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“I never played or coached in a game like that.”

That was the predominant notion shared by Michigan coach Hannah Nielsen after her Wolverines’ stunning 12-11 victory at Penn State on Sunday.

The roller coaster began early.

Penn State staked a 6-0 lead on Senior Day. Eventually, Michigan would even the score at nine, and again at 10 with 2:27 to go. Then Penn State struck for the go-ahead goal with 28 seconds remaining and was awarded possession without a draw for a post-whistle foul on Michigan.

Then there was chaos.

The Nittany Lions turned the ball over, Molly Garrett scooped up the loose ball and found Catherine Granito for the tying score with six seconds remaining.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Maggie Kane won the draw, fired from long distance before the horn sounded and it went in.

Michigan had won.

“The last three minutes were an emotional roller coaster,” Nielsen said. “We were just trying to ride as hard as we could in which we managed to get the ball back. I say to the girls of having the vision of getting the ball back. [The win] shows true fight and true work to the end.”

To Nielsen and her staff, it was an unbelievable finish, but one grounded in hard work. Nevertheless, her Wolverines needed to accomplish something that they had failed to do most of the season – finish strong in the second half.

“We never did what we just did this season,” said Nielsen of her team’s comeback. “When we’ve been down, we stayed down. We didn’t win a second half all year. It’s been a weakness of ours. In an earlier game, we would have crumbled, but we have evolved.”

Michigan (7-10, 2-4 Big Ten) gathered its first win over a ranked foe in 31 tries and beat Penn State for the first time. The victory set several records for the fifth-year program by winning the team’s seventh game and securing the program’s first multi-win conference season.

And on Sunday alone, Kane’s tally, officially recorded five seconds after Granito’s score, set a new NCAA record for fastest consecutive goals. The previous record had been six seconds done six times by the same team and twice by opposing teams.

The only thing dampening the season ending was missing out on the Big Ten tournament, which Michigan hosts beginning Friday. The Wolverines missed the four-team event by a game, finishing fifth behind a pair of 3-3 squads – third-seeded Penn State and fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins. Narrow losses to Johns Hopkins (10-8 on April 8) and Rutgers (9-8 in OT on April 12) sealed Michigan’s fate before the Penn State game. Lessons learned in those losses primed the Maize and Blue for the upset bid.

“We said to the team [on Sunday], ‘If we’re not going to be in the tournament, you can’t script a better way to end the season,” said Nielsen. “We wish the summer wasn’t happening yet. We were making strides and getting better every day. I hope the win inspires [the players], rejuvenates them in the summer and they hope to top some of those other [Big Ten] teams.”

To aid in Nielsen’s mission are a cast of young players who showed dramatic growth. Namely, two of the main characters who authored Sunday’s win, Garrett and Kane, will return for the 2019 season.

Garrett was a force all over the field on Sunday with game highs in points (6), goals (4) and assists (2), while scooping a pair of ground balls, two draw controls and causing two turnovers. According to Nielsen, as she goes, so do the Wolverines.

“She’s the heart and soul of the team," Nielsen added. "She wants it so bad. I’m really happy for her. She really cares about this team. I think it’s a testament as a player and a team. She has a bulldog mentality and will not go down without a fight.”

The high praise from Nielsen didn’t end there either.

“We’re lucky to have her for two more years and for her to be one of the best midfielders in the country.”

Now that this historic season has come to an end, the next steps in making the 2019 campaign even better begins in short order. Nielsen said that the goals are simple.

“Beating more Big Ten opponents and making the [conference] tournament.” 

CONFERENCE CHECK-IN

AMERICA EAST

Stony Brook Rolls to America East Title

The top ranked team in the land scored 20 goals for the fourth consecutive game as Stony Brook easily handled Albany 21-8 in a battle of America East’s unbeaten squads. Kylie Ohlmiller amassed 10 points (six goals, four assists), Courtney Murphy had eight points (six goals, two assists) and Taryn Ohlmiller posted a seven-point game (three goals, four assists).

Tourney Time: Stony Brook hosts the four-team tournament beginning Friday against New Hampshire. The championship game is set for Sunday at noon.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE (ACC)

Tar Heels Knock off the Eagles for ACC Glory

Matt White recapped North Carolina’s run to their third straight ACC championship, which featured a spectacular, scoreless performance by Marie McCool.

ATLANTIC-SUN (A-SUN)

Dolphins Go Undefeated in the A-Sun

Jacksonville rushed out to an 11-goal first-half lead en route to a 21-7 victory over Stetson on Sunday. The Dolphins scored five goals in 49 seconds to break an early 3-3 tie. Ashtyn Hiron tallied seven goals.

Tourney Time: The Dolphins host Old Dominion on Thursday, while Coastal Carolina and Kennesaw State faceoff in the other semifinal. The championship will be determined Saturday at 1 p.m.

ATLANTIC-10 (A-10)

UMass, Richmond Split A-10 Crown

The Minutewomen bounced back from last week’s loss at VCU with an easy 21-6 win against Duquesne to secure the top seed in this week’s Atlantic 10 tournament. Richmond coasted 13-5 against winless St. Bonaventure to earn a share of the A-10 regular-season title.

