Spartans Set For Pivotal Big Ten Matches This Weekend
10/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 18, 2006
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EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's soccer team takes to the road this weekend for pivotal Big Ten matches with Ohio State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Minnesota on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Cardiac Kids
Michigan State has won three games in the final 10 minutes of regulation and has scored four of its 16 goals in the last 10 minutes of regulation. Junior Maureen Pawlak was the latest to post the feat, scoring in the 87th minute to lead the Spartans to a 1-0 win over Iowa. Freshman Megan Brown's score in the 80th minute led the Spartans to a 2-1 win at Northwestern and freshman Lauren Hill's goal at Bowling Greeen in the 87th minute led to a 2-1 win. Freshman Lauren Sinacola's 90th-minute goal at Penn State forced overtime in a 3-2 loss.
Pawlak Reaches 30
Junior Maureen Pawlak became the 29th player in school history to reach 30 career points with her game-winning goal in the 87th minute against Iowa on Oct. 15. Pawlak, who has 10 career goals and 10 assists, is also the 30th player to reach 10 goals in a Green and White uniform. She passed associate head coach Tammy Farnum, who finished her Spartan career with 29 points.
Galas Moves Up Career Lists
Junior goalkeeper Nicole Galas has moved into fourth place in Michigan State history in career saves after her six-save shutout against Iowa on Oct. 15. Galas' 171 saves place her just in front of Erin O'Connell (1992-95), who made 169 career stops.
Schedule In Spartans' Favor
Michigan State opened the Big Ten Conference season with games against the team's top six teams in the league standings. With three games left in the conference season and the Spartans in ninth place, the team faces three opponents that are in the bottom half of the league. The top eight teams make the Big Ten Conference Tournament which will be held at Penn State from Nov. 2-5.
Spartans Reach 225
Sunday's 1-0 win over Iowa was the program's 225th win in its 21-season history. Michigan State, which established its program in 1986, has won 15 games (1986) once, 14 games three times (1987, '88, '89, '91) and 12 games eight times (1990, '93, '94, 2000, '02, '03, '04, '05).
Freshmen Leave Their Mark
With freshman Megan Brown's game-winning goal in the 80th minute against Northwestern on Oct. 6, the Michigan State freshman trio of Brown, Lauren Hill (3) and Lauren Sinacola (1) have accounted for five of the team's six game-winners. Hill leads the Spartans in scoring with seven goals and four assists and roommate Sinacola has come up with four goals. Brown scored her first career goal against the Wildcats. In total, the trio has 12 of the team's 16 goals.
Witherspoon Is A Gamer
Senior co-captain Jenee Witherspoon played in her 75th career game on Oct. 8 at Wisconsin. In her 74th game, she recorded her 12th career assist, the highest total for an active Spartan. Witherspoon has played defense, midfield and forward since coming to State, accumulating five goals and 12 assists. Witherspoon has seen action in 77 career games, which is just two shy of entering the top 10 in school history in that category.
Perfect Timar
Sophomore Kristi Timar has shown a knack for helping the Spartans get the ball in the net at the most opportune times. She assisted on the game-winning goal on Oct. 6 at Northwestern to help the team to its first Big Ten win, after scoring a goal of her own earlier in the contest. Timar also scored the team's first goal this season, against Central Michigan on Aug. 25 and scored the two goals in the school's first NCAA Tournament win last year against Bowling Green. She is tied for the team lead with four assists this season and also has two goals for eight points.
Playing Stingy D
The Spartans allowed just five shots on goal in Sept. 29's 1-0 loss to Indiana. It was the lowest shot total for an opponent this season and the lowest since Akron took just two shots in Michigan State's 1-0 win on Sept. 16, 2005. The Indiana defense, however, was just as stingy, allowing five shots.
