sunday (Oct. 9) at Phyllis Ocker Field. It was the first stroke-off game in the Wolverine program's 32-year history.

With the score knotted at 1-1 through 100 minutes of play, the game went to a stroke-off with both teams lining up five players in the east end zone. The Wolverines needed only three and a half rounds to decide the non-conference contest as senior Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS), junior Kara Lentz (Manchester, Mass./St. Paul's School) and sophomore Lucia Belassi (Paysandu, Uruguay/Liceo #1) all made good on their opportunities and Connecticut missed three of their first four, including one saved by junior goalkeeper Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS), giving U-M an insurmountable 3-1 edge and ending the stroke-off.

Michigan held the game's momentum heading into the stroke-off after rallying from a slow start to dominate the second half and both overtime periods. The Wolverines outshot UConn 14-5 and outcornered them 12-0 during the last 65 minutes of play.

The Huskies controlled the first frame of the contest, outshooting Michigan 9-1 and owning a 2-1 edge in penalty corners. Connecticut opened scoring at the 14:59 mark when Nicole Harmony corralled a bouncing pass from Lindsay Leck through the Wolverine striking circle and batted it in past Riley to the far lower corner.

Hillman tallied her first goal of the season less than eight minutes later, at the 22:36 mark, to tie the game at one goal apiece. The Wolverine captain picked up the ball deep in Connecticut's zone, carried it to the top of the circle and sent a hard shot on the Husky cage. The ball found the lower left corner to beat a sprawling Melissa Bostwick.

Shots were an even 15-15 through the entire contest, but Michigan held a substantial 13-2 advantage in penalty corners. Riley made four stops in the U-M cage and another in the stroke-off for her second straight win, while Bostwick saved six of Michigan's seven shots on goal.

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.

MATCH SUMMARY

Team	1	2	OT	OT	SO	F
Connecticut	1	0	0	0	0	1
Michigan	1	0	0	0	1	2

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- UConn, Nicole Harmony, 14:59 (Lindsay Leck)
1st -- U-M, Lori Hillman, 22:36 (unassisted)

Stroke-Off Results
UConn, Lizzy Peijs, missed
U-M, Hillman, good
UConn, Jennifer Kleinhans, missed
U-M, Kara Lentz, good
UConn, Laura Puddle, good
U-M, Lucia Belassi, good
UConn, Meagan Hoffman, missed
U-M wins stroke-off 3-1

Shots: U-M 15, UConn 15
Saves: U-M 4 (Beth Riley), UConn 6 (Melissa Bostwick)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, UConn 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 13, UConn 2

NOTES

• Today's game was the 12th NCAA Division I collegiate game to go to penalty strokes this season.

• Michigan improved to 3-0 in the all-time series against Connecticut.

• With her first-half tally, senior Lori Hillman earned the seventh marker of her U-M career.

• Hillman and sophomore Lucia Belassi each took the first penalty stroke of her collegiate career in the game-ending stroke-off. It was the third of the season for junior Kara Lentz, who made good on two of them.

• Junior Beth Riley moved to third on Michigan's career games played list for goalkeepers with 52. She is tied with Molly Maloney (2000-04) and needs just four more games to reach the second spot, currently held by Jonnie Terry (56, 1981-84).

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Nancy Cox
On today's game ... "What a testament to our senior leadership today. It is not by coincidence that three weeks ago we were where we were. We were missing some of that senior leadership. Lori (Hillman) is back, and she really stepped up. We have foundation members in our program that lead on the field and in the community, and those kids today did what they needed to do to bring home a victory. It's an incredible day for our field hockey program from that perspective. We have gone through the rigors and the adversity, and now we're starting to play field hockey. It wasn't a pretty win; it was a gut-check win. It was a good one for the annals of Michigan field hockey."

On standout U-M performances ... "Kara Lentz never came out of the match the entire game. She played a whole 70, played both overtimes and then went up to the penalty stroke line and scored a stroke. Lori Hillman never came out in two halves, two overtimes and scored the stroke. That's a testimony to their dedication and their perseverence to this program. They did what they had to do today as leaders; they stepped up and led the way."

On Michigan's senior class ... "All five seniors are leading the way. They work hard every day, trying to earn their playing time on the field. Those are incredibly challenging roles, but the kids at Michigan, they embrace the opportunity just to put our jersey on. Today, that victory was a victory for the annals of time, because it was senior leadership."

On the win ... "This absolutely gives us a boost. The kids have been looking at us, wondering what's going on. We've never started 0-3 in the Big Ten. We keep saying as a coaching staff that this will pay big dividends, and it did today."

U-M Senior Captain Lori Hillman
On her regulation goal ... "It was a pass from the right from (Mary) Fox. I kind of had the reverse, and I thought I'd take a reverse to chip, but for some reason, I pulled it back around and just popped it in. It was kind of an off-speed one."

On the stroke-off ... "I felt we really dominated; we outshot them and outcornered them. We definitely had the momentum, but when you're taking a stroke, momentum isn't really an extra push for you. I think there was a little pressure, but that's good practice for tournament time."

On the team's strong play after the halftime break ... "It was so exciting to see the team come out like that, because we were behind and we came back. We really battled through the rest of the game and the overtimes. I'd like to see our team come out at the start with that fire, but you have to do what you have to do. I'm proud of the team for fighting back, because it would have been so easy just to give up once we had that early goal scored on us. It was exciting to pull a victory out. It was a good win for us."

U-M Junior Goalkeeper Beth Riley
On the stroke-off ... "I've never faced strokes to determine a game before. I usually try to get in the zone right before strokes and have a little practice. I was pretty nervous, but I tried to hide it, because my team was counting on me to do what I could. I was counting on them as well. It helped that the first one went wide. I love the pressure, and I'm just glad that it turned out the way that it did. I was counting on Lori (Hillman) to make her stroke, and Kara (Lentz) and Lucia (Belassi), and everything played out."

On the team's play ... "We were always in the game, especially in overtime when we were dominating the play. We were having trouble putting the ball in the cage. We were making great passes, great combos. We a lot of corners. It was a great effort by everyone."