Field Hockey Prepares For NCAA Tourney
11/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 14, 2002
COMING UP...
Nov. 16 - vs. Harvard - 11 a.m.
NCAA Tournament
Boston, Mass. - Jordan Field
SPARTANS EARN THIRD-SEED IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
MSU was selected as the third-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament and will travel to Boston to take on Harvard on Saturday, Nov. 16. The winner of that game will face the victor of the Northeastern/Connecticut game on Sunday, Nov. 17, for the right to advance to the NCAA Final Four in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 22.
BIG TEN TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
Michigan State won the first Big Ten Tournament title in program history on Nov. 10, following a 3-0 shutout of Michigan. The Spartans, who entered the weekend with a 1-8 record in Big Ten post-season play, swept through the three-game series. MSU outscored the competition 9-2 and posted two shutouts. Annebet Beerman led the Spartans with five goals.
SPARTANS DOMINATE INDIANA
The scoring started as soon as the clock did while the Spartans rolled to a 3-0 victory over Indiana in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 8. Julia Adams put the Spartans on the board before one minute had ticked by and Jessica Miller added another just 63 seconds later. Annebet Beerman added to Michigan State's total before the first half concluded. MSU outshot the Hoosiers 28-3, not allowing a single scoring chance in the second half.
MICHIGAN STATE SLIPS BY PENN STATE
Penalty corners proved to be the key as MSU slipped by Penn State (3-2) in the semi-final round of the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 9. Annebet Beerman teamed up with Julia Adams and Jenny Sanders for a pair of penalty corner goals and added an assist to Michelle Carstens' goal. Goalkeeper Chrstina Kirkaldy posted eight saves on the night, the third most stops she has had to make this season.
MSU SHUTS OUT TOP-SEED MICHIGAN
The Spartans won the first Big Ten Tournament title in program history, with a 3-0 shutout of top-seeded Michigan in the championship game on Nov. 10. Annebet Beerman once again posted a pair of penalty corner goals from Jenny Sanders and Julia Adams. Freshman Michelle Huynh-Ba also got in on the action, scoring on a pass from Cynthia Martin. Michigan State received strong support from the defensive line, keeping the No. 2-ranked Wolverines scoreless for just the second time this season.
KIRKALDY AND BEERMAN NAMED TOURNAMENT MVP
Annebet Beerman and Christina Kirkaldy shared Big Ten Tournament MVP honors at the conclusion of the tournament on Nov. 12. The Spartan representatives to the All-Tournament team proved instrumental to the Spartans' success, as Kirkaldy thwarted the opponents scoring opportunities and Beerman continued to sound the goal alarm.
FIVE SPARTANS NAMED TO ALL-BIG TEN TEAM
Five Spartans were selected by league coaches to be members of the 2002 All-Big Ten Team. Sophie Rosmalen and Annebet Beerman were selected to the first team, as Rosmalen claimed a unanimous decision. Christina Kirkaldy, Cynthia Martin and Judith van Haeringen were honored with second-team accolades.
MSU GOALIE NAMED NATIONAL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (TAKE TWO)
First-year netminder Christina Kirkaldy was selected as the National Rookie of the Week by womensfieldhockey.com on Nov. 11 after backstopping the Spartans to their first Big Ten Tournament title in school history, Kirkaldy posted two shutouts in three games and a goals-against-average of 0.67.
BEERMAN ALSO EARNS NATIONAL NOTICE
Annebet Beerman also earned national recognition by womensfieldhockey.com, as one of the five members of the weekly Honor Roll. The Maarssen, Netherlands native scored five of the nine Spartan goals and added one assist for 11 points on the weekend.
HELPING HANDS
Michigan State seniors Jenny Sanders and Julia Adams are leaving their mark on the Spartan program. Sanders currently holds the single season assist record, helping on 19 Spartan goals. She broke the previous record of 14 against She is followed by Adams, who has had 17 assists this season. With her 17 helpers, Adams has tied the program's all-time assist list, posting a four-year total of 34. She is now tied with Rayna Hiscox, who accomplished the feat during the 1994-97 seasons.
