Michigan
Rutgers
U-M to Wrap Homestand with Rutgers, Ball State This Weekend at Ocker Field
10/9/2024 8:11:00 AM | Field Hockey
Promotions
Oct. 13
• Wolverine Kids Club, Minions Day
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (8-1, 2-0 Big Ten) will wrap up its three-week homestand with a pair of games this weekend at Phyllis Ocker Field. The Wolverines will host Rutgers (4-6, 1-3 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 11) before closing out its non-conference schedule with a 1 p.m. slate against Ball State (2-7, 1-2 MAC) on Sunday (Oct. 13).
Notes
• Michigan is one of just two teams still unbeaten in Big Ten Conference play, and the Wolverines are coming off their biggest win of the season with a 1-0 shutout against No. 4 and previously undefeated Ohio State last Sunday (Oct. 6). Northwestern sits atop the conference standings with a 5-0 mark, while Michigan owns a 2-0 Big Ten record.
• U-M's win against Ohio State was its second over a ranked opponent this season, adding to a 2-1 decision against No. 18 Wake Forest (Sept. 1). The Wolverines have moved up in each NFHCA poll this season and currently ranked No. 5 nationally.
• The Wolverines boast an eight-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 40-10 to date this season, including a 24-2 differential over the last five 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. Graduate student Kate McLaughlin, who has missed the last three games with injury, leads the Wolverines with a career-best nine goals, while senior/junior Abby Tamer is one away from her career high with eight goals.
• Sophomore/freshman goalkeeper Hala Silverstein earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday (Oct. 7) after posting four saves en route to the shutout win against Ohio State. It was Silverstein's first complete-game shutout of her collegiate career and the Wolverines' fourth in five games.
• Freshman Cami Wiseman scored the game-winning goal against the Buckeyes, diving for a loose ball out of a scrum in front of the cage on a Michigan penalty corner. Michigan fired four shots on the corner -- two from the arc and another in front that was rebounded right that Wiseman knocked in. It was the second goal of her rookie campaign. She is one of three freshmen with a goal this season, joining Payton Maloney and Eva Bernardy.
• Michigan has been sensational on its attack corner this season, capitalizing on 23 of 70 total opportunities for a 32.9 percent conversion rate. Reilly and Pilar Oliveros have combined for half of U-M's goals on direct-corner strikes; both own career highs -- Reilly with six goals and Oliveros with five. On the flip side, Michigan has allowed just two goals off 35 penalty corners against.
• The Wolverines leads the nation with a 4.44 goals-per-game average and ranks second with a 3.33 scoring margin. Before falling below the minimum, McLaughlin ranked fourth nationally -- and second in the Big Ten -- with 1.50 goals per game, and Tamer is currently 13th with 0.89 goals per game. Tamer also ranks 15th nationally with 0.67 assists per game. Four Wolverine players rank among the nation's top-40 leaders in the scoring average category; graduate student Erin Reilly is 29th (0.67) and fifth-year senior Oliveros is 39th (0.63).
• Rutgers owns a 4-6 record this season with a 1-3 mark in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights dropped a pair of road games last weekend, falling to Northwestern (4-0, Oct. 4) and Indiana (4-3 OT, Oct. 6). Guillerm Causarano leads Rutgers in scoring with six goals and nine assists, while goalkeeper Sophia Howard carries a 2.11 goals-against average and .650 save percentage. Michigan is 12-4 in the all-time series against Rutgers, dating back to 1992, but the Scarlet Knights claimed both meetings last season -- a 2-1 OT matchup in the regular-season game and a 1-0 decision in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
• Ball State enters the weekend with a 2-7 record but is coming off a 3-1 win over Longwood in its most recent outing (Oct. 4). Against common Michigan opponents, BSU has fallen to Miami (3-0, Sept. 27) and Michigan State (2-1 OT, Sept. 29). Emma van Hal leads Ball State with five goals and two assists, while goalkeeper Hannah Johnston owns a 3.63 goals-against average and .779 save percentage. Michigan holds a 20-5 advantage in the all-time series against Ball State and has won the last 15 meetings. U-M has shut out BSU in the last four matchups, most recently with a 7-0 win in 2022.
