Michigan
(13-7, 3-3)
Penn State
(17-2, 6-0)
Wolverines Upend No. 1 Seed, Advance to Big Ten Final
11/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team advanced to the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the second straight year, edging out top-seeded and No. 6-ranked Penn State 2-1 in the first semifinal contest Saturday (Nov. 5) at Iowa's Grant Field. The Wolverines built an early lead on a pair of first-half penalty corners and held strong through a late PSU charge.
With the victory, the Wolverines advance to the championship game at 1 p.m. CST on Sunday (Nov. 6), when they will look to defend their conference tournament crown against No. 2 seed Indiana, a 3-1 winner over third-seeded Ohio State in the second semifinal.
Michigan took advantage of its early penalty corners, scoring on back-to-back opportunites midway through the opening half. Junior Kara Lentz (Manchester, Mass./St. Paul's School) notched her second marker of the tournament at the 15:51 mark, accepting a pass from senior captain Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) off of the stop before blasting a hard shot to the upper left corner past a sprawling Nittany Lion goalkeeper Megan Akstin.
Junior/sophomore striker Kristen Tiner (Houston, Texas/The Kinkaid School) extended the Wolverines' advantage a little more than six minutes later, capitalizing on U-M's third penalty corner of the contest. From her position just inside the top of the striking circle, Tiner blasted a low shot to the back of the PSU cage. Junior Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) and Hillman earned assists for the push and the stop.
Penn State poured on the offense in the second half, outshooting the Wolverines 8-3 and outcornering them 6-1. The U-M backfield minimized the scoring threat by keeping half of the shots away from the Wolverine cage. For the ones that did reach the goal, junior Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) was exceptional, making several crucial saves to keep the Wolverines ahead on the scoreboard. The Nittany Lions' Shaun Banta made good on one opportunity, however, scoring an unassisted goal at 68:18 to cut the Michigan lead to one. The Wolverines responded by clamping down on defense and did not allow Penn State another shot in the contest.
Through 70 minutes of play, Penn State registered a 12-6 advantage in shots and outcornered the Wolverines 7-4. Riley was nearly perfect in the U-M cage, stopping four of the Nittany Lions' five shots on goal, while Akstin made one save in the PSU loss.
MATCH SUMMARY
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
| Michigan | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Penn State | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Kara Lentz, 15:51 (Lori Hillman)
1st -- U-M, Kristen Tiner, 22:02 (Hillman, Mary Fox)
2nd -- PSU, Shaun Banta, 68:16 (unassisted)
Shots: U-M 6, PSU 12
Saves: U-M 4 (Beth Riley), PSU 1 (Megan Akstin)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, PSU 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 4, PSU 7
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Team Stats
Lentz, Kara (4)
Assisted By: Hillman, Lori
Penalty Corner
15:51
Tiner, Kristen (4)
Assisted By: Fox, Mary , Hillman, Lori
Direct Corner Shot from top of the circl
22:02
BANTA, Shaun (16)
68:16
