Field Hockey Gears Up For NCAA Final Four Action
11/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 16, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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FINAL FOUR BOUND... Michigan State field hockey earned its second-ever appearance at the NCAA Final Four after defeating Michigan, 3-2, on the Wolverines' home field, Sunday, Nov. 14. Final Four action begins on Friday, Nov. 19, when MSU will face Duke at 4:30 p.m. The first time MSU traveled to the Final Four was just two years ago, in 2002.
MOST RECENTLY... State posted back-to-back wins over Boston College and Michigan in the NCAA quarterfinals to earn a trip to Winston-Salem, N.C. The win over Michigan was particularly sweet, as MSU suffered a string of heartbreaking losses to U-M over the past several seasons.
REVIEWING THE REGULAR SEASON... MSU enjoyed one of the winningest regular-season performances in Spartan field hockey history, suffering just two losses in 17 games for an impressive 15-2 record to close out the season. The Spartans extended to 18-3 in the post season, en route to the Final Four. State's only three losses occured in overtime.
THREE OF A KIND... Three programs share the Big Ten Championship title this season, in Michigan State, Michigan and Iowa. It marks the first time in Big Ten history that three teams have shared the crown. State clinched a share of the conference title for the second consecutive year and the third time in program history after defeating Indiana, 5-2, on Oct. 24.
However, Iowa would spoil the Spartans' quest as lone champion when the Hawkeyes picked up a 3-2 victory over Northwestern on Friday, Oct. 29, earning their first conference title since 1999 and ninth Big Ten crown in school history. With the opportunity of becoming the third team to clinch the League Championship, Michigan stepped up on Saturday, Oct. 30, to post a 1-0 victory over Penn State and collect its third straight and fifth overall Big Ten Championship.
LIVE CHAMPIONSHIP ACTION... The NCAA Championship game is set for Sunday, Nov. 21, at 12:30 p.m., and will be televised, live, by College Sports Television, with Beth Mowins calling the action, Siri Lindley handling color commentary and Jenny Cavnar providing sideline analysis.
TOUGH TIME IN OVERTIME... Michigan State has suffered just three losses this season, all of which were overtime losses. Still, the Spartans have posted three important OT wins as well. MSU defeated Ohio State, 3-2, in overtime on Oct. 2 and triumphed over Iowa, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 22. Before that, the Spartans downed Hofstra, 2-1, in OT on Sept. 11.
SPARTANS LOOK TO MAKE THEIR MARK AGAINST THE ACC... Field hockey fans may notice that each team to compete in Final Four action is an ACC team, except MSU. State represents the Big Ten and hopes to make its mark against Duke, Maryland and Wake Forest, all of which are highly recognized programs in their conference, renowned for field hockey talent.
BREAKING RECORDS... Not only did Michigan State earn a trip to the Final Four on Nov. 14, 2004, but Spartan senior forward Veerle Goudswaard made some history of her own. Goudswaard scored her 31st goal of the season on Sunday, Nov. 14, making her the all-time best in school history for single-season goals. The former record holder was Nance Lyons (1977). With 65 points thus far, Goudswaard also topped Lyons' former record of 60 points in 1977.
Having scored four goals in the first two rounds of NCAA Tournament action, Goudswaard is one goal away from securing a spot in the records book for most goals scored in NCAA Tournament play. Old Dominion's Marina Di Giacomo ranks first for her 11-goal performance in four games throughout the 2000 tournament.
Junior Jessica Miller's 13 assists so far this season match the number on her jersey and rank her among the all-time best in MSU history.
PRETTY TRICKY... The Spartans have cited their ability to score as the team's greatest strength this season. Team members have proved that scoring often means that individuals are posting more than one goal per game and, in many cases, more than two.
Veerle Goudswaard posted her fourth hat trick performance of the season on Nov. 13 in a Spartan victory over Boston College. Annebet Beerman has enjoyed two hat trick performances this season.
GREEN AND WHITE ON THE ATTACK... With 18 wins under their belts, the Spartans are nearly unstoppable on the attack. MSU has posted 68 goals on 358 scoring attempts, while opponents have netted just 23 of 160 shots taken.
DEFENSIVE POWERHOUSE... In addition to a stellar goaltender in junior Christina Kirkaldy, Spartan defense is solid, quick and effective. With seasoned defenders like seniors Jacqueline Ahinga and Michelle Carstens in the backfield, MSU is able to take its attack to the highest possible level and to embark on more scoring risks throughout the game.
GOALKEEPING... Junior goaltender Christina Kirkaldy has repeatedly wowed spectators with her netminding abilities this season.
Kirkaldy earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Aug. 30 and again on Sept. 27, marking the seventh time she has earned the award in her career. She was also selected for womensfieldhockey.com honor roll distinction this season.
Kirkaldy has posted six shutout performances so far in 2004, surpassing the number of shutouts she posted in 2003.
ROOKIE CONTRIBUTORS... The newest class of Spartan field hockey athletes is aggressive, enthusiastic and extremely talented. Unquestionably, this high-level group of rookies has already contributed to State's undefeated season thus far.
Freshman forward Kathryn Elenz-Martin has already scored three times, including one game-winner for her efforts. Freshman forward Michelle Ciliberti scored three goals, contributing to MSU victories over James Madison and Virginia and securing a key victory over Penn State to maintain a then-perfect Spartan record in the Big Ten.
RECENT HISTORY; NCAA RIVALRY...
Final Four participants this season have crossed paths more than once in recent NCAA Tournament history.
2003: Last season, Wake Forest defeated Duke, 3-1, to win the NCAA Championship.
2002: Wake Forest eliminated Michigan State. 3-0, at Louisville, in the first round of the Final Four, en route to the program's first NCAA title.
2001: Maryland defeated Wake Forest, 3-2, in overtime, in the NCAA semifinal.