LEND A HAND In just two seasons, sophomore Judith van Haeringen has amassed 23 helpers for the Spartans to move into a fifth-place tie on the all-time assist list. She has registered 15 this season for third on the program's single season list. Between van Haeringen, Julia Adams and Jenny Sanders, the Spartans now hold the top three spots on the single season assist list, moving the previous record holder (Marleen Tuip-14) down to fourth.
3-FOR-3
Michigan State posted three wins in a three-day span, defeating seventh-seeded Indiana, third-seed Penn State and top-seed Michigan en route to the program's first Big Ten Tournament Championship.
ANOTHER "3"
The Spartans are ranked third in the most recent NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll. It is tied for the highest ranking that MSU has ever received, tying a mark set by last season's squad. The Spartans spent seven weeks in fifth-place, but following the upset of No.2 Michigan on Nov. 10, Michigan State vaulted up two spots in the rankings.
ON A ROLL
Michigan State's victory over rival Michigan on Nov. 10 was the 11th consecutive win for the Spartans. The 11 straight victories, which began on Oct.6, is the longest winning streak in program history, passing the previous record of 10 set earlier this season (Sept. 1-29).
HISTORY MAKING DAY
November 10 is a day that will be noted in the Spartan field hockey record books, as Michigan State won the first Big Ten Tournament championship in school history. They also scored their 11th straight victory (which set a new program record for consecutive wins), be defeating intra-state rival Michigan for the first time since the 1997 season - a streak of nine games.
A SPARTAN STANDARD
Michigan State recorded its 18th win of the season against Ohio State on Nov. 2, setting a new program record for victories in a season. Michigan State has continued to add to the total, racking up three more victories at the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans have now accumulated 21 victories this year. Prior to this season, the previous record was 17, set by the 1979 squad that went 17-8-2.
STRIVING FOR PERFECTION
Sophomore Annebet Beerman was nearly perfect on Nov. 9 against Penn State. Beerman registered at least one point on each shot attempt. Scoring on two of her three attempts, the Maarssen, Netherlands native added an assist on her third shot.
KIRKALDY LEADS THE NATION
MSU goaltender Christina Kirkaldy remains atop the national rankings, which came out on Nov. 12. The first-year netminder leads the country in goals against average, posting a 0.676 average, allowing just 14 goals in nearly 1500 minutes of action. Her GAA is nearly .100 better than the second-place goaltender. Kirkaldy also tops the nation in saves percentage, posting a 0.861 mark.
LEADING THE WAY
Michigan State leads the nation in winning percentage. Racking up 21 wins and just two losses, the Spartans post a winning percentage of 0.913. MSU also tops the country in scoring defense (0.73) and is second in margin of victory (2.94).
AWESOME ANNEBET
Annebet Beerman is ranked seventh in both points (47) and goals (20) in the national rankings. The Maarssen, Netherlands native is also ranked 11th in points per game (2.136) and 10th in goals per game, as she averages 0.909 goals per game.
"TRIPLE J" THREAT
The Spartans' assist machine of Jenny Sanders, Julia Adams and Judith van Haeringen are all ranked among the nation's elite. Sanders is listed as fourth in the nation (19), while Adams is tied for sixth (17) and van Haeringen is ranked 10th (15). When discussing assists per game, the trio is also mentioned. With an average of 0.826 helpers per game, Sanders is sixth in the country. Adams' 0.739 apg is good enough for 10th and van Haeringen is listed as 15th (0.861).
