Michigan
Indiana
Michigan to Hit Road for B1G Weekend Against Indiana, Northwestern
9/25/2019 3:45:00 PM | Field Hockey
» No. 9 Michigan will open Big Ten play on the road this weekend, traveling to Indiana (Friday, Sept. 27; 3 p.m.) and Northwestern (Sunday, Sept. 29; noon CDT).
» The Wolverines have claimed each of their last four games and five of their last six since dropping the season opener; U-M has earned shutouts in the last two outings.
» Meg Dowthwaite, who leads Michigan with four goals this season, moved into the top 10 among U-M's all-time scoring leaders with 38 markers in her career.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Sept. 27 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), 3 p.m.
TV: BTN+ | Live Stats | Live Video
Sunday, Sept. 29 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), noon CDT
TV: BTN+ | Live Stats | Live Video
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten) will hit the road this weekend for pair of Big Ten games against Indiana and Northwestern. On Friday (Sept. 27), the Wolverines will face Indiana (4-3, 1-0 Big Ten) at 3 p.m. at the IU Field Hockey Complex in Bloomington, Indiana, before traveling to Evanston, Illinois, for a noon CDT matchup Sunday (Sept. 29) against No. 7 Northwestern (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten) at the Wildcats' Lakeside Field.
Wolverine Bites
• With the start of the conference slate, the Wolverines will seek their third straight Big Ten title and 11th in program history. Michigan shared the regular-season crown last season with a 7-1 mark, a year after posting a perfect 8-0 mark en route to the outright title in 2017. With its 10 regular-season crowns -- nine under head coach Marcia Pankratz -- U-M boasts the second most of any Big Ten school behind Iowa (11).
• The Wolverines have won five of their last six games since dropping their season opener against No. 1 North Carolina (Aug. 30), including each of the last four contests. U-M already has picked up a pair of ranked wins over No. 10 Wake Forest (3-0, Sept. 1) and No. 3 UConn (3-2, Sept. 13). It was Michigan's first win against the Huskies since 2005.
• Michigan has boasted back-to-back shutouts in its last two wins and owns three on the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Spieker tallied two saves apiece to contribute to U-M's shutout wins against Central Michigan (Sept. 15) and Kent State (Sept. 22), and she earned one save in a complete-game performance against No. 10 Wake Forest (Sept. 1). She owns a 1.48 goals-against average, while the Wolverines have allowed just 5.7 shots per game.
• Senior Meg Dowthwaite shares the team lead with four goals on the season. She 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 has 38 career goals, which moved her into a tie with Meredith Way (2007-10) for 10th among U-M's all-time leaders in the category. Dowthwaite also boasts 94 career points and ranks 11th among U-M's leaders, tied with Leslie Smith (2010-14).
• Junior Kayla Reed also owns four goals this season after she posted two off second-quarter penalty corner tips against Kent State. It was the first multi-goal game of her collegiate career. She is just two tallies shy of her career best goal tally (six, 2017).
• Sophomore Kathryn Peterson has had a hand in nearly half of the Wolverines' 19 goals this season with three goals and five assists. As Michigan's new penalty-corner insert, she has a career high in assists and is just one shy of her 2018 goal total.
• Sophomore Sofia Southam and senior Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort tallied their first goals of the season in the fourth quarter against Kent State to become the seventh and eighth Wolverines to tally at least one goal through the first seven games of the season. Six Wolverines already own multiple goals.
• Freshman Sarah Pyrtek scored her first collegiate goals in the most opportune times 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 followed with a key late insurance goal -- which proved to be the game-winner -- at the 55:45 mark against UConn in the Wolverines' next game. She has scored two goals and an assist over the Michigan's first six games.
• Pyrtek is one of three Wolverine rookies to make their collegiate debuts this season. Freshmen Nina Apoola and Cece Duran also have seen time off the bench, including significant minutes in U-M's game at Central Michigan on Sept. 15.
Scouting the Opposition
Indiana -- The Hoosiers are 4-3 on the season and 1-0 in the Big Ten after they upset No. 23 Michigan State (4-2, Sept. 20) in East Lansing, Michigan. Hailey Couch and Kelsey Giese lead the team with five goals and two goals, respectively, while goalkeeper Sachi Ananias holds a 2.90 goals-against average with a .661 save percentage. Michigan boasts a 17-8 advantage in the all-time series against Indiana and has won eight of the last nine meetings, including a 6-1 decision last season.
Northwestern -- The Wildcats hold an 8-2 record entering this weekend and are 1-0 in the Big Ten after their 4-1 win over No. 12 Ohio State last Friday (Sept. 20). Northwestern also defeated Miami (Ohio), 5-2, Sunday (Sept. 22). Bente Baekers and Lakin Barry lead the team with 14 and five goals, respectively, while goalkeeper Florien Marcussen maintains a 1.42 goals-against average with a .700 save percentage. Michigan trails in the all-time series against the Wildcats, 32-29, but has claimed seven of the last nine meetings, including two last season -- 3-2 in the regular-season slate and 3-1 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Last Time Out
Michigan scored two goals apiece in the second and fourth quarters to defeat Kent State, 4-0, last Sunday (Sept. 22) at Ocker Field. Junior Kayla Reed netted two off second-quarter penalty corners to break open the scoring, while sophomore Sofia Southam and senior Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort scored in the fourth to help U-M pull away. Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Spieker earned two saves and combined for the shutout victory. [ Full Recap ]
Up Next
• Saturday, Oct. 5 -- vs. Appalachian State (Phyllis Ocker Field), 2 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 6 -- vs. Michigan State (Phyllis Ocker Field), 4 p.m.
