Michigan State Welcomes Iowa

Oct. 11, 2006

Weekly Notes
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EAST LANSING, Mich.-Michigan State field hockey welcomes the University of Iowa to East Lansing on Saturday. The game will begin at 12 p.m. at the MSU Field Hockey Complex.The Spartans will also welcome their families to campus for "Family Weekend." The team will hold a tailgate after the game, prior to the MSU football game vs. Ohio State. In addition the field hockey team will hold a parent's field hockey contest on Sunday at 11 a.m., followed by another tailgate.

All-Time Chances
Iowa holds an 40-8-1 advantage over the Spartans in all-time meetings between the two schools. In 2005, the No. 14 Hawkeyes bested MSU, 3-2, in Iowa City.

Welcoming The Hawkeyes
Michigan State will welcome the Hawkeyes to East Lansing on Saturday, after a tough loss to in-state rival Michigan last weekend. The Hawkeyes come into the weekend following a win over conference opponent Northwestern. Iowa came away with a 3-2 victory, with a big game by senior Heather Schnepf. Schnepf scored the game-winner for the Hawkeyes and added an assist on the insurance goal by Lauren Pfeiffer.

The Hawkeyes are led in points by sophomore Caitlin McCurdy with 16 (7 goals, 2 assists). She is followed closely by Schnepf with 14 (4 goals, 6 assists).

Week In Review...
Michigan State freshman Sarah Jones scored a late second-period goal to give the Spartans a chance to force overtime, but MSU could not come up with an equalizer in a 2-1 loss to Michigan on Friday. The Wolverines caught the Michigan State defense off guard to take a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the second half, and Paige Laytos posted the game-winner for the Wolverines at 49:05.

Freshmen Impact
The Michigan State freshmen class has made quite a difference this season, with 32 of the Spartans 78 points coming from the freshmen. Sarah Jones added another two for the group in Friday's game against Michigan. Classmates Anne-Sophie van Rijswijk (7 goals, 1 assist) and Floor Rijpma (5 goals, 2 assists) are currently second and third in scoring for the team. In fact, Van Rijswijk and Rijpma have split MSU's four game-winners this season.

Big Ten By The Numbers
Michigan State leads the Big Ten in penalty corners this season with 107 (8.23 avg./game). The Spartans are also tied with Michigan and Indiana with three defensive saves this season. Geraldine Raynor, Becky Bolen and Amy Schneider have each contributed one defensive save this season.