Finals Recap
A late goal from Northwestern was not to push past Michigan, in a 2-1 Michigan win.
The first quarter did not have much in terms of stats until late in the period. Michigan took a shot in the 4th minute that was saved by Annabel Skubisz. In the 8th minute, Michigan took a corner, by the shot by Kathryn Peterson was blocked. Later in the period, two more Michigan shots were blocked, and a Northwestern corner was broken down. In the twelfth minute, Kate McLaughlin was able to redirect a shot taken by Katie Anderson making the game 1-0 in favor of the Wolverines.
Michigan continued the high energy at the begging of the period, with a pair of shots but nothing came from it. Michigan picked up two more shots in the quarter and Northwestern took two. Neither team was able to pick up a corner or goal.
Michigan started the second half with high pressure and was able to pick up a penalty corner in the 34th minute. The initial shot was saved by Skubisz, but the ball popped up and Brynn Zorilla batted it into the goal. With the game at 2-0, Northwestern recognized that they needed to pick up the pace and got themselves a corner. However the shot went wide, and a minute later Michigan was taking a corner. Skubisz came up big with the save. The game went into the final quarter with a 2-0 Michigan lead.
Michigan started the fourth with more shots, but both were stopped. Northwestern then got a penalty corner, but both the initial shot and rebounds were stopped. In the 54th minute, Northwestern got a penalty corner. The ball was slipped left, and Lauren Wadas got the shot passed the goalie to make the score 2-1.
Michigan is your 2022 Big Ten Champion and will earn an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
Finals Preview
How they got here:
Michigan is 13-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big 10. Their in-conference losses came against Penn State, Maryland, and Northwestern. They outscored their opponents 50-16 this year. They also outshot their opponents 351-111. They average 2.78 goals per game.
Northwestern is 17-3 overall and 5-3 in the Big 10. Their losses came against Iowa, Maryland, and Rutgers. They average 2.8 goals per game, and 19.6 shots per game. They also average 7.5 corners per game.
Key Players:
Northwestern:
Bente Baekers - The fifth-year forward from the Netherlands leads the team in goals with 22 and in points with 51. She is 4th in D1 for goals per game, with 1.16 goals per game.
Peyton Halsey - Halsey is a senior midfielder from Pennsylvania. She has 12 goals and 4 assists this season. She is 4-4 for strokes this year.
Kayla Blas - Blas is a fifth-year midfielder from New York. She leads the team in assists with 13. Her assists per game average of .68 is tied for the 10th best in D1.
Annabel Skubisz - Skubisz is a junior goalie from Texas. She has played all 1, 235 minutes for the Wildcats, making 82 saves and only allowing 24 goals in. Her goals-against average is 1.17 and her save percentage is 0.774. She is 13th in D1 for GAA and 17th for save percentage.
Michigan:
Lora Clarke - Clarke is a junior midfielder from Ohio. She has 11 goals and 3 assists. Her shot-on-goal percent is 0.780, meaning she has a deadly aim.
Nina Appola - Apoola is a senior midfielder from England. This season she has 2 goals and leads the team with 6 assists.
Anna Spieker - Spieker is a fifth-year goalie from Germany. She has only allowed 10 goals this season. She averages 0.72 goals against her per game, which is the best in D1. Her save percentage is 0.773.
Previous Matchups:
The last time these two teams played each other was a couple of weeks ago on October 21st. Lauren Wadas scored the lone goal for Northwestern in a 1-0 win.
In the all-time series, Michigan has won 23 of the 28 games. In the last ten games, Michigan has won 7.
Prediction:
Based on the 6 games played since 2019, there is an exact 50% chance of either team winning.
Semifinals Recap
Michigan vs. Penn State
Kathryn Peterson came up big for the Wolverines in a 2-1 win against Penn State.
Michigan started the game with some offensive pressure, picking up a pair of corners, but was not able to score. They totaled four corners in the half and one shot. Penn State did not have any offensive statistics.
Penn State put some pressure on in the second, with three shots, but Anna Spieker stopped them from capitalizing. Penn got a corner late in the quarter, which was also unsuccessful. Penn outshot Michigan 4-1.
In the third, Peterson scored early for Michigan on a stroke. Michigan was able to get 6 shots and 3 corners in the third, while Penn State only got a yellow card.
Michigan got awarded another penalty stroke in the beginning of the fourth, and Peterson put it in the net. Penn State was then able to get a corner, but nothing came of it. Late in the quarter, Sophia Gladieux scored off a reverse to give Penn State a goal.
Michigan will play Northwestern in the finals on Sunday.
Maryland vs. Northwestern
Northwestern's corner-heavy game, resulted in a 2-1 win over Maryland.
Northwestern started the game out with a pair of penalty corners, and the second resulted in a goal by Alia Marshall. Northwestern continued to receive corners, getting a total of five in the quarter. Maryland received one corner, coming late in the period, but the shot and rebound were both saved by Annabel Skubisz.
In the second, Northwestern was able to keep a high presence with five shots and two corners. In the 24th minute, Northwestern was awarded a penalty stroke. This resulted in a Peyton Halsey goal. Maryland had two shots in the period, but neither resulted in anything.
In the third, the game went back and forth. Maryland started with four shots, followed by a corner and three shots for Northwestern. In the 42nd minute, Hope Rose was given the ball in a corner and put Maryland on the board.
