Wolverines Rally to Knock Off No. 6 PSU in OT

Friday, September 19

State College, Pa.

4:00 PM

Michigan

(5-2, 1-0Big Ten)

Penn State

(5-2, 0-1Big Ten)

OT 2

Michigan

Penn State

Ainsley McCallister

9/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey

Box Score PDF Boxscore

By: Leah Howard

Site: State College, Pa. (Penn State Field Hockey Complex)
Score: #18 Michigan 3, #6 Penn State 2 (OT)
Records: U-M (5-2, 1-0 Big Ten), PSU (5-2, 0-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Sept. 21 -- at Kent State (Kent, Ohio), Noon

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Fifth-year senior Ainsley McCallister (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) scored the game-winning goal 4:12 into overtime, lifting the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team to a 3-2 comeback win at No. 6 Penn State in its Big Ten Conference opener on Friday afternoon (Sept. 19) at the PSU Field Hockey Complex. The Wolverines extended their win streak to five straight games.

After rallying from a 2-0 halftime deficit to force overtime, the Wolverines dominated the extra frame. A late yellow card forced Penn State to start overtime a player down, and Michigan took advantage, firing off four shots -- three early from McCallister -- before ending the game on its fifth attempt. McCallister carried the ball in from the right sideline, maneuvering around PSU defenders on the baseline to find an open lane and flip it between the legs of PSU goalkeeper Kylie Licata. It marked her first goal of the season and third game-winner of her career.

Sophomore/freshman Carly Bennett (Narragansett, R.I./Hotchkiss School) scored both of the Wolverines' goals in the second half, registering her first career multi-goal effort less than a week after scoring her first collegiate goal.

Michigan just missed on two corner opportunities late in the first half but made good on its first chance in the second, breaking through with a rebound goal at the 38:53 mark. A PSU defender blocked the direct shot, but the ball bounced to Bennett, who backhanded it into the top right corner of the cage.

Bennett tied the game with less than 15 minutes remaining in regulation, at 55:45, after an odd-man rush into the circle with junior Shannon Scavelli (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland Shrub Oak HS). Scavelli received a long forward pass from fifth-year senior Leslie Smith (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey HS) and slipped the ball to middle of the circle for Bennett, who swept it into the bottom left corner.

Both teams posted several scoring opportunities in the waning minutes of regulation, with PSU earning three late corner chances and U-M earning two, including one with time expired. Freshman goalkeeper Sam Swenson (Harrogate, England/Ashville College) earned two big stops in the final 12 minutes, while Scavelli posted her first career defensive save to keep the score deadlocked.

Both Penn State goals came on first-half corner opportunities. Taylor Herold converted on PSU's first corner of the contest, at 4:34, receiving the insert on the nearside and hammering the direct shot past Swenson. It was the first goal allowed by the rookie goalkeeper in five games, a span of 230 minutes played.

PSU added another corner goal late in the frame. Swenson stopped the direct shot, but Emilee Ehret, who inserted on the corner, was in position on the right post to corral the rebound and knock it into the Wolverine cage.

Michigan outshot the Nittany Lions, 19-11, but was outcornered, 9-6. Swenson earned a career-best six saves in the Wolverine cage, including four in the second half, while Licata posted 10 saves for Penn State.

The Wolverines will wrap up the weekend road trip on Sunday (Sept. 21), heading to Kent, Ohio, to face Kent State at noon at Murphy-Mellis Field.

GAME SUMMARY

By Periods	1	2	OT	F
Michigan	0	2	1	3
Penn State	2	0	0	2

Scoring, Time (Assist)
1st -- PSU, Taylor Herold, 4:34 (Emilee Ehret)
1st -- PSU, Ehret, 21:21 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Carly Bennett, 38:53 (unassisted)
2nd -- U-M, Bennett, 55:45 (Shannon Scavelli)
OT -- U-M, Ainsley McCallister, 74:12 (unassisted)

Shots: U-M 19, PSU 11
Saves: U-M 6 (Sam Swenson), PSU 10 (Kylie Licata)
Defensive Saves: U-M 1, PSU 2
Penalty Corners: U-M 6, PSU 9

NOTES

• With today's victory, Michigan improved to 17-24 in the all-time series against Penn State. The Wolverines have claimed two straight overtime wins against PSU, adding to last season's 2-1 victory at home. It is U-M's first road win against Penn State since 2010.

