Wolverines Fall in Overtime Against Top-Ranked Terps

Sunday, September 2

College Park, Md.

Noon

Michigan

(1-3)

Maryland

(4-0)

OT 1

Michigan

Maryland

9/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: College Park, Md. (Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex)
Score: #1 Maryland 3, #12 Michigan 2 (OT)
Records: U-M (1-3), Maryland (4-0)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Sept. 7 -- vs. Old Dominion (Phyllis Ocker Field), Noon

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- After trailing by two goals at halftime, the No. 12-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team rallied back to force top-ranked Maryland into overtime, but U-M fell 3-2 after a Terp goal in the extra frame Sunday (Sept. 2) at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

The Terps' Katie O'Donnell notched the game-winning tally a little more than six minutes into overtime, using the chaos in front of the cage after a Maryland penalty corner to get her stick on the direct shot from teammate Susie Rowe. O'Donnell redirected the ball past junior/sophomore Paige Pickett (Dallas, Texas/Episcopal School of Dallas). The Terps largely controlled the extra frame with constant pressure in the Wolverine circle, firing seven shots at the Wolverines' while drawing a pair of penalty corners.

The Wolverines scored two unanswered goals in the second half, including the game-tying tally with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation, to send the contest into overtime. Junior/sophomore Heather Wiley (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) put Michigan on the board with her first collegiate goal at the 48:36 mark. The play originated with sophomore Paige Laytos (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS), who needled a cross pass through a pack of Terp defenders in front of the cage to Wiley on the far post. Wiley one-timed a shot past Maryland goalkeeper Kathyrn Masson.

Sophomore Kelly Fitzpatrick (Hummelstown, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) neutralized the score at 62:06 after she corralled her own rebound in front of the Terp cage and lifted it over a sprawled Masson. Fitzpatrick had accepted a pass from junior Stephanie Hoyer (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) before carrying the ball into the circle and securing her second goal of the season.

The two squads matched each other during the initial stages of the game as play -- largely contained to neutral territory -- moved back and forth down the field. Maryland built up a quick advantage, however, late in the frame with back-to-back goals from Nicole Muracco within a slim 1:32 window.

Through 76:20 minutes of play, Maryland outshot the Wolverines 29-9 and narrowly outcornered U-M 5-4. Pickett earned a career-high 12 saves in the U-M cage, including eight in the second half, while Masson claimed seven stops for the Terps.

Michigan returns home to Phyllis Ocker Field next weekend for a pair of non-conference contests against nationally-ranked opposition. On Friday (Sept. 7), U-M will square off against Old Dominion at noon, before returning for a 2 p.m. meeting against Connecticut on Sunday (Sept. 9).

MATCH SUMMARY

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

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- MD, Nicole Muracco, 22:37 (Katie O'Donnell)
1st -- MD, Nicole Muracco, 24:06 (Sarah Scholl)
2nd -- U-M, Heather Wiley, 48:36 (Paige Laytos)
2nd -- U-M, Kelly Fitzpatrick, 62:06 (unassisted)
OT -- MD, O'Donnell, 76:20 (Susie Rowe)

Shots: U-M 13, MD 29
Saves: U-M 12 (Paige Pickett), MD 7 (Kathryn Masson)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, MD 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 4, MD 5
Penalty Strokes: None

NOTES

• With today's defeat, the Wolverines fell to 1-7 in the all-time series against Maryland.

• Today's contest proved to be a near carbon copy of last season's meeting between the two programs. It that contest, the Wolverines trailed Maryland 1-0 at halftime before then-freshman Kelly Fitzpatrick scored the tying goal to send it to overtime. Maryland won the game with a goal early in extra time.

• While Michigan owns a 1-3 record this season, its three losses have come against No. 1-ranked Maryland, No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 3 North Carolina.

• Junior/sophomore Paige Pickett registered a career-best 12 saves in today's loss against top-ranked Maryland. Her previous best was 11 stops in her collegiate debut vs. Wake Forest (Aug. 27, 2006).

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Nancy Cox
On today's game ... ""We asked our team to limit their corner opportunities, and they did that. Being down 0-2 against Maryland on their home field is a very challenging proposition, and we came back to tie it up. I think that's a testimony to the resiliency of this group. I think it's a matter of them starting to realize that they can be an exceptional team. But they have to finish their opportunities, and, defensively, we have to make better decisions at critical junctures of matches.

"Across the board, I think that our midfield did a really nice job. So, I am referencing Steph Hoyer, Lucia Belassi and Paige Laytos -- they all played quite well today. Paige Laytos took her game to another level today, and that's the type of effort that we need. We need 70 minutes from all 11 of them on a consistent basis. I think that they will all learn from this opportunity to go to Maryland. They'll all learn that we're that close -- that we can play with the best teams in the country and we can beat the best teams in the country. The coaching staff believes in this group of young women; they need to believe in themselves."

U-M Fifth-year Senior Back Kristen Tiner
On today's game ... "It was a bit of deja vu from last year, playing again in overtime. I think we really controlled the first 25 minutes of the first half, but they got those two quick goals. We regrouped at halftime, and, again, I really think we dominated the whole second half of the game. I think we outplayed them. It's been the case this year -- with three losses we've had -- where we have felt, at the end of the game, that we could have had them. So, I do think this game proves that we are a strong team. Sure it leaves you with a sour taste when you lose, but, at the same time, we need to take away from this game that it's the best team we've played, and everybody contributed across the board."

On how U-M will build off its current record ... "We have our strength of schedule for a reason. We play the top-three teams the first two weekends so that we know what's there to come. We know what we need to work on, and it prepares us for the Big Ten season that much more. We just need to build on the good things that we've done. It's tough to lose, but I'd rather be losing now than later on in the season. I think we're going to see them again. The coaches are confident and we're confident that we'll be back here in November. We know that we can play with them. There's nowhere to go but up from here. We have a very young team. Those players are still learning, and they're learning quickly and doing very well. So, the future is promising for us."

U-M Sophomore Forward Kelly Fitzpatrick
On the game ... "On paper, I'm sure this game doesn't look as close as it actually was. It was a good game. We were in it throughout the whole thing, and play was really back and forth, especially during the second half. So far this season we have been a second-half team, which is something we definitely need to continue working on. I feel like we've been testing the waters in the first half and, in the second, we'll start playing our game. So, we just really need to start playing the first half more like we do the second. We need to come out, step up much earlier and set the tempo of the game."