Sunday’s home opener was a game full of milestones for the No. 7 Michigan field hockey team. With the game being its first shutout and involving three players scoring their first collegiate career goals, there was a lot to celebrate for the Wolverines.
In a strong performance, Michigan (2–1) offensively dominated Bellarmine (0–4) from start to finish with strong communication and passes, winning 13-0. The final shot count illustrated the Wolverines’ dominance on both sides of the ball, as Michigan’s 40 shots on goal greatly outnumbered Bellarmine’s one shot on goal.
“It’s our home opener and it’s a lot of the girls’ first (game),” Michigan coach Kristi Gannon Fisher said. “… First goal for several people. So we’re going to celebrate those victories.”
The Wolverines set the tone early, controlling both possession and pace of play while getting on the board quickly. Within the first five minutes, freshman back Maxine Rogge scored her first career goal off a penalty corner, giving Michigan an early 1-0 lead and sparking the offense. Redshirt sophomore forward Payton Maloney followed with her first goal of the season, while graduate forward Abby Tamer added another goal from a corner before the end of the first quarter, furthering the Wolverines’ lead to 3-0.
Michigan continued to show its aggressiveness in the second quarter. Junior forward Natalie Millman, sophomore midfielder Natalie Machiran and sophomore forward Cami Wiseman all found the back of the net — this being Machrian’s first career goal — as the Wolverines doubled their lead to 6-0 by halftime.
Michigan kept the Knights’ off the board by controlling the midfield, moving the ball quickly and testing Bellarmine from every angle. The Knights spent most of the quarter on defense, rarely gaining possession. Even as players rotated, the Wolverines maintained their focus and intensity, fully controlling the game with team effort throughout the half.
“It was a team win, which was amazing to see,” Gannon Fisher said. “… At all levels of our play today, it was a team effort, and we got a lot of people in that don’t normally don’t normally get a ton of minutes.”
The third quarter continued in Michigan’s favor, as Tamer and Maloney each recorded another goal, extending the Wolverines’ lead to eight. Michigan never backed off offensively, even as newer players gained experience on the field, keeping the Knights on their heels.
The Wolverines finished the game strong in the fourth quarter, scoring three goals in just over two minutes. Junior forward Juliette Manzur converted a penalty stroke, while redshirt junior midfielder Zoe Bormet landed the ball in the back of the net. Sophomore midfielder Dru Moffett scored her first career goal, giving Michigan a burst of energy and widening the gap to 11-0. Later in the quarter, Moffett added two more goals, completing her first career hat trick and capping off a dominant team-wide offensive performance, 13-0.
“Today we came in with a full plan to just work as a team on every play,” Moffett said. “Our main goal was playing with the two touch, so lots of passing and making sure everyone got touches on the ball. And I think we really accomplished that. The game overall speaks volumes, because we had so many different variety of scores that it’s really cool.”
Michigan controlled the game from start to finish while giving multiple players the chance to make an impact. By the final whistle, the Wolverines had earned their shutout and an array of firsts across the roster.
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