Jones Posts 10 Saves in U-M's Upset Victory at No. 12 Iowa

Friday, October 26

Iowa City, Iowa

2:00 PM CT

Michigan

(12-5,4-2)

Iowa

(12-5, 3-2)

Michigan

Iowa

Jones Posts 10 Saves in U-M's Upset Victory at No. 12 Iowa

10/26/2012 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Grant Field)
Score: #14 Michigan 2, #12 Iowa 1
Records: U-M (12-5, 4-2 Big Ten), Iowa (12-5, 3-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Oct. 28 -- at Central Michigan (Mount Pleasant, Mich.), 1 p.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 14-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team extended its winning streak to five straight games with a 2-1 upset victory at No. 12 Iowa on Friday afternoon (Oct. 26) at Grant Field. After dropping its first two Big Ten Conference games of the season, the Wolverines finish the regular season with a 4-2 league mark.

Haley Jones

Freshman Lauren Thomas (Aylesbury, England/Aylesbury HS) put the Wolverines on the board at 8:48 mark, using an early corner opportunity to net her third goal in three games. Senior Liesl Morris (Lafayette, N.J./The Taft School) stopped the ball at the top of the circle and passed it to Thomas on the short side, where she sent a sweeping shot to the lower left corner of the cage. Junior/sophomore Leslie Smith (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey HS) also earned an assist on the insertion.

The Hawkeyes evened the score after a long hit early in the second half, at 36:52, as Dani Hemeon got free in the circle and took advantage of a flurry in front to corral her own rebound and reverse hit a point-blank shot into the right corner.

Michigan responded immediately, however, retaking the lead less than three minutes later on a spectacular redirection goal from sophomore Emy Guttman (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) after a shot from outside the circle. Junior/sophomore Sammy Gray (Wilmette, Ill./North Shore Country Day School) hammered the ball in from the right sideline, and Guttman, crossing in front of the cage, knelt to get her stick down and on it, tipping it high to the left side of the cage at 39:18.

Iowa drew five corners and fired five shots on goal over a 15-minute stretch late. The Hawkeyes had a goal waved off after back-to-back corner opportunities after the umpires deemed the direct shot too high.

An Iowa green card with six minutes remaining helped relieve some pressure late as the Wolverines reestablished a controlled possession to wind down the clock.

The Hawkeyes posted a 16-7 advantage in shots, including 13-1 in the second half, and outcornered Michigan, 10-6. Senior/junior goalkeeper Haley Jones (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) earned 10 saves in the U-M cage -- her fifth game this season with double-digit saves -- while Iowa's Kathleen McGraw stopped three of Michigan's five shots on goal.

The Wolverines will close out the regular-season portion of their 2012 schedule on Sunday (Oct. 28), heading to Mount Pleasant, Mich., to face in-state rival Central Michigan at 1 p.m. at the Field Hockey Complex.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	F
Michigan	1	1	2
Iowa	0	1	1

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- U-M, Lauren Thomas, 8:48 (Liesl Morris, Leslie Smith)
2nd -- Iowa, Dani Hemeon, 36:52 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Emy Guttman, 39:18 (Sammy Gray)

Shots: U-M 7, Iowa 16
Saves: U-M 10 (Haley Jones), Iowa 3 (Kathleen McGraw)
Defensive Saves: None
Penalty Corners: U-M 7, Iowa 10

NOTES

• With today's victory, the Wolverines improved to 19-39 in the all-times series against Iowa. Michigan boasts five straight wins in the series.

• Today was Iowa's first home loss of the season.

• The Wolverines' five-game winning streak is their longest since posting six straight in the heart of the 2011 season.

• Freshman Lauren Thomas owns four goals on the season and three over the Wolverines' last three games. She posted two in U-M's 4-3 win at Indiana (Oct. 19).

• Senior Liesl Morris and junior/sophomore Lesley Smith both own a career-best 11 assists on the season. Morris has registered five assists over Michigan's last five games.

• Senior/junior Haley Jones owns five double-digit save performances on the season. Three have come against Big Ten competition -- Penn State (14), Northwestern (12) and Iowa (10). She improved her save percentage to a career-best .780.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On the Wolverine performance ... "We played gritty and tenacious. It wasn't one of our best games. We were a little frazzled here and there, but Iowa created that. They are a very good team; they're skilled, and they're gritty and tenacious too. They took it to us and kept ramping it up as the game went on. I was so proud of our team for just staying in it and not giving it away. We played tough, relentless and smart."

On the young Michigan backfield ... "We've been trying to give them good structure -- good, basic and fundamental structure. I think game experience, more than anything else, has helped them get better and better. They are learning more and getting stronger with each game. I'm proud of those guys. They're a joy to coach, have great attitudes and work hard -- all of them. They're a good group of Wolverines."

On rebounding from a 0-2 start in the Big Ten ... "They stayed really positive. They really focused on continuing to learn and not getting discouraged. Starting off with Penn State was probably good for us, because they're such a strong team and our kids immediately understood the necessary level. We've been practicing at that level ever since and know what it takes, and it's been good for us."