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Nov. 11, 2000
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The sixth-ranked Michigan field hockey squad squeaked by a feisty William & Mary team 3-2 in double overtime in the first round of the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament Saturday afternoon at Kentner Stadium.
Michigan scored first in the contest, as forward April Fronzoni took an unassisted shot and put it past William & Mary goalkeeper Nicole Whitfield with 29:03 remaining in the first half. The Wolverines took the 1-0 lead into the second half before midfielder Jessica Jiao scored the first of her two goals on the day with just over 21 minutes remaining in the game.
The game appeared to be going into extra periods when Jiao scored her second goal - an unassisted shot past Michigan keeper Maureen Tasch. The Wolverines capitalized on a sagging Tribe defense as Jessie Veith tied the game at 2-2 with 4:22 remaining.
Both defenses stiffened in the first overtime period as Whitfield and Tasch each collected three saves in the first 15 minutes. Fronzoni got behind William & Mary's defense in the second overtime, taking a cross from Molly Powers and sticking it into the upper left corner of the net for the 3-2 win.
"It was a great hockey match - William & Mary played great. They took it to us and gave us everything we could handle," said Michigan head coach Marcia Pankratz. "Their low tackling skills were fantastic and the credit goes to them for keeping us cornerless all match. They played really well and made us play poorly."
Michigan, which improves to 19-3 overall, is set for a rematch with 17-3 Wake Forest in the quarterfinals on Sunday at 2:00 pm at Kentner Stadium. The two teams met in the quarterfinal round in the 1999 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament at Kentner Stadium. Michigan defeated Wake Forest in that game 3-2 in double overtime. William & Mary ends its season 12-8.
Scoring Summary Michigan Goals - First Half: Fronzoni 29:03. Second Half: Veith 4:22. Second Overtime: Fronzoni (Powers) 4:22). William & Mary Goals - Second Half: Jiao (DeJong) 21:21, Jiao 9:05. Shots: UM 16, WM 27
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