Spartan Field Hockey Prepared For Big Ten Play
9/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 21, 2006
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EAST LANSING, Mich.-Michigan State field hockey will kick off Big Ten play in East Lansing on Saturday against No. 8 Penn State. The game will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the MSU Field Hockey Complex.
Up Next...
Michigan State will open Big Ten action at home on Saturday against No. 8 Penn State. The Nittany Lions come to East Lansing on a six-game win streak, including a pair of wins this past weekend over West Chester University and Lafayette. Junior Shaun Banta leads the team in scoring with 16 points on seven goals and two assists. Defensively, Penn State has held all opponents to eight goals for the season and an average of 5.8 shots per game.
For The Record
The Nittany Lions currently hold a 20-7 advantage over Michigan State in all-time games. The most recent meeting with Penn State was a 2-1 loss in 2005. The win last year marked the first time Penn State had defeated the Spartans since 2000.
Week In Review...
Senior Ashley Pernicano recorded her first career hat trick as Michigan State downed visiting Yale, 4-0, in the Spartan home opener on Thursday. Freshman Floor Rijpma tallied the game-winning goal early in the second half, to mark the first home victory for first-year head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof.
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 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.
An early second-half goal allowed Kent to take a 3-2 lead over the Michigan State field hockey team, and eventually gave the Golden Flashes a one-goal victory over the Spartans. Pernicano led the team in scoring with both goals, but an impressive 12 saves by Kent goalkeeper Linz Markwart allowed Kent to preserve the win.
Big Ten Action
Big Ten play begins this weekend for both Michigan State and No. 8 Penn State. There will be three other conference match ups in the first weekend of Big Ten play for all schools. Northwestern and Indiana will kick off conference play on Friday in Evanston, Ill. at 2 p.m. Michigan and Iowa willl also meet on Friday at 7 p.m. at Iowa. Iowa will host its second Big Ten game on Sunday against Ohio State at 12 p.m. MSU struggled in Big Ten play last season, going 2-4-0 in conference meetings.
Leading The Spartans
Senior captain Ashley Pernicano continues to lead the Spartans in more ways than one. In Thursdays contest against the Yale Bulldogs, Pernicano tallied her first career hat trick in the 4-0 shutout. Pernicano notched two goals for MSU to keep the Spartans in the game in the eventual 3-2 loss to Kent on Sunday. She is is the current leader in goals scored, and in points, for Michigan State, tallying seven goals and two assists for 16 points.