AND THEY KEEP MOVING ON
Michigan State's 21 wins is the most by any team ranked among the Top 20 teams in the country. The next nearest program is Lafayette, who has posted 19 wins.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Spartans have six players that hail from outside of the United States. Seniors Julia Adams, Cynthia Martin and Jenny Sanders all call Canada home, while Annebet Beerman, Sophie Rosmalen and Judith van Haeringen are from the Netherlands. Together, the foreign representatives have accounted for some part of 72 of the Spartans' 85 goals this season. Adams, Martin and Sanders have registered 19 goals and 41 assists, while Beerman, Rosmalen and van Haeringen have scored 33 goals and 19 assists.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Michigan State's victory over Kent State on Oct. 23 wrapped up a perfect home slate this season. The Spartans went 10-0 this season. It is the fourth time in program history that the Spartans have defended their home turf, the last being 22 years ago. In 1980, Michigan State went 7-0. Prior to that season, the Spartans swept through the home schedules of 1974 (2-0) and1975 (5-0).
FANTASTIC FROSH
Freshman Michelle Huynh-Ba leads the first-year Spartans with 13 goals and two assists for 28 points. She is tied with sophomore Michelle Carstens for second on the team in goals. Huynh-Ba, who is currently fifth in the conference in goals, is the Big Ten's leading freshman scorer.
PUSH...STOP...SCORE!
Michigan State was on a hot streak this weekend, scoring five goals from the penalty corner in the three-game tournament stretch. So far this season, the Spartans have scored 16 goals from the penalty corner this season, tallying two in a game on four different occasions. Jenny Sanders has been a mainstay in the stopper position, assisting on the last 15 goals from the penalty corner. Julia Adams is the standard pusher, standing at the baseline for 14 scores this season. Cynthia Martin has also joined in the fun, pushing in two. Annebet Beerman and Judith van Haeringen have been the final step of the three-part process, scoring for the Spartans in each successful conversion. van Haeringen has pocketed six goals, while Beerman has registered the remaining five. Beerman has pocketed 10 goals (five during the tournament), while van Haeringen has garnered the remaining six.
BLASTING BEERMAN
Although she has been playing with a broken index finger since mid-October, sophomore Annebet Beerman has scored 20 goals this season, vaulting herself into third place on the single season goals list. Beerman has registered multiple goals against Old Dominion, Pacific, Syracuse and attained a pair of double-goal games in the Big Ten Tournament against Penn State and Michigan. The Maarssen, Netherlands native was the lone goal-scorer in three games and has pushed in eight-game winning tallies for the Green and White. She has also accounted for seven assists on the year to bring her point total to a team-leading 47 points, good enough for fourth-place on the program's single season points list.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT 101
Michigan State has led the Big Ten Conference in every offensive category this season and the combined statistics following the Big Ten Tournament proved to be no different. The Spartans continue to hold a distinct advantage over the competition, holding a commanding lead in all but one category. The Spartans are ranked first in goals (85-second-place: 68), goals per game (3.70-second-place: 3.24), assists (73-second-place: 54), assists per game (3.17-second-place: 2.57), shots (437-second-place: 379), shots per game (10.57-second-place: 9.05) and penalty corners (254-second-place: 195). As a team, MSU also leads the conference in goals allowed (17-second-place 22), goals allowed per game (0.74-second-place: 1.05) and shutouts (10-second-place: 9).
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT 201
Michigan State led the conference in Big Ten-only games, leading every offensive category. The Spartans led the league in points (49), goals (17), goals per game (2.83), assists (15), assists per game (2.50) and penalty corners (78). The Spartans are second in the Big Ten in goals allowed (4), goals allowed per game (0.33) and shutouts (2).
SHOOTOUT
The Spartans have outscored their opposition 85-17 over the season, averaging three more goals a game than the competition.
BREAKING IT DOWN
Michigan State has registered over 40 goals in each period this season (1st period - 44, 2nd period - 41) for a program-best 85 goals.
BY THE NUMBERS
MSU has outshot the opponents 437-207 this season, attempting 220 shots in the first half and 216 in the second. Michigan State has had to make just 103 saves on the season, while the opposition has needed to stop 184. The Spartans also hold a commanding advantage in penalty corners, registering 254 to the opponents' 116.
MAKE IT COUNT
Michigan State freshman Breanna Harpstead made her first collegiate start on Friday, Nov. 8, against Indiana. Harpstead registered her first assist in Michigan State's 12-1 rout of Rutgers on Sept. 18.
