Women's Soccer Blanks Eastern Michigan 2-0

Aug. 20, 2005

East Lansing, Mich. - -

In an exhibition contest featuring three 30 minute periods, Michigan State scored two second-stanza goals to shut out Eastern Michigan, 2-0, at Old College Field. The Green and White used six different goalkeepers to blank the Eagles.

The Spartans out-shot EMU, 4-0, during a first period that saw some tentative play from both teams. MSU picked up the attack late in the first frame earning four corner kicks in the final few minutes. The last of which resulted in a scoring opportunity for sophomore forward Breana Ballard (Battle Creek, Mich.), whose header was cleared off the line by an Eagle defender.

Michigan State carried the momentum into the second period scoring at 49:50 when junior forward Jenee Witherspoon (Midland, Mich.) took a feed from sophomore midfielder Callie McCarthy (Okemos, Mich.) and buried a shot from just inside the 18 yard mark.

"We had a lot of early chances but we just could not finish. Once you get that first goal out of the way, it takes a lot of pressure off of the team and we can just go out and play," Witherspoon said.

The Spartans made it a two-goal margin less than two minutes later when freshman Lauren Carter (Rochester Hills, Mich.) slotted a ball through the box to senior forward Shannon Collar (Plano, Texas). Collar beat Eastern Michigan Goalie Andrea Bouldin one-on-one, sliding the ball into the back of the net with her left foot at 51:18. MSU would go on to out-shoot the Eagles 6-2 in the period.

EMU picked off a Spartan clearing attempt early in the third period. Sophomore forward Sam Beard chipped a shot towards the far corner but goalkeeper Julia Rice (Williamston, Mich.), a redshirt freshman, played the angle well and came down with the save.

The exhibition format allowed Head Coach Tom Saxton to experiment with his line-up.

"We played pretty well, but there is still a lot to work on, most importantly our offensive execution. Everyone needs to get on the same page, some of that comes with playing so many different people and combinations today," Saxton said. "At the same time, it was really encouraging how many people played well today. If I was going to hand out pass/fail grades, I would say that everybody passed."

One of the more important positions in today's scrimmage was in the Michigan State net. Spartan goalkeepers Nicole Galas (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Demi Bruck (Loveland, Ohio), Lindsey Wrege (Portage, Mich.), Danielle Petri (Rochester Hills, Mich.), Rice and Ashley Crandall (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) combined to make two saves. The goalies are competing to replace departed senior Erin Carlson. Galas, a redshirt sophomore, started and played the entire first period but did not face a shot.

MSU out-shot Eastern Michigan 12-4 for the game and earned nine corners to the Eagles zero.

Michigan State opens the regular season next weekend with a Friday night, Aug. 26, contest at the University of Kentucky. The Spartans will also take on Cincinnati Sunday afternoon, Aug. 8, before returning home to host Texas A&M, Sept. 2, and Texas, Sept. 4, over the Labor Day weekend.

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Players Mentioned

Breana Ballard

Demi Bruck

Lauren Carter

Shannon Collar

Ashley Crandall

Nicole Galas

Callie McCarthy

Danielle Petri

Julia Rice

Jenee Witherspoon