The Michigan women’s field hockey team hosted Wake Forest on Sunday looking to bounce back after dropping its season opener to North Carolina. With an offense led by redshirt junior forward Abby Tamer, the Wolverines applied constant pressure on the Demon Deacons.
Contrary to the 2-1 final score, No. 12 Michigan swarmed No. 18 Wake Forest, outshooting the Demon Deacons 17-4 to find the win column for the first time this season.
“Really proud of how much pressure we put on them,” Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. “Wake is a very good team, so I’m happy that we finished the ones that we did. It’s harder than it looks out there.”
A defensively strong first quarter on both sides of the field resulted in few scoring chances. The first frame set the tone for a gritty contest as Michigan allowed only one shot, which the Demon Deacons capitalized on to lead 1-0. It took until the last minute of the quarter for Michigan to crack the Wake Forest defense and tie the game.
From then on, Tamer and the offense gained momentum and wouldn’t let off the gas for the rest of the game. A feed from Tamer set up graduate forward Kate McLaughlin for the tying goal. The Olympian continued to flaunt her handles, but couldn’t find the back of the net herself. Michigan headed into halftime with an even 1-1 score.
“In terms of being double and triple teamed, I think that is a part of what I’m going through right now,” Tamer said. “But I think having teammates around me who are really good at handling the ball so that I don’t have to do everything is really awesome, and we have a lot of those teammates, so I don’t feel a lot of pressure in that sense.”
Tamer opened the second half with a spin move to advance the ball into a shooting lane, though to no avail. Her perpetual pressure in the offensive zone continued to advance the ball, often stickhandling to protect possession from two or even three defenders.
The Wolverines turned on the jets early immediately in the second half and back-to-back penalty corners allowed Michigan to challenge the Demon Deacons’ goaltender. Another half dozen shots were turned away, but the Wolverines’ offense presence was unwavering. A takeaway by Tamer back in Michigan’s defensive zone led to one last possession to wrap up the quarter, which she capitalized on, scoring a goal with just three seconds remaining for the lead.
While the scoreboard showed the Wolverines up by just one goal, Tamer spearheaded an offensive onslaught for Michigan, as it led shots 15-2 after three quarters.
“I think the quality of our chances, you don’t see the quality on the shots,” Tamer said. “But if we can change the quality and get more high quality chances, hopefully the score will end up changing.”
Tamer finished with four shots, one goal and one assist in the Wolverines’ victory. Thanks to her efforts, a game that initially appeared to be an even defensive matchup quickly tilted in Michigan’s favor. Despite a close final score, Tamer and Michigan hounded Wake Forest for the last three quarters of the contest, securing the win.
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