Oct. 28, 2007
NorPac Tournament Central
STANFORD, Calif.- No. 4 Michigan took advantage of four first-half goals and a stingy defense on Sunday afternoon, defeating Stanford 6-0 in the final non-conference match of the year for both teams at the Varsity Field Hockey Turf.
24 hours after a 1-0 shutout loss at California snapped its 11-game winning streak, Michigan responded with a consistent offensive attack against Stanford. The Wolverines improved to 14-5 overall while the Cardinal falls to 8-7.
Stanford next hosts Radford (5-12, 2-3 NorPac) in a NorPac game to close out the regular season schedule. The Cardinal and Golden Bears are currently tied for the conference lead at 4-1 and both squads play their final league game on Tuesday. The regular-season champion claims the No. 1 seed and first-round bye in the NorPac Tournament.
A second win for Stanford over a nationally-ranked opponent such as Michigan would have provided some momentum heading into the postseason. However, the Wolverines quickly jumped out to a commanding lead and never let up.
Michigan outshot Stanford 21-8 and held a 14-4 edge in penalty corners, a category usually dominated by the Cardinal. Two of the Wolverines' first-half goals came following a penalty corner situation, including the first from Lucia Belassi in the 10th minute to make it 1-0.
After the first of two scores from Kelly Fitzpatrick, the Wolverines again scored off a penalty corner when Kristen Tiner found the net at the 28:09 mark following assists from Sarah Wilhite and Jilliane Whitfield.
Fitzpatrick's second goal of the half gave Michigan a 4-0 lead, as she fired a shot from the right wing of the circle past Cardinal keeper Madison Bell.
The Wolverines added a pair of goals in the final 30 minutes. Stephanie Hoyer collected a loose ball and put it home for a score at the 36:30 mark to make it 5-0, while Paige Laytos scored from inside the circle in the 54th minute to round out the scoring.
Xanthe Travlos led Stanford with three shots while five other players registered at least one attempt.
Bell made 10 saves in goal while Michigan keeper Paige Pickett tallied five saves.
Stanford's next victory will equal last year's win total and guarantee the club's first non-losing season since 2001. Two more wins will represent the team's first 10-win campaign since 2002.