Wolverines Set to Host No. 3 UConn, Travel to Central Michigan

» No. 11 Michigan will host No. 3 Connecticut at 6 p.m. Friday (Sept. 13) at Ocker Field before traveling to Mount Pleasant for a 1 p.m. slate at Central Michigan on Sunday (Sept. 15).
» Meg Dowthwaite, Kathryn Peterson and Tina D'Anjolell have multiple goals through the Wolverines' first four games this season; Dowthwaite leads the team with three markers.
» Michigan -- and goalkeeper Anna Spieker -- earned a shutout against Wake Forest in its last appearance at Ocker Field; Spieker owns four complete-game shutouts in her career.

THIS WEEK
Friday, Sept. 13 -- vs. Connecticut (Phyllis Ocker Field), 6 p.m.
Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, Sept. 15 -- at Central Michigan (Mount Pleasant, Mich.), 1 p.m.
TV: CMUChippewas.com | Live Stats | Live Video

• Digital Program (PDF)
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

PROMOTIONS
• Sept. 13: Team Poster giveaway, Shots on Goal
• Full Promotions Schedule

The No. 11-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (2-2) will stay in the Mitten State for a pair of non-conference games this weekend. The Wolverines will host No. 3 Connecticut (4-0) at 6 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 13) at Phyllis Ocker Field before they travel to Mount Pleasant to wrap the weekend with a 1 p.m. slate against Central Michigan (2-3) at the CMU Field Hockey Complex on Sunday (Sept. 15).

Wolverine Bites

• Senior Meg Dowthwaite leads the Wolverines with three goals on the season. Dowthwaite has posted double-digit goals in each of the last two seasons, including a team-best 19 en route to second team All-America honors in 2017. She boasts 37 career goals, which ties her with current Wolverine assistant Kristi Gannon (2000-03) for 11th among U-M's all-time leaders in the category.

• Sophomore Kathryn Peterson has had a hand in five of the Wolverines' nine goals thus far, including all three in U-M's 3-0 win over Wake Forest (Sept. 1). As Michigan's new penalty-corner insert, she boasts a team-best three assists and tallied a goal in back-to-back games against Wake and Stanford (Sept. 6).

• Sophomore Tina D'Anjolell scored in each of the Wolverines' west-coast games last weekend and, with two goals on the fall, is already just one shy of her 2018 season total. D'Anjolell netted the equalizer in Michigan's 2-1 comeback win against California (Sept. 8) with a tip midway through the third quarter.

• Freshman Sarah Pyrtek scored her first collegiate goal at the most of opportune time, as she netted the late game-winning goal in the Wolverines' 2-1 victory over California with a rebound in front of the cage at the 52:00 mark. She owns a goal and an assist over the Wolverines' first four games.

• Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Spieker, despite the loss, starred in the Wolverines loss at No. 21 Stanford, as she earned a penalty-stroke save in the first overtime, stopping a Cardinal breakaway in the second and saving each of Stanford's first three attempts in the shootout. Spieker secured the fourth complete-game shutout of her collegiate career with Michigan's 3-0 win over Wake Forest the previous weekend. She made a stop on the Demon Deacons' lone shot of the contest early in the fourth quarter.

• Since 2010, the Wolverines have posted a stout 75-17 record at Ocker Field. That tally includes a perfect 9-0 record last season -- the first time Michigan went unbeaten at home since 2013, the final year before a complete renovation of the field and stadium. The Wolverines again ranked among the nation's attendance leaders in 2018, listing fifth in total attendance (4,297) and sixth in average attendance (477).

Scouting the Opposition

UConn -- The Huskies are 4-0 this season with wins against four ranked opponents, most recently a 3-0 shutout over No. 6 Harvard. They have only allowed three goals in their four victories. Goalkeeper Cheyenne Sprecher has two shutouts, including six saves in the game against the Crimson. Marie Auer leads UConn with four goals. The Wolverines trail, 8-3, in the all-time series against the Huskies, which includes a narrow 2-1 loss in last season's meeting in Storrs, Connecticut, in which the Huskies scored the game-winning goal with fewer than six minutes remaining in the second half.

Central Michigan -- The Chippewas are 2-3 on the season and have lost their last three games after opening the season with home wins against Colgate (4-1, Aug. 30) and Saint Louis (3-0 (Sept. 2). Alice O'Hagan leads CMU with four goals, while goalkeeper Abigail Ebersole owns a team-best 1.88 goals-against average and .739 save percentage. The Wolverines earned a 9-0 win in the last series meeting against Central Michigan in 2018 at Ocker Field, with goals from six different players. Michigan leads the all-time series with CMU, 37-15-2, with the Wolverines securing nine straight shutout wins since 2010.

Last Time Out

The Wolverines split their Golden State matchups last weekend, as they fell to No. 21 Stanford, 3-2, in a shootout on Friday evening (Sept. 6) before they bounced back with a 2-1 decision at California on Sunday (Sept. 8). Michigan sacrificed a two-goal lead in regulation then missed three chances to put the game away in the shootout, as the Cardinal won in the sixth round. Freshman Sarah Pyrtek scored the game-winning goal at the 52-minute mark to propel U-M past Cal; U-M overcame a halftime deficit. [ Recaps: Stanford | California ]

Up Next

• Sunday, Sept. 22 -- vs. Kent State (Phyllis Ocker Field), 1 p.m.