Way Scores Twice, Wolverines Blank Penn State

Sunday, September 27

Ann Arbor, Mich.

1:00 PM

Michigan

(3-7, 1-1Big Ten)

Penn State

(2-8, 0-1Big Ten)

Penn State

Michigan

9/27/2009 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Matt Trevor

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Phyllis Ocker Field)
Score: Michigan 2, Penn State 0
Records: U-M (3-7, 1-1 Big Ten), PSU (2-8, 0-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Oct. 2 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill), 3 p.m. CDT

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan field hockey team picked up its first Big Ten Conference win by defeating Penn State, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 27) at Phyllis Ocker Field. Junior Meredith Way (Newmanstown, Pa./Warwick) tallied two goals early in the second half two minutes apart to give Michigan its victory.

Meredith Way

Senior/junior goalkeeper Paige Pickett (Dallas, Texas/Episcopal School of Dallas) kept Penn State scoreless, making eight saves throughout the game for her 10th career shutout. The Nittany Lions outshot Michigan, 16-11, for the game. U-M's defense did not allow a PSU penalty corner in the second half after permitting six in the opening 35 minutes of play.

Way led the offensive surge early in the second half, producing back-to-back goals for the Wolverines. Way's first tally came off a penalty corner from junior/sophomore Katie Adams (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) and junior/sophomore Paige Laytos (Lititz, Pa./Warwick) at 37:41. Less than two minutes later, the Wolverines received another penalty corner. Unable to shoot off the stick stop, Way carried the ball against the oncoming defense and pocketed her second goal in the lower right side of the net.

Michigan is on the road next weekend as it travels to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern on Friday (Oct. 2) and Saint Louis on Saturday (Oct. 3).

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Penn State	0	0	0
Michigan	0	2	2

Scoring, Time (Assist)
2nd -- U-M, Meredith Way, 37:41 (Paige Laytos, Katie Adams)
2nd -- U-M, Way, 39:25 (unassisted)

Shots: U-M 11, PSU 16
Saves: U-M 8 (Paige Pickett), PSU 4 (Ali Meves)
Defensive Saves: U-M 0, PSU 0
Penalty Corners: U-M 7, PSU 6

NOTES

• Fifth-year senior Paige Pickett recorded her 10th career shutout with today's eight-save outing vs. Penn State. She has two shutouts this season; she also blanked Ball State on Sept. 13.

• Junior Meredith Way notched the fourth multi-goal game of her career this afternoon with a pair of tallies. She had two hat tricks and another two-goal effort during her sophomore campaign.

• Junior/sophomore Katie Adams earned an assist for the second game in a row. She leads the Wolverines with four helpers on the season.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On today's win ... "It feels good. Penn State is a great opponent and a great rivalry. To win in front of your home crowd on a Sunday was fun."

On holding on for the shutout ... "I think it was a really important game for our defense. The Iowa game was very disappointing for us, but I am very proud of the team for bouncing back, playing hard and stepping up to the challenge today."

On the performance by goalkeeper Paige Pickett ... "Paige [Pickett] has been having a wonderful year and she's making big saves when we need them. She's giving confidence to the team when she comes up with a big stop and playing hard. She has really played well and I'm very proud of her."

On the team's overall execution ... "We didn't necessarily play very well, but we still found a way to win, which is important. We have some things to adjust in practice this week. There's always something to get better at."

On Meredith Way's two goals ... "Meredith [Way] played with a great presence. She came up with some big goals for us and has shown some outstanding leadership today and I'm very proud of her for that."

U-M Junior Midfield/Back Meredith Way
On today's victory ... "This win gives us a lot of confidence. Penn State is a really good team. They beat us pretty good last year and it wasn't easy today. We didn't have our best game today and still came away with the win. We know we can play with anybody now."

On the team's defensive play ... "We played really well and communicated well today. Paige [Pickett] had an awesome game. We were just a force back there today. We played strong and it was awesome to see."

U-M Fifth-Year Senior Goalkeeper Paige Pickett
On what the defense did so well ... "The defense as a whole stayed with three in the back. We wanted to stretch our out-letting so that makes their forwards decide where to go. I think it worked to our advantage today."

On earning a shutout vs. Penn State ... It feels amazing. I've been waiting for a big win like this all season. I think this is exactly what we needed. It's going to be good things from here on out."

On where the team goes from here ... "We really want to win the Big Ten. That's our big goal of the season. After this win, we know how to score and we know how to play together. I think that will carry over to next week so that we can hopefully get some more wins under our belt."