Michigan
Penn State
Wolverines to Travel East for B1G Matches at No. 16 Penn State, No. 8 Maryland
10/15/2024 3:51:00 PM | Field Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (10-1, 3-0 Big Ten) will hit the road this for a pair of Big Ten Conference games. U-M will play No. 16 Penn State (7-6, 1-3 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 18), at the PSU Field Hockey Complex in State College, Pa., before taking on No. 8 Maryland (9-3, 4-1 Big Ten) at noon on Sunday (Oct. 20), at the Terrapins' Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md. Both games will be streamed live on B1G+.
Notes
• Michigan is one of just two teams still unbeaten in Big Ten Conference play. Northwestern sits atop the conference standings with a 5-0 mark, while U-M owns a 3-0 Big Ten record with wins over Michigan State (3-0, Sept. 23), Ohio State (1-0, Oct. 6) and Rutgers (4-0, Oct. 11).
• The Wolverines boast a 10-game win streak after dropping their season opener 4-1 to No. 2 and two-time defending NCAA champion North Carolina on Aug. 30. The win streak is Michigan's longest since starting the season 11-0 in fall 2021.
• Michigan has outscored its opposition 48-10 to date this season, including a 32-2 differential over the last seven games. The Wolverines have already surpassed their entire 2023 total (38). Twelve U-M players have scored at least one goal this season with four boasting five goals or more. Senior/junior Abby Tamer now leads the Wolverines and owns career highs in all offensive categories: goals (10), assists (nine) and points (29). Graduate student Kate McLaughlin, who has missed most of the last five games with injury, also owns a career-best nine goals.
• The Wolverines lead the nation with a 4.36 goals-per-game average and ranks second with a 3.45 scoring margin. Tamer ranks 13th nationally with 0.91 goals per game. Tamer also ranks fourth nationally with 0.82 assists per game. Four Wolverine players rank among the nation's top 50 leaders in the scoring average category.
• Michigan has been sensational on its attack corner this season, capitalizing on 26 of 93 total opportunities for a 28 percent conversion rate. It was 32.9 percent prior to scoring on 1-of-17 corners in Sunday's Ball State game. On the flip side, Michigan has allowed just two goals off 37 penalty corners against -- a conversion rate of 5.4 percent.
• Tamer was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday (Oct. 14) after posting two goals and four assists in Michigan's home wins over Rutgers and Ball State last weekend. She keyed U-M's second-half surge with an unassisted third-quarter goal against the Scarlet Knights. She had a hand in three of four goals against Ball State with a goal and two assists.
• Michigan has earned shutouts in six of its last seven games, including all three Big Ten matches. U-M ranks sixth nationally with a 0.91 goals-against average and fourth with a 0.55 shutouts-per-game average. Individually, sophomore/freshman goalkeeper Hala Silverstein ranks eighth with her 0.96 goals-against average. She owns two complete-game shutouts this season and combined with senior/junior Caylie McMahon for four more.
• Penn State owns a 7-6 record this season with a 1-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-0 win over Ohio in their last outing (Oct. 13). PSU also lost 4-0 to Ohio State last Friday (Oct. 11). Sophia Gladieux leads Penn State -- and the nation -- with 19 goals and a 1.46 goals-per-game average, while goalkeeper Aby Deverka owns a 2.91 goals-against average and .681 save percentage. Michigan trails 31-25 in the all-time series against Penn State but has won six of the last nine head-to-heads. U-M claimed a 2-1 win in last season's meeting in Ann Arbor.
• Maryland enters the weekend with a 9-3 record and a 4-1 Big Ten mark. The Terrapins own a four-game winning streak, including a 5-0 decision against Iowa (Oct. 6) and a 4-1 win against American in their last outing on Monday (Oct. 14). Hope Rose leads Maryland with six goals, while Josie Hollamon owns four goals and four assists. Goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko carries a 0.77 goals-against average and a .769 save percentage. Michigan is 5-21 all-time against the Terrapins but is 3-3 over the last six meetings since 2019. Maryland earned a close 1-0 decision last year in Ann Arbor.
