The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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36 THE WOLVERINE MAY 2020 third nationally in save percentage (.939). Mann was also a finalist for Big Ten Goalie of the Year and Player of the Year. When it was all said and done, U-M won eight games over ranked opponents, including two victories over a top-10 Penn State team, one coming in shutout fashion (6-0). The Wolverines played their best hockey at the end of the season and were rid- ing the momentum into postseason play. The Wolverines had swept Michi- gan State in their first-round series of the Big Ten Tournament before they were set to take on Ohio State in the semifinals. Female Sport — Soccer: After go- ing 9-9-1 in 2018 and not making the NCAA Tournament, U-M turned things around this past season. The Wolverines ended with a 17-6-1 re- cord and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament after fin- ishing in a second-place tie in the Big Ten regular-season standings. After losing in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament the year prior, U-M excelled in the postseason this fall. The Wolverines beat Mary- land and No. 15 Rutgers in the first two rounds of the Big Ten Tourna- ment to advance to the final. U-M fell just short against Penn State, losing 2-1 in overtime. More success came in the NCAA Tournament, where U-M knocked off Bowling Green and Texas Tech. The season came to an end in a 4-0 setback at North Caro- lina, the eventual national runner-up. The turnaround season was led by four All-Big Ten performers, in- cluding the conference Midfielder of the Year in junior Sarah Stratigakis, who was also named first-team All- Big Ten. Junior defender Alia Martin was also first-team All-Big Ten, while sophomore midfielders Meredith Haakenson and Raleigh Loughman were named second-team All-Big Ten. Junior goalkeeper Hillary Beall and junior midfielder Nicki Hernan- dez were third-team selections. Best Upsets Male Sport — Dec. 6, Hockey over No. 6 Penn State: U-M's 4-1 victory over Penn State wasn't just a noteworthy feat considering how good the Nittany Lions were, but it was much needed for Michigan to help turn its season around. The Wol- verines were 5-9-2 coming into the contest, and needed to string some victories together to get momentum rolling. The win over Penn State was the beginning of an incredible midseason resurgence. The Maize and Blue went 13-5-2 from that game on, and got themselves back in the Big Ten race. Michigan got started with a short- handed goal by redshirt junior Luke Morgan, to go ahead 1-0. Goals by freshmen Johnny Beecher and Cam York put U-M ahead 3-0. A late- game empty net marker by senior Jake Slacker pushed the lead to 4-0. The Wolverines allowed a score late, but hung on to win 4-1. Junior goal- keeper Strauss Mann finished with 34 saves. U-M would go on to beat Penn State once more on the season (6-0 on Jan. 17), but arguably no win was more impactful than the Dec. 6 vic- tory, which proved U-M could com- pete with the best and gave it two straight ranked wins, following a 3-1 victory over No. 19 Wisconsin Dec. 1. The Nittany Lions went on to win the Big Ten regular-season title and ended up as the No. 7 team in the na- tion, per the PairWise rankings. Female Sport — Basketball, March 6 over No. 11 Northwestern: U-M, who was the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, took down No. 2 seed Northwestern. The Wolverines had a solid season and were slated to participate in the NCAA Tourna- ment, but the Wildcats were consid- ered a heavy favorite after having won a share of the Big Ten regular- season crown. The Maize and Blue rose to the occasion in Indianapolis to advance to the semifinals. U-M won 67-59 behind a great performance from first-team All-Big Ten standout sophomore forward Naz Hillmon, who posted her 20th 20-point performance of the year (20 points and five rebounds in 37 minutes). The Wolverines also received a much-needed boost from freshman guard Maddie Nolan, who set career highs with eight rebounds and 13 points, while shooting 3 of 4 from long range. Junior forward Hailey Brown's clutch three-pointer with 18 seconds left helped put the game on ice. She finished with a season-high 19 points. The Wolverines did their damage from deep, shooting the three-ball at a 53.3 (7 of 13) percent clip, which was well above its season average of 32.8 percent. U-M held Northwest- ern to 41.1 percent shooting from the field and 21.4 percent from three. The magnitude of what the win Sophomore forward Naz Hillmon posted her 20th 20-point performance of the year in the seventh-seeded Wolverines' upset of No. 2 seed Northwestern at the Big Ten Tournament. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN