The Wolverines couldn't have asked for more for their graduating field hockey players on Senior Day. Michigan's 3-1 win over Northwestern had drama, suspense, great goals and, best of all, a happy ending for the outgoing seniors.

"It makes it extra special to come back on back-to-back Sundays and win against Northwestern, a Big Ten team, after having lost in overtime to a Big Ten team (Ohio State) - a Big Ten team who outright won the Big Ten championship last Sunday," Michigan coach Nancy Cox said.

Junior forward and team catalyst Lucia Belassi got things going early with a goal at 3:35 in the first half. The play began when junior Jillianne Whitfield hit senior tri-captain Mary Fox with a perfect pass halfway up the field. After junior Ashley Lennington controlled of the ball, she drove down toward the circle and passed it in to Belassi, who shot it past Northwestern's goalie, Emily Kyle.

Michigan (4-2 Big Ten, 11-8 overall) kept the pressure on for most of the first half. The Wildcats (1-5 Big Ten, 7-11 overall) didn't record their first shot on goal until just two minutes remained before halftime. But Northwestern still made its chances count.

With nine seconds left in the half, Northwestern took its third corner. A pile-up developed at the mouth of the Michigan goal, with four Wildcats all driving at the ball. Finally, sophomore Alexandra Quinn forced the ball past Michigan goalie Beth Riley, tying the game.

For many teams, this would have been a huge shift in momentum. A less resolute Michigan team wouldn't have recovered.

But the Wolverines weren't about to lose on Senior Day. They weren't going to lose the last game of the regular season to a team they had beaten in each of the last 14 meetings. They weren't going to go into the Big Ten Tournament with losses to their last two Big Ten opponents.

"I hope all the time that everybody's trying hard, but I think we all knew in the back of our minds that today meant a little more, especially for the seniors," Fox said. "This was a good test today to see if we could come out in the second half."

Michigan passed the test with flying colors, immediately pressuring Northwestern in its end. The Wolverines had chance after chance, but couldn't score.

But with about 10 minutes to go, Belassi came up big once again. At 61:01, the junior received a spot-on pass from junior tri-captain Eleanor Martin and tipped it past the goalie to put Michigan ahead 2-1.

Two minutes later, freshman Kelly Fitzpatrick sealed the victory, blasting a line shot into the back of the cage.

Despite the momentum-boosting win, Cox was quick to give credit to Northwestern.

"The thing you have to applaud Northwestern about today is (that) their kids were relentless," Cox said. "They were relentless for 70 minutes. When Michigan decides to be relentless for 70 minutes, we'll finish (games like) the 2-1 loss to Maryland. That's the difference."

Michigan will need to carry the indefatigable mindset from this win into the upcoming Big Ten Tournament next weekend in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines could face a potential rematch with Northwestern in the first round, and will need to win three straight matches on three consecutive days in order to recapture their tournament championship.