After opening its season with four straight road losses on the East Coast, the Michigan field hockey team needed a pick-me-up.

Pioneer High School graduate Haley Jones -- all 5-foot-3 of her -- provided it, helping to carry the Wolverines to a six-game win streak and into this weekend’s matches against a pair of highly-ranked teams.

After taking over as Michigan’s goalkeeper when Christi Barwick was injured during a Sept. 10 game against James Madison, Jones is 5-0 as a starter with three shutouts -- including a 2-0, Big Ten-opening win at No. 14-ranked Penn State last Sunday.

Michigan trailed 3-0 in the first half of that James Madison game, but Jones was playing goalkeeper when it completed a 4-3 overtime win. Jones hasn’t left the cage since, and the Wolverines haven’t lost since.

“She showed a lot of poise and maturity to jump in there,” Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. “At the spur of the moment, to be able to step right in and hit the ground running and not have any change in our confidence in the backfield, she did a wonderful job with that.”

The redshirt freshman’s 0.92 goals-against average is the sixth best among NCAA Division I goalkeepers. The 12 combined saves she made against New Hampshire and Penn State earned her the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week award on Monday.

“It’s really exciting this past week … really cool to see how after a couple games you can get so acknowledged,” Jones says. “It’s been really fun, and I’m taking advantage of every single minute I get, pretty much.”

Pankratz wouldn’t say if Barwick is healthy enough to play again - “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you,” she joked - but stressed that there was not a goalkeeper controversy brewing among the Wolverines.

“There’s no controversy. I think that’s what great about both of those young women. They put the team first,” Pankratz said. “They know it’s important to have a great relationship, push each other and make each other better. It makes for a good dynamic for the team, and success for the team.”

The team’s winning streak faces two stern tests this weekend when it hosts No. 6-ranked Michigan State (9-1) at 4 p.m. Friday and No. 1-ranked Maryland (8-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday.

“Goalie is a mental position, to me at least, and I think knowing that you’re playing a highly-ranked team you have to come in with your A game,” Jones said. “You know nothing but your best is going to win the game for you.”

The Spartans (3.1 goals per game) and Terrapins (4.5 gpg) will both bring high-powered offenses to Ocker Field, meaning Jones may have to continue to make big plays with her smaller-than-ideal frame.

“My height is definitely not my advantage point, but you make the most of it,” Jones said. “You usually want a couple more inches than that, but it just means you have to be faster and a little more aggressive to compensate a little bit.”

Jones calls herself “a gamer” who does more reacting than thinking during live action. It’s a trait she had while leading Pioneer to consecutive state championships in 2007 and 2008. And it’s a trait she hopes can keep her in the cage at Michigan, a place she didn’t fully expect to be when this season started.

“Goalie is a really tricky position. You have to be ready, just in case of an injury or somebody has a bad day, you never know,” she said. “I didn’t necessarily expect it, but you keep pushing yourself in practice and hopefully one day you get to go in.”

Rich Rezler covers sports for AnnArbor.com. Contact him at richrezler@annarbor.com.