Bucknell University
(6-4)
Michigan
(14-2)
Bucknell Field Hockey Falls 2-0 to No. 2 Michigan in NCAA Quarterfinals
5/2/2021 3:03:00 PM | Field Hockey
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Bucknell field hockey team's remarkable season came to an end in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, falling 2-0 to second-seeded Michigan. The Wolverines scored goals in the second and third quarters, and the Bison were unable to recreate their come-from-behind magic from Friday's victory in the first round. Bucknell reached the quarterfinal round after defeating VCU 2-1 in double-overtime two days prior.
Bucknell concludes the spring season 6-4 after beginning the year 0-3. It was a season of firsts for the field hockey program, which captured its first Patriot League Championship, made its first appearance in an NCAA tournament, and collected its first NCAA tournament victory in the team's first spring season.
"I was so proud of this group and so happy for them. They put together a great performance today, and I couldn't have asked for anything more," said head coach Jeremy Cook.
Bucknell held Michigan off the scoreboard for nearly the entire first half as sophomore goalkeeper Clara McCormick turned away two of the Wolverines' six shot attempts. With just over a minute remaining in the second quarter, Michigan's Katie Anderson shot from the top of circle and made it a 1-0 deficit heading into halftime.
The Wolverines were on the board again early in the third quarter. 2:22 into the second half, the Wolverines were awarded a penalty corner, and after an initial diving save by McCormick, junior Kathryn Peterson scored on the second chance shot to make it a 2-0 Michigan lead.
Bucknell applied some solid pressure in the second half and earned a pair of third-quarter penalty corners. The first resulted in a hard shot from Long that required a tough save by the Michigan keeper. Long attempted a shot on the second corner as well, but this time it was blocked.
Bucknell finished with four total shot attempts to Michigan's 10. Michigan led 3-2 in penalty corner opportunities, and McCormick finished with four saves in the cage. Peyton Fischer also saw six minutes in goal.
Leah Fogelsanger, Emily Doyle and Rachel Apa joined Long with one shot apiece.
"We're so close to Bucknell and we had a lot of support from a lot of people at the game. It just felt great to have so many different Bucknell folks standing behind us and on the far side. It really felt a little bit like home," said Cook.
Michigan will move on to face either No. 3 Louisville or UConn in the NCAA semifinals next weekend.
"It's such an abbreviated year. It's spring. We only have about three months before we're coming back and playing this fall," said Cook. "Obviously, our normal springs aren't quite this competitive. To have this kind of competitive success and to have this many competitive opportunities is just an absolute joy."
Looking ahead for the Bison, the team will lose five valuable seniors to graduation before next season, however, the Bison saw plenty of contribution from its younger classes this season and will welcome a talented group of rookies in the fall.
"In a normal season we would hope to play a team of Michigan's caliber in the first few weeks of the season to get our students an idea of what a real awesome, fast-paced, aggressive, skillful hockey team looks like," said Cook. "To have success is one thing, but to be on the field and to prove to ourselves we can compete with teams like Michigan, VCU, American and Boston is an absolute joy."
Team Stats
Anderson, Katie
GOAL by MICH Anderson, Katie (FIRST GOAL).
28:58
Peterson, Kathryn
GOAL by MICH Peterson, Kathryn.
32:34
