Field Hockey Tops Penn State, 2-1

Oct. 31, 2008

Video highlights of game vs. Penn State

Spartan Sports Podcasts:
Rolf
Jantine
Elissa

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 10th-ranked Michigan State field hockey team (14-4, 4-2 Big Ten) recorded a 2-1 win over No. 8 Penn State (13-5, 5-1 Big Ten) Friday to close out the Big Ten regular season. Sophomore Jantine Steinmetz (Amstelveen, Netherlands) scored the game-winning goal with 25 seconds remaining in regulation to hand the Nittany Lions their first Big Ten loss.

Penn State outshot the Spartans 5-3 and held a 3-1 advantage in penalty corners in the first half, but the game was scoreless at the intermission. The Nittany Lions struck first, recording a goal at 36:41. Senior Allison Scola gathered the ball at midfield, ran up the left side and tipped the ball past Michigan State goalkeeper Elissa Unger (Reading, Pa.) into the far right corner of the goal cage.

The Spartans tied the game at 47:01 off a penalty corner. Sophomore Joelle van Ierland (Den Dolder, Netherlands) inserted the ball to stopper Gwen Riley (Louisville, Ky.). Junior Floor Rijpma (Bunnik, Netherlands) took a shot from the top of the circle that sailed through traffic, finding the back of the net.

The Spartans got the winning tally from Steinmetz off a scramble in front.

"Scoring with 25 seconds remaining not only gives the girls an extra confidence boost, but it also helps them understand that if you believe in it, you can win it," head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof.

Unger made two saves in goal for the Spartans while senior Jen Beaumont recorded four saves for the Nittany Lions. Michigan State held a 10-8 advantage in shots, and penalty corners were tied with five a piece.

"Today we played the most important game of our 2008 season," said Van de Kerkhof. "We knew that we had to win the game in order to stay alive for NCAA considerations as well as to secure the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which was the best seed still available for us. It's also nice for the seniors to walk away with the win. We know what we have to do in the last game of the regular season to continue to improve our opportunity to do well in the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA's.

The Spartans conclude the regular season on Sunday when they travel to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. to take on Central Michigan at noon. The Big Ten season wraps up on Sunday afternoon. Matchups and game times will be released late Sunday by the conference.