Week #7: Michigan to Hit Road for Tests Against No. 10 Iowa, No. 21 Stanford

» No. 6 Michigan will face a pair of ranked regional foes this weekend in Iowa City, Iowa, where they will take on No. 10 Iowa at 3 p.m. CDT on Friday (Oct. 5) and No. 21 Stanford at 2:30 p.m. CDT on Saturday (Oct. 6)
» Emma Way, who ranks sixth nationally with 1.08 goals per game, has already matched her career best with 13 goals; Meg Dowthwaite has also scored five goals over the last five games.
» Michigan ranks eighth nationally in strength of schedule; U-M has defeated ranked opponents in each of the last three weekends and faces two more this weekend.

THIS WEEK
Fri., Oct. 5 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 3 p.m. CDT
Live Stats | Live Video
Sat., Oct. 6 -- vs. Stanford (Iowa City, Iowa), 2:30 p.m. CDT
Live Stats

• Game Day Information: Phyllis Ocker Field Information | Free Admission
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter

• Watch: Emma Leading the Way for Field Hockey

The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (8-4, 4-1 Big Ten) hits the road this weekend, traveling Iowa City, Iowa, for a pair of regional matchups against ranked foes. The Wolverines will face No. 10 Iowa (10-2, 3-1 Big Ten) at 3 p.m. CDT on Friday (Oct. 5) before playing No. 21 Stanford (7-3) in a neutral-site slate on Saturday (Oct. 6) at 2:30 CDT at Grant Field.

Wolverine Bites

• Michigan is second in the Big Ten standings with a .800 win percentage -- though first in points -- behind its 4-1 league record. Maryland is the lone undefeated team with a 3-0 conference mark, while Iowa, Penn State and Northwestern all have 3-1 records.

• After starting the season with a 1-3 record, the Wolverines have won seven of their last eight games. Michigan has earned wins over ranked opponents in each of the last three weekends with a 3-1 win against No. 17 Rutgers (Sept. 14), a 1-0 victory at No. 6 Penn State (Sept. 21) and a 3-2 triumph against No. 10 Northwestern (Sept. 28). U-M has faced seven ranked opponents -- and will play two more this weekend -- while three of its four losses have come against No. 1 UConn, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Maryland. U-M lists eighth nationally in strength of schedule.

• Senior Emma Way leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth nationally with a 1.08 goals-per-game average. She also ranks seventh nationally with 2.42 points per game. She has scored in 10 of the last 11 games and leads the Wolverines with 13 goals on the season, which matches her career best in the category. She has tallied three multi-goal efforts and owns four game-winning goals.

• Junior Meg Dowthwaite has also been on a tear of late, scoring five goals over the last five games, including the game's first goal in the first half against No. 10 Northwestern and the go-ahead and game-winning goal late in the first against Indiana. Dowthwaite also netted the game-winner on a late penalty stroke at No. 6 Penn State last month. She owns six goals this season.

• Thirteen different Wolverines have scored at least one goal this season, including four -- Kathryn Peterson, Kate Burney, Sofia Southam, Tina D'Anjolell and Katie Anderson -- who have tallied the first of their careers. Of recent note, junior Fay Keijer netted her first goal of the season against Northwestern last Friday, scoring the go-ahead and game-winning tally late in the first half, while Anderson and senior Marleise Emrhein both tallied their first of the season on Sunday against Indiana.

Scouting the Opposition

Iowa -- The Hawkeyes are 10-2 this season and 3-1 in Big Ten play after their 4-0 shutout against Michigan State (Sept. 28) and 2-1 win over Ohio State (Sept. 30). Maddy Murphy and Katie Birch lead the team with nine and seven goals, respectively, while goalkeeper Leslie Speight owns a 0.64 goals-against average and a .826 save percentage. Michigan trails, 41-24, in the all-time series against Iowa but has claimed each of the last five meetings, including a 3-2 win last year in Iowa City.

Stanford -- The Cardinal enter the weekend with a 7-3 record and have won each of their last seven games after defeating Pacific (2-1, Sept. 28) and UC Davis (5-0, Sept. 30) last weekend. Corinne Zanolli is the team's lead scorer with 15 goals, while goalkeeper Kelsey Bing holds a 1.08 goals-against average and a .817 save percentage. The Wolverines hold a 9-3 advantage in the all-time series against Stanford and have claimed each of the last three games, including a 3-0 shutout last year in Ann Arbor.

Last Time Out

The Wolverines swept a pair of Big Ten foes last weekend, earning a 3-2 win over No. 10 Northwestern and a 6-1 win over Indiana. Junior Meg Dowthwaite scored the first goal of the game early in the first half against the Wildcats. Senior Emma Way and junior Meg Dowthwaite scored a goal apiece in both games, while six different Wolverines tallied markers in the IU slate. Freshman goalkeeper Anna Spieker posted six saves on the weekend. [ Recaps: Northwestern | Indiana ]

Up Next

Fri., Oct. 12 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 5 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 14 -- vs. Ball State (Phyllis Ocker Field), 1 p.m.