In the fourth, it looks like Northwestern's strategy was to limit them from any shots. Maryland had two shots during the quarter, with one coming after they pulled their goalie.
Northwestern moves on to play in the finals against Michigan on Sunday.
Semifinals Preview
Michigan vs. Penn State
The last time these teams played each other came back in September when Penn State won 2-1. All three goals were scored in the first half of the game.
The Wolverines lead the all-time series 16-12, but Penn State is currently on a 3-game winning streak.
Michigan has a 54% chance of making the finals. With a prediction that low, expect it to be a close game.
Maryland vs. Northwestern
The Terps lead the all-time series, 13-6, including a 2-1 win when they played each other in October. Northwestern did have a 3-game winning streak that ended last September. In the last 10 games, they have gone 5-5.
Because of the previously mentioned winning streak, the historic data since 2019 gives Northwestern at a 57% chance of winning on Friday.
Quarterfinals Recap
Michigan vs. Iowa
Michigan had a dominant game for a 3-0 win against Iowa in the first round of the tournament.
Erin Reilly put Michigan on the board in the first quarter, off an assist from Katie Anderson. The Wolverines had five shots in the quarter, while Iowa posted zero.
In the second quarter, Tina D'Anjolell put the second goal in. Iowa started to gain some momentum with 2 shots and Mia Magnotta had a save in goal for the Hawkeyes. Late in the second, Reilly was given a green card for an Iowa numbers-up situation, but they were unable to capitalize.
In the third Nina Apoola received a card for Michigan, once again putting Iowa in a numbers-up situation. They were unable to capitalize on this again, and then received a card of their own against Jacey Wittel. Wittel was back in play already, when Kate McLaughlin made the third goal of the night for Michigan.
Magnotta had a total of 4 saves in the game for Iowa.
Michigan will move on to play Penn State on Friday.
Maryland vs. Ohio State
Today's game reflected the team's last meeting almost to a T. The only difference: Maryland scored twice in the second instead of once.
The teams were equal in the first with 3 shots each and 1 corner each. Ohio State's Abby Danson had two saves, while Maryland's Christina Calandra had none.
Then in the second, Leah Crouse hit one out of thin air, literally. The ball went up off a rebound, and Crouse was able to put it in to give the Terps a 1-0 lead. Hallie Brost then scored the equalizer for the Buckeyes. Right before the half ended, Riley Donnelly put the Terps up again with a shot from the top of the circle.
In the third, Ohio State fought hard for an equalizer with 4 shots. Sarah Charley sent a rocket in off a corner and equaled that game.
Then in an eerily similar fashion as the last game, the Terps scored three games in the fourth quarter, coming from Riley Donnelly, Hope Ross, and Dani Van Rootselaar.
The 5-2 win for the Terps means they will continue in the tournament, playing the winner of Rutgers v. Northwestern on Friday.
Rutgers vs. Northwestern
With a 54% chance of Northwestern winning, it was expected to be a close game. Well, 60 minutes was not enough time to determine who was moving on, in an overtime thriller between the Scarlet Knights and the Wildcats.
Northwestern had a strong offensive presence throughout the first half, with 13 shots to Rutger's 2. Rutger's Sophia Howard was staying strong in goal with 6 saves.
In the 26th minute, Lauren Wadas scored for Northwestern off a corner.
Rutgers came out fighting in the third quarter with 8 shots and were successful in finding the equalizer. Puck Winter scored off a penalty corner to make the game 1-1. Northwestern's Annabel Skubisz had 4 saves in the quarter to keep the game equal.
In the fourth quarter, Northwestern picked up the pace and pelted Rutgers with 7 shots. Howard made 3 saves to keep them off the board.
With not enough time for a winner to be named in regulation, the game went into overtime. 3 minutes into the first overtime period, Northwestern received a penalty stroke. Peyton Halsey was able to convert and send the Wildcats to the semifinals.
Northwestern will play Maryland on Friday.
Quaterfinals Preview
The B10 Quarterfinals start on Thursday, November 3 at 11 am. The matches are as follows:
Match 1: Iowa vs. Michigan
Match 2: OSU vs. Maryland
Match 3: Rutgers vs. Northwestern
Iowa vs. Michigan
The last match between the two games was on October 23. Michigan walked away with the win, in a 1-0 game. Pilar Oliveros scored the lone goal for Michigan. They also faced each other on October 16th of this year, with a 2-0 win for Michigan.
In games played since 2019, Michigan has won 5 games and Iowa has won 3.
Based on historical records between the two games since 2019, Michigan has a 61.6% chance of winning.
Maryland vs. Ohio State
A win will be hard to come by for Ohio State. Maryland has won every single game between the two teams. They currently have a 16-game winning streak against the Buckeyes.
The last matchup was a 4-2 win in favor of Maryland. OSU held the lead going into the final quarter, but Maryland scored 3 in the last 15 minutes of the game.
Based on games played since 2019, Maryland has a 79% chance of winning the game.
Rutgers vs. Northwestern
The last match between Rutgers and Northwestern resulted in a 2-1 win for the Scarlet Knights.
All-time Northwestern leads the series with 8 wins and 5 losses. However, in the last 10 games, it has been 5-5 and Rutgers is on a 2-game winning streak.
The numbers favor Northwestern in this game, with a 54% chance of winning. With such a small margin, however, it truly is anyone's game.