• After starting the season 0-2, U-M has won five straight games, outscoring its opposition, 22-3, over the stretch.

• Fifth-year senior Ainsley McCallister owns three career game-winning goals. She previously tallied game-winners against Missouri State and Central Michigan last season.

• Sophomore/freshman Carly Bennett has earned three goals and two assists over the last two games.

• Junior Shannon Scavelli posted her second assist of the season on the game-tying marker and has already matched her career best in the category. With five goals already this season, she is also just one goal shy of her career best.

• Scavelli has earned at least one point in each of the last four games, posting four goals and one assist over the stretch. McCallister has posted at least one point in five of seven games this season.

• Freshman goalkeeper Sam Swenson earned a career-best six saves. Her previous best was five, which she recorded through 39:14 played against Wake Forest.

• Michigan has outshot its opponents in six of seven games this season.

QUOTES

Michigan Head Coach Marcia Pankratz
On Michigan's attitude throughout the game ... "We went into the game with a lot of confidence, and I think that was evident as the game went on, no matter what the score was. The team was confident that they could play with anyone and beat anyone. They just persevered, kept working and came out on top."

On adjusting in the second half ... "Penn State did a nice job executing its corners in the first half -- they were 2-for-2 -- and that's always the name of the game. We had to make a little adjustment to the speed of the field. It's a lot faster than ours, and we had to get back up to speed. I thought we made a nice adjustment, stayed strong and played toe-to-toe throughout the whole game. I'm just really proud of how confident we stayed. We really believed we could win the game until the last second."

On Carly Bennett's contribution ... "Carly is a natural. She is a nice hockey player with special skills. It's great to see her really finish in a big game. With teams keying in on other players, like Shannon [Scavelli] and Ainsley [McCallister], she adds a dimension of danger to our team."

On Ainsley McCallister's overtime goal ... "Ainsley put the team on her shoulders in overtime. No doubt about that. She was the captain for the game, and she carried our team in overtime and was not to be denied. No one could get the ball off her stick. She was going to win it for us, and she did."

On goalkeeper Sam Swenson's play ... "When you throw a freshman into a high-pressure situation, like playing Penn State at Penn State, it just shows that we have a lot of confidence in her. She's an outstanding goalie. Penn State is a great team. They scored a couple nice goals on the corner; there wasn't much Sam could do about those. But she stayed focused and confident and came up with some big-time saves in the second half to keep us in it."

U-M Fifth-Year Senior Ainsley McCallister
On her game-winning goal ... "It was a long hit. I tracked the defender's right foot, pulled left, juggled the baseline and juked the other defender who came at me to find an open shot at the goalie. I had done the same thing just about a minute or two earlier, and the goalie saved it with her stick and it hit the post. So, I was a little surprised when they set up the same way. I just thought, 'I'm going to try the same thing.' I had a completely open lane and popped it through the goalie's legs."

On the win ... "It's huge. We have a lot of momentum right now. This was a great win. Penn State is ranked high and has beaten some great teams this season, and we played them toe-to-toe. The Big Ten is going to be tough this year with several teams vying for the title. This is a great start."

On overcoming a two-goal deficit ... "We played well in the first half. They just finished their opportunities, and we didn't. We all knew that it easily could have been us with the advantage. So, we just stayed positive and kept working."

U-M Sophomore/Freshman Carly Bennett
On her two goals ... "After our first goal, I wanted to score again so bad. It was such a great feeling. When I got the second goal, I was almost in shock. I can't wait to watch the video to see the look on my face. I was excited, the team was excited, and we just knew we were going to win. This was such a big game for us. It had a little extra meaning for me since it was Penn State that knocked my brother's team out of the playoffs last season in hockey. It felt like a little family redemption."

On U-M's resiliency ... "We knew we were playing well. We could all feel it. When we came in at halftime, Caroline [Chromik] came into the huddle and said, 'We are not losing this game. I can feel it.' We just came out with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence. It was awesome."