Spartans Entertain Buckeyes In Big Ten Opener
9/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 23, 2005
East Lansing, Mich. - - Sunday, Sept. 25, marks the beginning of a whole new season for the Michigan State women's soccer team, when it welcomes Ohio State to Old College Field to kick off the Big Ten portion of the 2005 schedule. The Spartans are just 0-1-1 in their last two games at home, and look to get back on track, after a disappointing tie vs. Detroit, against OSU. MSU had qualified for five straight Big Ten Tournaments prior to the 2004 season; a solid regular season in 2005 will ensure a return to the Big Ten post season and also present the possibility of an NCAA berth.
The Spartans last made the NCAA field of 64 in 2002, when forward Emma Harris, who has a team-high five goals, and her senior classmates were freshmen. That season also marks the last Michigan State win over the Buckeyes, a 3-2 victory in East Lansing.
Ohio State enters its first weekend of Big Ten play with a 3-2-2 record following a weekend split against Northeastern (2-1 win) and Harvard (1-0 loss) in Cambridge, Mass; the Buckeyes will travel to UM on Friday night. Buckeye freshman Lisa Collison (5-1-11) is the team's leading scorer; senior midfielder Danielle Dietrich has added a pair of goals to the OSU attack, while freshman Caitlin Colfer leads the team in helpers with three. Junior Stacy Sinkway has logged the majority of the minutes in the Ohio State net making 25 saves and allowing just 4 goals in 396:39; Sinkway is 2-2-1 thus far in 2005. The Buckeyes hold a 6-5-0 edge in the all-time series between the two schools, including a 2-1 win in East Lansing, last season.
Including the Ohio State contest, the Green and White have just five home games remaining this season. The Spartans will host OSU, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Minnesota and Penn State in 2005, and will travel to Purdue, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois before ending the regular season Oct. 28 in Ann Arbor against the Wolverines.
