Second half rally spurs 7-2 U-M field hockey win
It was only a four-minute stretch that cost the field hockey team a win against Michigan on Tuesday.
The No. 20 ranked Wolverines scored four goals between the 42nd minute and 46th minute mark in the second half, giving them a 7-2 win in Ann Arbor.
“We tried to do more than we needed to do and it hurt us,” said CMU coach Cristy Freese. “We were short on our bench in the second half, and our lack of depth surfaced to a good Michigan team.”
Michigan outshot CMU 28-4 and held an 8-2 advantage in penalty corners to improve to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten.
Central (6-7 overall, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) couldn’t stop Wolverine junior forward Lucia Belassi.
Belassi had an assist to Ashley Lennington to give U-M its first goal in the first half.
The junior then turned a good first half into a great game when she took command, sparking U-M’s four goal shelling.
She scored in the 42nd minute, and scored again just a minute and a half later to give Michigan a 4-1 lead.
“We just couldn’t keep them out of the goal,” said senior goalkeeper Danielle Frank. “We had a few bad minutes and it really hurt us.”
Game Recap
- Michigan 7, CMU 2
- U-M, Lucia Belassi (Jr.): two goals, four assists
- CMU, Samantha Sandham (So.): one goal
Belassi had another assist to Laytos and one more to Jenner Johnson on a pass in front of the goal to end the four minute stretch that resulted in a 6-1 lead. Belassi ended the game with two goals and four assists.
CMU sophomore midfielder Samantha Sandham tied the game in the first half when she tapped in a shot from the right post. However, another Belassi assist to Paige Laytos gave the Wolverines a 2-1 halftime lead.
CMU senior back Erin Dottery had a late unassisted goal, but Michigan scored the game’s final goal shortly thereafter.
The four-minute stretch was only the beginning of CMU’s problems Tuesday.
Shortly after Sandham scored, she went down in the first half with an ankle sprain and did not return.
CMU has been without freshman back Tara Schiltz for three games, which provided the team with few members to play from the bench.
“We’ve been a little short and it showed,” Freese said. “Tara will be back soon and Samantha will be fine. We’re looking forward to that.”
Frank started in goal and had 13 saves in 60 minutes, but was replaced by freshman goalkeeper Kahla Schwall in the final 10 minutes.
“We’re going to come back and find out what we did wrong,” Frank said. “Now we have to go correct what we did wrong and get ready.”
The Chippewas travel to Missouri State for a pair of games this weekend.