A Solid Lineup
Head coach Tom Saxton has trotted out a very consistent starting lineup this season, with nine players starting each game: Kelley Amormino, Lauren Astry, Erin Doan, Nicole Galas, Lauren Hill, Maureen Pawlak, Lauren Sinacola, Kristi Timar and Jenee Witherspoon.
The Iron Girl
Junior defender Erin Doan, a co-captain, has started every game since stepping foot on Old College Field, a streak now at 58 games, despite a myriad of injuries. Doan broke her nose three times as a freshman and wore a mask for much of the season. Earlier this season, she played with a deep shin contusion that took her from the team's game with Detroit in the second half.
Galas' Great Week
Junior Nicole Galas shut out two opponents and went 2-0-1 between the pipes for the Spartans during its three-game week ending Sept. 17, helping her pick up Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and SoccerBuzz.com National Elite Team of the Week nods. Her 14 saves helped her to both awards for the second time in her career, as she also earned the awards on Sept. 6, 2005 after shutting out sixth-ranked Texas A&M.
Smurf Plays Big
Freshman Lauren Sinacola, who earned the nickname "Smurf" while playing in older age groups in youth soccer, has scored four of Michigan State's last eight goals. Even with a game-winning goal against Detroit on Sept. 12 and a go-ahead goal at Bowling Green on Sept. 15, her most impressive game came against ninth-ranked Penn State on Sept. 22. She scored twice for the Spartans, tying the game at one with a corner kick goal in the first half and knotting the game at two with four seconds left in regulation, sending the game to overtime.
Another Hill to Climb
Freshman Lauren Hill assisted on the lone goal against Detroit on Sept. 12 and added the game-winner in the 88th minute against Bowling Green on Sept. 15. Hill has posted three game-winning goals this season, as she also hit game-winners against Western Michigan and Cincinnati. She leads the Big Ten Conference with seven goals and 16 points.
Spartan Firsts
Sophomore Michelle Telebar scored the first points of her career in the season opener, as she scored a goal in the 66th minute against Central Michigan. Freshman Lauren Hill added her first goal in the fourth minute at Western Michigan. Junior Breana Ballard notched her first two career assists in her 39th game on Aug. 25 and freshman Lauren Sinacola also added her first career point on an assist in the game. Freshman Megan Brown scored her first goal at Northwestern on Oct. 7.
Shut Down
Michigan State found its form that led to 12 shutouts during the 2005 season from Sept. 7-17, as the squad gave up just a single tally in four games. During that stretch, the Spartan defense limited opponents to 34 shots (8.5 per game), helping junior Nicole Galas to three shutouts. Already with 15 career blankings, Galas is 1.5 shutouts behind Sara Kloosterman (1997-2000) for second place in program history.
A Titans Rule
With Sept. 12's 1-0 win, the Spartans have not lost a game against the Horizon League's Detroit since 1997, the longest ongoing stretch against an opponent. The Spartans are 7-0-1 against the Titans in that span.
Falcon Down
The Spartans have a similar string of success against the Mid-American Conference's Bowling Green, with MSU having won six straight matches, including a 4-0 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2005.
Ruling the MAC
Even with the slim 3-2 loss to Central Michigan on Aug. 25, the Spartans are 23-2-3 (.875) in their last 28 meetings with MAC opponents dating back to 1999.
A Hill of Awards
Freshman Lauren Hill wrapped up her first week as a member of Michigan State's women's soccer team by earning two weekly awards. On Aug. 28, she was announced as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for her four-goal game against Western Michigan. On Aug. 30, she was named SoccerTimes.com's Best of the Rest in the Web site's National Player of the Week awards.
Top of the Hill
Freshman Lauren Hill tied a mark that had not been equaled in 19 years as she tied the school record with four goals in a 4-2 win at Western Michigan. The only Spartan freshman to ever score four goals in a game, she did so in the first half. Hill scored two go-ahead goals in the contest, and she even had a goal waved off on an offsides call in the first half. She also assisted on a game-tying goal in a 3-2 loss to Central Michigan.
