Spartans Fall to Top-Ranked Wake Forest

Sept. 16, 2006

Kent, Ohio - Two goals in the final 2:04 of play allowed Wake Forest to blow open a tight defensive battle on Saturday afternoon, as the top-ranked Demon Deacons pinned a 3-0 loss on Michigan State in Kent, Ohio. Wake Forest (9-0) outshot the Spartans (3-5) by an 18-6 margin on the afternoon, but an impressive defensive performance by the Michigan State squad pushed the game's outcome into doubt until that final two-minute flurry. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak by the Spartans.

The Demon Deacons got on the board at the 30:32 mark of the first half. Lauren Crandall scored the only goal of the frame off of assists from Jamie Whitten and Tracey Scott. The first half saw Wake put seven shots on senior goaltender Stephanie Yuhasz, while the Spartans countered with four against Kristina Gagliardi.

After the intermission, the Deamon Deacons turned up the pressure offensively and held an 11-2 edge in shots over MSU in the frame. The Spartan defense kept Wake at bay until the waning moments - at 67:56, Christina Suggs put a rebound past Yuhasz for an insurance tally, and Minou Ginepre added another with just eight seconds remaining on the clock.

Freshman Floor Rijpma had three of the six Spartan shots on net on the afternoon, while Ashley Smeltzer had a pair.

Yuhasz finished with six saves in the losing effort, while Gagliardi had to turn away five Spartan shots to earn the shutout. Wake Forest had a 12-4 edge in penalty corners.

"We didn't upset the No. 1 team, but we played a heck of a game," said head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. "We were composed, and played right with them almost the entire game. I think it was a great learning experience, and if we play like this against other teams we should have the chance to win a lot of games."

The Spartans will be back in action tomorrow when they tangle with the Golden Flashes of Kent. The game will be a homecoming of sorts for MSU assistant coach Helen Knull, who both starred as an undergrad and served as an assistant coach at Kent until joining the Spartan staff in January. Gametime on Sunday is 1 p.m.