No. 2 Seed Michigan Awaits Bucknell in NCAA Quarterfinals

» Michigan, the No. 2 seed at the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament, will face Bucknell in the quarterfinals at noon on Sunday (May 2) at the PSU Field Hockey Complex.
» The Wolverines swept the Big Ten championship and tournament titles for the fifth time in the program history -- and second time in four seasons -- after cruising past Ohio State, 4-0, in the tournament final last Saturday (April 24).
» Michigan has won each of its last 10 games, outscoring its opposition, 24-2, over the stretch with eight shutout wins, including back-to-back shutouts to close out the Big Ten Tournament.

THIS WEEK
Sunday, May 2 -- vs. Bucknell – NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals (State College, Pa.), Noon
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The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (13-2) returns to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year, traveling to State College, Pa., and the campus of the Penn State University for the NCAA first and second rounds.

As the No. 2 NCAA seed, the Wolverines have a first-round bye due to the reduced, 12-team tournament field this spring and will open play against Bucknell (6-3) in the quarterfinals at noon on Sunday (May 2) at the PSU Field Hockey Complex.

On the other side of the State College bracket, No. 3 seed Louisville (13-5) will face UConn (12-1) in the second quarterfinal matchup at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The quarterfinal winners will advance to the national semifinals, scheduled for Friday, May 7, at North Carolina's Karen Shelton Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C. The national championship game will take place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 9, at Shelton Stadium.

2020-21 NCAA Tournament First/Second Rounds

Sat-Sun., April 30-May 2
PSU Field Hockey Complex (State College, Pa.)

Friday, April 30 • First Round
Game 1 -- VCU vs. Bucknell, Noon
Game 2 -- UConn vs. Rider, 3 p.m.

Sunday, May 2 • Quarterfinals
Game 3 -- No. 2 seed Michigan vs. Bucknell, Noon
Game 4 -- No. 3 seed Louisville vs. UConn, 3 p.m.

NCAA Tournament Notes

• The Wolverines are making their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and sixth in as many seasons. U-M owns an 18-15 record in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to the semifinals in four of its 16 previous appearances, most recently in 2017, 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 11-5 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and is 15-11 during the first weekend of NCAA Tournament play. U-M has won eight of its last 12 NCAA first-round matches.

• Twenty-five of Michigan's 31 NCAA Tournament games have been decided by just one goal, with U-M carrying a 15-10 record in those contests. Thirteen of the Wolverines' 16 first-round games have been decided by a single marker, while all but three of U-M's nine quarterfinal matchups have been determined by a single goal.

• With its 17 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 (21) has as many appearances over the same stretch.

Michigan vs. the NCAA Tournament Field

Bucknell: The Bison carry a 5-3 record into the NCAA Tournament and claimed the Patriot League's automatic qualifier with a 2-1 overtime decision against Boston University in the tournament final last Saturday (April 24). Rachel Apa and Kaelyn Long led Bucknell with two goals and two assists apiece, while goalkeeper Clare McCormick owns a 1.18 goals-against average and a .814 save percentage. Michigan is 2-0 all-time against Bucknell, most recently earning a 2-0 road win in 2012.

VCU: VCU owns a perfect 9-0 record this season and earned an NCAA automatic bid after defeating Saint Joseph's, 2-0, in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship last Saturday. Janne Wetzel and Brid McCormick share the team lead with five goals apiece, while goalkeeper Sasha Elliott carried a 0.79 goals-against average and .853 save percentage. Michigan owns a 2-0 record in the all-time series against VCU, winning 9-1 in the last meeting between the programs in 2014.

Wolverine Bites

• Michigan earned the Big Ten's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the conference tournament title with a 4-0 decision against Ohio State last Saturday (April 24) -- behind a three-goal surge in the second quarter. Senior Halle O'Neill posted two penalty-corner markers, while junior goalkeeper Anna Spieker posted two saves as U-M earned its second straight shutout win. It was the Wolverines' seventh Big Ten tournament title in program history and first since 2017. Michigan also claimed the tournament crown in 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2010.

• The Wolverines also captured the 2020-21 Big Ten regular-season title with its 2-1 victory at No. 11 Maryland on April 10. With its 11 regular-season crowns -- 10 under head coach Marcia Pankratz -- Michigan boasts the second most of any Big Ten school behind Iowa (12). The Wolverines have claimed three of the last four Big Ten regular-season titles, previously winning titles in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018. Six on their league titles have come in outright fashion.

• Michigan posted a perfect 6-0 record in Big Ten play with wins against Indiana (2-1, March 5), Iowa (1-0, March 12), Northwestern (3-2, March 20), Rutgers (1-0, March 26), Michigan State (3-0, April 2) and Maryland (2-1, April 10). The Big Ten is playing a conference-only schedule in 2020-21; in all two-game series this season, only the first contest counts toward the conference standings. U-M finished as the only unbeaten program in the regular-season standings.

• Michigan extended its winning streak to 10 games with its 4-0 win against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Over its current win streak, Michigan has outscored its opposition, 24-2, and recorded eight shutouts.

• U-M ranks second in the nation with a .883 save percentage and second with a 0.44 team goals-against average. Junior goalkeeper Anna Spieker also ranks second in the nation with her.893 save percentage and 0.41 GAA. She boasts a career-high nine shutouts and has posted 45 saves over just five total goals allowed. Michigan's single-season records in the categories are: .887 save percentage (Johnnie Terry, 1982) and 0.78 goals-against average (Sam Swenson, 2015).

• Sophomore Sarah Pyrtek owns Michigan's scoring lead this season with six goals, three assists and 15 points. She boasts four game-winning goals, including the fourth-quarter go-ahead goal against MSU in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Pyrtek also scored the late game-winner goal in the opener against Iowa and tallied the go-ahead marker in the fourth quarter against Northwestern (March 20).

• Head coach Marcia Pankratz owns a 315-136 career record over her 21 seasons at the helm of the Michigan program (1996-2004, '09-19). She ranks 12th all-time among NCAA Division I coaches with a .698 win percentage --- eighth among active coaches -- and lists 16th in total wins.

Last Time Out
The Wolverines allowed just one goal in three straight wins at the Big Ten Tournament last week in Iowa City, defeating Michigan State (3-1), Iowa (2-0) and Ohio State (4-0) to capture its seventh tournament title in program history and sweep the Big Ten crowns for the fifth time. Senior Halle O'Neill was named the Big Ten Tournament MVP after scoring twice in the final -- U-M broke that game open with three goals in the second quarter -- and leading the Wolverine defensive unit, while juniors Katie Anderson and Sofia Southam joined her on the All-Tournament Team. [ Recaps: Michigan State | Iowa | Ohio State ]

Up Next
Fri-Sun., May 7-9 -- NCAA Semifinals/Final (Chapel Hill, N.C.)