Spartans Wrap Up Soccer Season
10/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 30, 2006
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EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's soccer team barely missed qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament at Penn State this weekend, finishing in ninth place, just a point behind final tournament qualifier, Wisconsin. The Spartans held the eighth slot in the standings as late as Friday afternoon, after their 1-0 win over Michigan, but Wisconsin pushed past the Spartans with a 5-0 win over Northwestern on Friday night.
A Good Time For A First
Senior Jenee Witherspoon scored her first goal of the year in the 1-0 win over Michigan on Oct. 27, helping her reach 25 career points. She is just the 38th player in school history to reach the mark. She also played in her 80th career game, becoming one of just seven players in school history to reach that mark. Witherspoon, who has six goals and 13 assists in her career, started the season as a defender before moving up front midway through the season.
The `X' Factor
Miichigan State's X factor in 2006 was scoring first. In games where the Spartans found the net first, they were a perfect 8-0. In games where opponents scored first, MSU was 0-9.
In the Lineup
The Spartans had a very consistent lineup as eight players found their name in the starting 11 in each of the 18 games: Kelley Amormino, Lauren Astry, Erin Doan, Nicole Galas, Maureen Pawlak, Lauren Sinacola, Kristi Timar and Jenee Witherspoon.
Freshmen Leave Their Mark
After losing six starters and the team's top two scorers at the end of the 2005 season, it's no surprise the Spartans had to rely on plenty of youth to provide scoring. What is surprising is how much scoring the rookies did, as freshmen scored 14 of the team's 19 goals. Lauren Sinacola and Lauren Hill each scored to charge the 2-0 win at Minnesota on Oct. 22. Sinacola, with five goals, 13 points and two game-winning goals, and roommate Hill, who leads the Spartans with eight goals, 18 points and three game-winning goals, are both atop the team leaders in points, but they aren't the only freshmen contributing to the scoring. Freshman Megan Brown scored her first career goal against Northwestern for a game-winner. In total, the trio had six of the eight game-winners.
Goodbye, Seniors
Michigan State bids farewell to three seniors this season. Co-captain Jenee Witherspoon has appeared in 80 career games and finished her career tied for 15th in school history with 13 assists. Linsey Laskowski appeared in 58 career games, including 10 as a reserve midfielder this season, and gathered three assists. Lauren Gallinger walked onto the Spartans after playing two seasons with the Michigan State club soccer team. She appeared in two career games.
A Freshman Leader
Freshman Lauren Hill is the third Michigan State freshman in the last seven years to lead the team in scoring. With eight goals and two assists for 18 points, Hill is six points ahead of fellow freshman Lauren Sinacola, who has 12 points. Junior Maureen Pawlak led the Spartans with 15 points as a freshman with five goals and five assists, and Tiffany Laskowski '03 led the team with 13 points in 2000.
Galas Moves Up Career Lists
Junior goalkeeper Nicole Galas has moved into third place in Michigan State history in career saves after her six-save shutout against Minnesota on Oct. 22. Galas' 194 saves place her in front of Kristi Turner (1990-93), who made 187 career stops. The shutout also moved Galas past Sara Kloosterman (1997-2000) into second on Michigan State's career shutout list, as she finished the season with 18.
Cardiac Kids
Michigan State won three games in the final 10 minutes of regulation and scored four of its 18 goals in the last 10 minutes of regulation. Junior Maureen Pawlak was the last 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.
Spartans Reach 225
The 1-0 win over Iowa on Oct. 15 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).
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 led the team with five assists and also had two goals for nine 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. Michigan State allowed 10 or fewer shots in five of the 10 Big Ten Conference games.
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 61 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, scored five of Michigan State's last 11 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. She also scored a game-winner at Minnesota on Oct. 22, keeping MSU in the hunt for a playoff slot.
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.
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.
A Titans Rule
With the 1-0 win on Sept. 12, 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.
