Season Review: 2019 Michigan Field Hockey
1/17/2020 2:15:00 PM | Field Hockey
Team Captains: Clare Brush, Meg Dowthwaite, Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort
Record: 13-7 overall, 5-3 Big Ten (Tie-3rd Place)
Big Ten Tournament: Quarterfinals
NCAA Tournament: First round
It was another memorable season for the University of Michigan field hockey program in 2019. Under the direction of head coach Marcia Pankratz, in her 20th season, Team 46 posted a 13-7 overall record, including a stout 7-2 mark at home at Phyllis Ocker Field, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time.
Team Highlights
• Michigan earned an at-large selection for its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history -- fifth in as many seasons -- but dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker at No. 4 Louisville, 2-1, in the first round. The Wolverines led for much of the game, after senior Meg Dowthwaite scored on the first shot of the game at the 12:41 mark, but after the Cardinals tied the game late in the third quarter, they added the game-winning goal at 78:14 -- with less than two minutes remaining in the overtime.
• The Wolverines split their season-opening weekend at home, where they hosted the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge (Aug. 30-Sept. 1) for the first time in four years. U-M dropped a close and hard-fought season opener, 4-2, to No. 1 North Carolina -- the eventual undefeated NCAA champion -- before bouncing back with a decisive 3-0 shutout against Wake Forest. After posting a 1-27 record over the first 14 years of the annual kick-off event, Michigan has split its ACC/Big Ten slates evenly, 4-4, over the last quad.
• Michigan knocked off No. 3 UConn, 3-2, at Ocker Field on Sept. 8 -- the Wolverines' first win over the Huskies since 2005. Senior Fay Keijer and junior Kayla Reed scored in the second quarter to build a two-goal U-M lead, while freshman Sarah Pyrtek added insurance late in the fourth. Sophomore goalkeeper Anna Spieker made five saves in the Michigan cage, including three in the fourth quarter.
• U-M also earned a big ranked home win with a 1-0 decision against No. 2 Maryland on Oct. 18. Senior Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort used a remarkable solo effort off a baseline carry to score the game-winning goal at the 28:57 mark, and the Wolverines made it hold up. Spieker made four saves, including three in the second half, to earn the shutout win.
• Michigan closed out the home portion of its 2019 schedule with a 7-2 record at Ocker Field, outscoring its opposition, 25-8. Since 2010, the Wolverines have posted a stout 81-18 record at Ocker Field. The Wolverines rank second nationally in total attendance (5,216) and list third with an average attendance of 580.
• Thirteen different Wolverines scored at least one goal this season, including three -- Emma Tamer, Nina Apoola and Sarah Pyrtek -- who tallied the first of their careers. Tamer, a key component of the Wolverines' corner attack, ranked second on the team with seven goals. Twelve of U-M's 13 goal scorers registered multiple goals in 2019.
Individual Highlights
• Senior Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort became the 13th Wolverine in program history to earn NFHCA All-America first team honors -- and the fourth in five seasons -- and finished her collegiate career as a two-time All-American, adding to her third-team nod in 2018. She posted career highs in her final collegiate season this season with three goals, including the game-winner in Michigan's home win over No. 2 Maryland, and a team-best 12 assists.
• Fernandez Lacort also was named the 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year -- the sixth Wolverine to earn the distinction and the third since the top honor was reinstituted in 2013.
• Senior Meg Dowthwaite led the Wolverines in scoring for the second time in her career with eight goals, including two game-winners, and 19 points this season. A 2017 All-American, she garnered NFHCA All-West Region and All-Big Ten second team honors to become a three-time NFHCA all-region and All-Big Ten honoree. Dowthwaite finished her collegiate career among U-M's all-time great goal scorers, ranking eighth in both career goals (42) and career points (104).
• Junior Halle O'Neill, the Wolverines' starting center back over the last two seasons, headlined a defensive unit that ranked top five nationally with a 1.04 goals-against average and nine shutouts, and allowed just 5.4 shots per game. She also posted two goals and three assists as a key contributor on the Wolverine corner attack. Previously an NFHCA All-West Region second-team honoree last season, she was named to the NFHCA All-West Region and All-Big Ten first team in 2019.
• Sophomores Kathryn Peterson and Anna Spieker also earned individual honors in 2019, with Peterson garnering All-Big Ten and NFHCA All-West Region second-team honors and Spieker being selected to the All-Big Ten second team. Peterson ranked third on the team in scoring with five goals and eight assists, while Spieker listed among the nation's top goalkeepers with a 1.08 goals-against average and .621 save percentage.
• With the Wolverines' dramatic win against Maryland, head coach Marcia Pankratz earned her 300th win in her 20th year at the helm of the Michigan program. She finished the 2019 season with a 302-134 career record and ranks 12th all-time among NCAA Division I coaches with a .693 win percentage --- seventh among active coaches -- and 18th in total wins.
Honors and Awards
Guadalupe
Fernandez Lacort
Halle
O'Neill
Meg
Dowthwaite
Kathryn
Peterson
Anna
Spieker
National Field Hockey Coach Association
All-America (First Team): Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort
All-West Region (First Team): Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort, Halle O'Neill
All-West Region (Second Team): Meg Dowthwaite, Kathryn Peterson
Big Ten Conference
Player of the Year: Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort
All-Big Ten (First Team): Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort, Halle O'Neill
All-Big Ten (Second Team): Meg Dowthwaite, Kathryn Peterson, Anna Spieker
Sportsmanship Award: Clare Brush
All-Tournament Team: Halle O'Neill
Big Ten Player of the Week
Offensive: Sofia Southam (Oct. 7), Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort (Oct. 21)
Defensive: Emma Tamer (Oct. 21)
Academic All-Big Ten
Katie Anderson, So., LSA Undeclared
Clare Brush, Sr., Economics
Kate Burney, Jr., Political Science and History
Meg Dowthwaite, Sr., General Studies
Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort, Sr., Economics
Maya Gompper, Jr., Elementary Education
Abbey Hutton, Jr., Microbiology
Fay Keijer, Sr., General Studies
Kragen Metz, Jr., Business Administration
Kathryn Peterson, So., Neuroscience
Anna Spieker, So., LSA Undeclared
Emma Tamer, So., Statistics
