Michigan
Ohio State
Wolverines to Host No. 21 Ohio State in Regular-Season Finale
10/17/2018 3:14:00 PM | Field Hockey
» No. 7 Michigan will host Big Ten rival No. 21-ranked Ohio State in its regular-season finale at noon on Sunday (Oct. 21) at Phyllis Ocker Field.
» U-M will celebrate its five-member senior class -- Maggie Bettez, Leah Cardarelli, Marleise Emrhein, Regan Leavitt and Emma Way -- prior to the game.
» Michigan will clinch at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a win against the Buckeyes; the Wolverines share the conference lead with Maryland with matching 6-1 records.
THIS WEEK
Sun., Oct. 21 -- vs. Ohio State (Phyllis Ocker Field), noon
Free Admission | Live Stats | TV: Big Ten Network | BTN2Go
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The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (11-5, 6-1 Big Ten) will close out the regular-season portion of its 2018 schedule this Sunday (Oct. 21) when it hosts rival No. 21-ranked Ohio State (10-6, 3-3 Big Ten) in a noon slate at Phyllis Ocker Field.
PROMOTIONS
Ohio State: Kid's Zone, Kids Go Blue Club Day, Beanie Giveaway (more promotions)
Wolverine Bites
• Michigan can clinch at least a share of the 2018 Big Ten regular-season title with a win over Ohio State on Sunday (Oct. 21). The Wolverines are tied with Maryland for first place in the conference standings with matching 6-1 records. U-M's lone loss came to Maryland (2-1, Sept. 23), while the Terps fell to Penn State two weeks ago.
• The Wolverines are seeking their second straight Big Ten title and 10th in program history. Michigan captured the regular-season crown outright last season with a perfect 8-0 league record. With its nine regular-season crowns -- eight under head coach Marcia Pankratz -- U-M boasts the second most of any Big Ten school behind Iowa (11).
• Michigan will honor its five-member senior class prior to Sunday's regular-season finale. Maggie Bettez, Leah Cardarelli, Marleise Emrhein, Regan Leavitt and Emma Way have already combined for a sterling 62-21 record over their Michigan tenure, a Big Ten regular-season and Big Ten Tournament title plus three trips to the NCAA Tournament.
• Michigan is 7-0 at Ocker Field this season, outscoring its home opposition, 31-6, and highlighted by ranked wins over No. 17 Rutgers (3-1, Sept. 14) and No. 10 Northwestern (3-2, Sept. 28). The Wolverines boast an impressive 177-53 record at their home facility since its 1995 inauguration, including a 72-16 mark over the last seven seasons.
• Senior Emma Way leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally with a 1.00 goals-per-game average. She also ranks ninth nationally with 2.19 points per game. She has scored in 12 of the last 15 games and leads the Wolverines with a career-best 16 goals on the season. Her previous best was 13 goals, which she tallied last season. Way owns four multi-goal games on the season and four game-winners.
• Way has had a propensity for clutch goals throughout her collegiate career. She boasts 12 career game-winners, including five in overtime and another with time expired in the second half against No. 1 North Carolina in the 2016 season opener. Also of note, she scored with one second remaining in double overtime last season against Maryland, scored in double overtime against Iowa in the 2015 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals and, a day later, assisted on Katie Trombetta's overtime goal against Penn State in the semifinals. Earlier this season, Way scored back-to-back overtime game-winners in home contests against Pacific (Sept. 7) and Monmouth (Sept. 9).
• Junior Meg Dowthwaite also has tallied several big goals this season, scoring six over the last nine games, including the game's first goal in the first half against No. 10 Northwestern and the go-ahead and game-winning goals late in the first against both Indiana and Iowa. Dowthwaite also netted the game-winner on a late penalty stroke at No. 6 Penn State last month. She owns seven goals this season.
• Michigan earned back-to-back shutouts last weekend in wins against Michigan State (1-0, Oct. 12) and Ball State (6-0, Oct. 14), allowing just four total shots -- one on goal. The Wolverines own five shutouts on the season, with freshman goalkeeper Anna Spieker posting three complete-game shutout efforts. Spieker owns a 1.49 goals-against average and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with a .735 save percentage.
• Fifteen different Wolverines have scored at least one goal this season, including five -- Kathryn Peterson, Kate Burney, Sofia Southam, Tina D'Anjolell, Katie Anderson and Maya Gompper -- who have tallied the first of their careers. Of recent note, sophomore Maya Gompper netted her first collegiate goal in the first half against Ball State, while junior Kate Walker scored her first of the season in the second half.
Scouting the Oppositioin
Ohio State -- The Buckeyes enter the weekend with a 10-6 record and are 3-3 in Big Ten play after knocking off Northwestern, 2-1, in their last conference game (Oct. 5). Ohio State has won each of its last four games, including shutout decisions against James Madison (5-0, Oct. 12) and Kent State (4-0, Oct. 14) last weekend. Esther Clotet leads OSU in scoring with eight goals, while goalkeeper Aaliyah Hernandez owns a 1.27 goals-against average and .694 save percentage. The Wolverines own a 38-26-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Buckeyes and have won each of the last eight meetings, dating back to 2012. U-M defeated Ohio State twice last year, 1-0, in the regular season and 3-0 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Last Time Out
The Wolverines earned a pair of shutout victories last weekend, using a late goal to defeat in-state rival Michigan State, 1-0, on the road Friday (Oct. 12) before cruising to a 6-0 decision over Ball State at home on Sunday (Oct. 14). Junior Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort netted the game-winner at 56:45 -- on a referral -- against the Spartans, while five different Wolverines scored goals against the Cardinals, notably senior Emma Way, who scored twice, and sophomore Maya Gompper, who netted the first of her career. Defensively, Michigan allowed just one shot on goal through the two games. [ Recaps: Michigan State | Ball State ]
Up Next
Sun., Oct. 28 -- vs. TBD - Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals (Phyllis Ocker Field), TBA