Tourney Time: The Spiders enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed and will host the six-team tournament, which begins Thursday for the bottom four teams. Richmond will play the winner of the Saint Joseph’s-George Mason tilt, while UMass faces the winner of VCU-Davidson. The title game is Sunday at noon.

BIG EAST

Drama-less Big East Readies for Florida Heat

With the field decided a week ago, all four Big East tournament teams held serve in their respective games, which included Denver’s 11-10 win against Vanderbilt and Marquette’s 15-14 decision over UConn.

Tourney Time: Florida hosts Marquette on Thursday followed by Georgetown and Denver. The Pioneers likely need a win to keep their at-large chances alive. The championship game is Saturday at noon.

BIG SOUTH

High Point Readies to Defend Big South Titles

High Point won on the road at Hofstra in preparation for this week’s Big South tournament.

Tourney Time: Campbell advanced past Radford 23-11 to face the host Panthers on Friday at 4 p.m. Liberty and Winthrop, the latter securing a 22-6 winner over Longwood, are in the other semifinal with the winners meeting on Sunday at noon.

BIG TEN

Maryland Tops Big Ten Once Again

A furious Northwestern rally fell short as Maryland captured its fourth straight Big Ten regular season title on Thursday in the 20-16 win. Jen Giles’ six points (four goals, two assists) and Megan Whittle (four goals) paced the Terps' offense, which fired 48 shots toward the Wildcats' cage.

Tourney Time: Michigan hosts the tournament for the first time. Maryland and Johns Hopkins square off in the first semifinal on Friday, while Penn State and Northwestern meet in the semifinals for the fourth straight edition. The championship game is Sunday at noon and all games can be seen on the Big Ten Network.

COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (CAA)

JMU’s Thrilling Win Captures CAA Trophy

James Madison won a 17-16 overtime thriller at Towson to clinch the CAA regular season title. Kristen Gaudian had the game-winner.

Tourney Time: JMU is the CAA tournament host as it welcomes fourth-seeded Delaware, while second-seeded Towson faces No. 3 seed Elon. The championship will be decided Sunday at 1 p.m.

IVY LEAGUE

Princeton Leaps to Ivy Crown, Shares with Penn

Princeton’s statement 21-8 win over Penn on Wednesday vaulted the Tigers into first place in the Ivy League. Princeton beat Columbia on Sunday, while Penn knocked off Yale on Saturday for the two teams to share Ivy spoils.

Tourney Time: Princeton hosts Columbia as the No. 1 seed on Friday. The Lions are in the Ivy League Tournament for the first time in program history. Penn matches up with Dartmouth in the other semifinal. The title game is Sunday at 11:05 a.m.

METRO ATLANTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (MAAC)

Four Champions Battle for MAAC Automatic Bid

Third-seeded Fairfield beat No. 6 seed Iona 14-5, while fourth-seeded Canisius took out No. 5 seed Niagara 17-7 to set up an all-champion semifinal. All four remaining teams went 6-2 in conference play.

Tourney Time: The conference with the most chaos, the MAAC, kicks things off Thursday when Monmouth and Fairfield square off at 3 p.m. Tournament host and No. 1 seed Marist welcomes Canisius at 7 p.m. The title matchup is 1 p.m. on Saturday.

MOUNTAIN PACIFIC SPORTS FEDERATION (MPSF)

San Diego State Wins MPSF

The Aztecs defeated top-seeded UC Davis 11-10 in overtime for the MPSF tournament title. Morgan Taylor was named the tournament MVP as she scored the golden goal. San Diego State did not earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament due to MPSF’s low membership numbers.

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE (NEC)

Bryant Topples Wagner to Earn NEC Hosting Rights

The reigning NEC champion Bryant Bulldogs knocked off Wagner 11-10 on Friday before beating Mount St. Mary’s to capture the NEC regular-season title and earn the right to host the conference tournament for the fifth straight year.

Tourney Time: All four semifinalists are within a game of each other in the standings. Top-seeded Bryant hosts Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday at 1 p.m., while Wagner and Robert Morris square off at 4 p.m. The NEC automatic bid will be determined at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

PAC-12

Stanford Races to Inaugural Pac-12 Brilliance

The Cardinal’s staunch defense withstood Colorado’s attack in a thorough 15-6 victory in Boulder, Colo., on Sunday. Goalie Allie DaCar saved 14 shots and a trio of Stanford attackers — Areta Buness, Ali Baiocco and Galen Lew — tallied hat tricks in the victory.

PATRIOT LEAGUE

Patriot League Tournament Action Kicks Off Today

No. 4 seed Colgate plays host to fifth-seeded Boston University at 4 p.m., while No. 3 seed Lehigh has sixth-seeded Holy Cross today at 6 p.m. The winners of those games will meet host and No. 1 seed Loyola and second-seeded Navy, respectively, on Friday.  The Patriot League automatic bid will be decided at noon on Sunday.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE (SOCON)

Detroit Mercy Dumps CMU to Win SoCon

A battle of Michigan schools for the Southern Conference regular-season title went to Detroit Mercy on Saturday. The Titans dominated Central Michigan 17-9 for their first regular-season title in program history.

Tourney Time: Top-seeded Detroit Mercy travels to tournament host Mercer on Thursday at 5 p.m. Second-seeded Central Michigan faces No. 3 seed Furman in the other semifinal. The championship game is Saturday at noon.