The Michigan field hockey team’s two victories this weekend will look equal to each other in the standings, but they were as different as two wins could possibly be. The Wolverines annihilated Quinnipiac 6-0 on Sunday, one day after pulling out a 4-3 double-overtime win against No. 19 Albany.

Michigan (4-4) outshot the Bobcats 16-1 by halftime and 30-5 over the entire game. Quinnipac (2-5) never even threatened to score, whereas the Wolverines could have reached double digits in goals if not for a few near misses.

“Our passing was really strong,” Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. “We followed the gameplan, set up a lot of chances, and shot the ball pretty accurately.”

Senior forward/midfielder Alicia Mayer continued her scoring tear with two goals Sunday. She also had two goals and two assists on Saturday against Albany (4-2).

“I feel like I’ve gotten my spark back the last couple of games,” Mayer said.

Mayer is the team’s leading scorer, with five goals and four assists for a total of 14 points this season.

“Alicia is one of the keys to our team,” Pankratz said. “She’s a senior, has a lot of experience and brings great energy to the game. So when she’s on it’s big for us.”

Senior midfielder Meredith Way also got in on the act, scoring the team’s third goal off a penalty corner on assists from senior forward/midfielder Paige Laytos and freshman midfielder Mallory Albini. It was the 35th goal of her career, putting her on Michigan's top 10 career goals list.

“Mallory made a good inside stop on the ball,” Way said. “Then I just shot it low and hard, and it bounced off a defender’s foot and went in.”

A major weakness of last year’s team was that it relied too heavily on Way for goals. In fact, she scored more than half of the Wolverines’ goals in 2009. This year, however, the team has been far more balanced and Way is only fourth on the team in goals this season.

“My role has definitely changed a lot this year,” Way said. “Because everyone else is stepping up and carrying the scoring load, I’m able to be a lot more defensive-minded.”

Victory against Albany on Saturday didn’t come as easily as it would on Sunday. The Wolverines twice took leads only to see their opponents rally and tie the game each time. Junior forward/midfielder Katie Adams won the game in double-overtime with a goal in the 92nd minute.

Michigan’s pair of wins this weekend mean the team has won its last four games after losing the first four of the season.

“I absolutely think we can keep this winning streak up,” Mayer said. “We’ve worked on a few things since the first four games, and now we’re really connecting well as a team. Our vision’s improved; We’re better at anticipating where our teammates will be on every play.”