Michigan State University
Wake Forest - NCAA Final Four
Field Hockey's Season Ends At Final Four
11/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 22, 2002
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Michigan State field hockey team's season came to an end on Friday, Nov. 22, at the NCAA Final Four in Louisville, Ky., as the third-seed Spartans dropped a 3-0 decision to No. 2 Wake Forest. MSU, who was making the program's first appearance in the Final Four, was shut out for just the second time this season.
Michigan State's road to the Final Four was a little rocky, as the team bus broke down on the way to Trager Stadium. After a quick change of plans, the team arrived and faced a fierce Wake Forest team.
Wake Forest dominated the beginning of the game, keeping the ball in front of Spartan netminder Christina Kirkaldy (Afton, N.Y.) for much of the opening half. The Spartans had one scoring opportunity in the middle of the first half, as Michigan State caught the Wake Forest goalie in the middle of the circle, but were unable to get off a shot.
Michigan State had its first opportunity with 10 minutes remaining in the half, but the ball was not stopped on the penalty corner and the goal was disallowed. The game was a battle of the midfield until the Demon Deacons got on the board in the 31st minute. Kelly Dostal snuck the ball in behind Kirkaldy, putting the Deacs on the board. Ariel Meyers added to the score just over a minute later, taking a pass from Dostal and burying it into the cage.
The Spartans, who were held without a shot in the first half, came out strong in the second, but Wake Forest added its third goal just three minutes into the second half as Emily Ruth caught a pass from Meake Boreel to put the Deacs up by three. The Spartans had another scoring opportunity, as Judith van Haeringen (Hague, Netherlands) blasted a pass into the net, but it was too high and again the Spartans were turned away.
Annebet Beerman (Maarssen, Netherlands) provided all of the scoring opportunities for the Spartans, attempting three second half shots. Kirkaldy stopped 11 Wake Forest shots, as the Demon Deacons outshot the Spartans 17-3. Wake Forest also posted a 7-6 advantage in penalty corners.
The best season in Michigan State history ended with 23 wins and just three losses. Wake Forest will face Penn State on Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 p.m. The Nittany Lions upset top-seed Old Dominion in the other semifinal game with a score of 3-2.
Scoring Summary 1 2 FinalMSU 0 0 0WFU 2 1 3
Team Goal (Assist) Period TimeWFU Kelly Dostal (unassisted) 1 30:40WFU Ariel Meyers (Kelly Dostal) 1 31:38WFU Emily Ruth (Meake Boreel) 2 38:36
MSU vs. Wake Forest
Post-Game Quotes
Michigan State head coach Michele Madison:
"Wake Forest played a great game and I wish them luck in the championship game.
"Wake spread the midfield really well. They played sideline to sideline. We didn't get a lot of space to attack and they spread the ball really fast. Under those circumstances, I think our team held up really well. The difference was that we couldn't generate our attack. Sometimes you need a little luck too, and that was not on our side tonight."
Junior back Alexandra Kyser:
"We came out really fired up at the beginning at the second half. They scored their goals real quick in the first half so we knew we could come right back. We had our opportunities, but we just couldn't capitalize them.
"You have to give a lot of credit to the Wake Forest offense. They really attacked the circle well tonight.
