Michigan
St. Joseph's
Week #12: Wolverines to Face No. 10 St. Joseph's in NCAA First Round
11/6/2018 1:42:00 PM | Field Hockey
» Michigan will face No. 10 St. Joseph's, the Atlantic-10 Conference champion, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday (Nov. 9) at 2:30 p.m., at Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.
» The Wolverines are making their 15th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and fourth in as many seasons; U-M is 10-4 all-time in NCAA first-round games.
» It will be the first meeting between Michigan and St. Joseph's.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Nov. 9 -- vs. St. Joseph's - NCAA First/Second Rounds (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 2:30 p.m.
Live Video | Live Stats | Bracket
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The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (13-6) returns to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year, traveling to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the campus of the University of North Carolina for the NCAA first and second rounds. The Wolverines will open play against No. 10 St. Joseph's (18-2) in the first round this Friday (Nov. 9) at 2:30 p.m. at UNC's Karen Shelton Stadium.
No. 1-ranked and top-seeded North Carolina (19-0) will face the winner of the Wednesday (Nov. 7) play-in game between Monmouth (13-6) and William & Mary (11-7) in the other first-round matchup on Friday at noon. Friday's winners will meet in the second round, which is scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 11) at 1 p.m.
2018 NCAA Tournament First/Second Rounds
Friday-Sunday, Nov. 9-11
Karen Shelton Stadium (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Wednesday, Nov. 7 (Play-In Game)
Game 1 -- Monmouth vs. William & Mary, noon
Friday, Nov. 9
Game 2 -- No. 1 North Carolina vs. Game 1 winner, noon
Game 3 -- Michigan vs. St. Joseph's, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 11
Game 4 -- Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 1 p.m.
NCAA Tournament Notes
• The Wolverines are making their 15th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and fourth in as many seasons. U-M owns a 17-13 record in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to the semifinals in four of its 14 previous appearances, including last season, and twice played in the national title game. In 2001, the Wolverines captured the first NCAA championship for a Michigan women's team in U-M athletics history.
• Michigan is 10-4 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and is 14-10 during the first weekend of NCAA Tournament play. U-M has won seven of its last 10 NCAA first-round matches.
• Twenty-three of Michigan's 30 NCAA Tournament games have been decided by just one goal, with U-M carrying a 14-9 record in those contests. Eleven of the Wolverines' 14 first-round games have been decided by a single marker, while all but two of U-M's eight quarterfinal matchups have been determined by a single goal.
• With its 15 NCAA Tournament appearances, Michigan ranks fourth among Big Ten Conference schools in the category. All of U-M's appearances have come since 1999. Only Maryland (20) and Penn State (16) boast more appearances over the same stretch.
• It will be the fifth time since 2010 Michigan has traveled to Chapel Hill for NCAA Tournament play -- covering five of its last seven NCAA Tournament appearances -- but the first time since 2015.
Michigan vs. the NCAA Regional Field
St. Joseph's: Friday will mark the first meeting between Michigan and St. Joseph's. The Hawks scored late in the first half to defeat VCU, 1-0, in the Atlantic 10 Conference's championship game and claim the league's automatic bid. SJU is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history -- and second in as many years.
North Carolina: Michigan trails, 23-5, in the all-time series against North Carolina, and though the programs have split the last four meetings since 2016, UNC claimed a 5-1 win in this season's opener in Chapel Hill. U-M took the initial lead, with sophomore Halle O'Neill scoring just 4:16 into the game, but Carolina responded with five unanswered goals. The Tar Heels are making their 16th consecutive NCAA appearance and 35th in program history; they have captured six NCAA titles, most recently in 2009. Michigan is 2-2 against North Carolina in NCAA Tournament play, defeating the Tar Heels in the 2001 (5-2) and 2003 quarterfinals (2-1) before falling in the 2011 (5-1) and 2015 quarterfinals (1-0).
Monmouth: Michigan is 1-0 in the all-time series against Monmouth, with the lone meeting between the programs occurring earlier this season at Ocker Field. The Wolverines rallied from an initial deficit in that contest. Sophomore Kayla Reed netted the game-tying marker on a penalty stroke late in regulation, and senior Emma Way buried a corner shot just 1:43 into overtime to complete the comeback. Monmouth will make its third NCAA Tournament appearance after earning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's automatic bid with a 2-1 decision over Fairfield in the championship game.
William & Mary: The Wolverines hold a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series against William & Mary, but the Tribe claimed the most recent meeting -- a 1-0 decision last season at Ocker Field. U-M responded to that loss by claiming 18 straight wins en route to the NCAA semifinals. The Tribe earned a 3-2 upset win in overtime against Delaware to capture the Colonial Athletic Association title and earn an NCAA automatic bid. They are making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2002.
Wolverine Bites
• After starting the season with a 1-3 record, the Wolverines have claimed 14 of their last 17 games. U-M is 6-6 against ranked opposition this season -- and 4-5 against NCAA Tournament teams -- with wins against Monmouth, Rutgers, Penn State and Iowa. Michigan has faced a ranked opponent in eight of its last 11 games -- and top-10 opponents in five of its last 11. The Wolverines have played the nation's 11th-ranked strength of schedule entering the NCAA Tournament.
• The Big Ten Conference qualified a record five teams to the NCAA Tournament -- the most of any conference this season -- in Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Penn State and Rutgers.
• Michigan clinched a share of the 2018 Big Ten regular-season title with its 2-1 double-overtime win against Ohio State (Oct. 21). The Wolverines wrapped up their Big Ten schedule with a near-perfect 7-1 record, with their only loss coming to Maryland (2-1), with whom they shared the championship. With its 10 regular-season crowns -- nine under head coach Marcia Pankratz -- Michigan boasts the second most of any Big Ten school behind Iowa (11). The Wolverines previously won regular-season titles in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2011.
• Senior Emma Way, the 2018 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, leads the Big Ten and ranks 11th nationally with a 0.95 goals-per-game average. She also ranks 17th nationally with 2.05 points per game. She has scored in 14 of the last 18 games and leads the Wolverines with a career-best 18 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 five 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, 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 eight goals over the last 12 games, including the game's first goal in the first half against No. 10 Northwestern and the late game-tying marker against Ohio State. Dowthwaite also netted the game-winner on a late penalty stroke at No. 6 Penn State last month. She owns nine goals this season.
• Michigan has allowed just four goals over its last five games. The Wolverines own five shutouts on the season, with freshman goalkeeper Anna Spieker posting three complete-game shutout efforts. Spieker owns a 1.44 goals-against average and a .741 save percentage in her first collegiate season.
• Michigan is 3-0 in overtime contests this season -- with all three wins coming at Ocker Field. U-M has had significant success in seven-on-seven play of late, with wins in its last nine overtime games and 13 over its last 14, stretching back to the 2015 season.
• 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. Most recently, 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.
Last Time Out
The Wolverines could not shake a sluggish start in their Big Ten Tournament semifinal game against Iowa last Friday (Nov. 2), falling to the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes, 2-1, in Evanston, Illinois. Iowa scored goals early in the first and second halves, including just 7:05 into the contest to build a 2-0 lead. Senior Emma Way pulled U-M within one midway through the second half, and Michigan drew four consecutive corners with time expired but could push across the equalizer. [ Full Recap ]
Up Next
Fri-Sun., Nov. 16-18 -- NCAA Final Four (Louisville, Ky.)
