Field Hockey to face two Big Ten Opponents
10/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 15, 2010
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EAST LANSING, Mich.-The No. 7 Michigan State field hockey team (11-3, 1-2) will face two Big Ten opponents this weekend when they travel to No. 6 Ohio State (9-3, 1-1) on Friday to face the Buckeyes at 3 p.m. and host Northwestern (10-4, 2-0) on Sunday at noon. The Spartans will face Northwestern twice this fall; this weekend's tilt against the Wildcats on Sunday will not count towards their Big Ten season. MSU will travel to Northwestern's campus on Oct. 31 in a Big Ten Network-televised matchup which will count as the conference game between the squads.
Last Time Out
In a nonconference match against No. 11 Wake Forest, the Spartans recorded their seventh victory at home, downing the Demon Deacons, 3-1. Sophomore forward Kristen Henn, sophomore back Adelle Lever and senior forward Sabine van den Assem all tallied goals for the Spartans in their eleventh win of the season. Freshman goaltender Molly Cassidy completed the game with four saves.
On the Road Again
The Spartans will travel to Columbus, Ohio to face the Buckeyes in their first road game after three straight in East Lansing. Michigan State is 4-2 on the road compared to 7-1 at home. Despite having a better record on their home turf, the Spartans have scored 24 of their 42 goals this season on the road. That is good for a little big more than half of their goal production
Second Half Scoring
Michigan State has recently been connecting on their scoring opportunities in the second thirty-five minutes of play. MSU scored all three goals against Wake Forest in the second half, with Henn tallying the first goal at 38:15. The Spartans have shot 114 times after halftime, compared to 106 in the first half. Twenty-four of the 42 season goals have come in the second part of the game for the Spartans as well.
Leading the Way
The Spartan offense is lead by senior forwards Jantine Steinmetz and Sabine van den Assem. Steinmetz has recorded seven goals and six assists along with two game winners. Van den Assem has tallied eight goals and four assists this season. Right behind the dynamic seniors is sophomore midfielder Kristen Henn who has also scored eight times and assisted on one goal. Three of Henn's eight goals were game-winners, which is the highest on the team. Senior back Joelle van Ierland recorded her first defensive save against Ohio in MSU's 6-4 victory. She now has eight career defensive saves.
Ranked Opponents
Michigan State stayed at their familiar spot of No. 7 on the Kookaburra/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll for this week. The Spartans will only face one ranked team this weekend when they meet up with sixth-ranked Ohio State on Friday. At No. 6, Ohio State is the highest ranked opponent the Spartans have played so far this season. The Spartans are currently 5-2 against ranked opponents. MSU has posted wins over No. 9 Wake Forest (3-1), No. 10 Duke (1-0), No. 19 Stanford, (3-2), No. 12 James Madison (1-0) and No.13 Boston University, (6-1).
Around the Big Ten
Northwestern and No. 12 Michigan currently site atop the Big Ten rankings. Northwestern leads the conference with most goals scored overall this season with 49 and with Michigan State and Ohio State close behind with 40 each. MSU is second in goals against (19) behind Penn State (17). Freshman goaltender Molly Cassidy leads the Big Ten with five shutouts. Senior forward Jantine Steinmetz's 56 shots are good for third in the conference and Sabine van den Assem and Kristen Henn's eight goals a piece puts them tied at fifth.
Looking at the Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes enter Friday's competition at 9-3, 1-1 in conference play, OSU lost to Northwestern, 3-2, and downed Indiana, 4-1.
OSU will face the Spartans fresh off of a 5-1 victory over Miami, in which Berta Querlert tallied two goals and one assist in the Buckeyes sixth win out of their last seven games. Four of the five goals came in the first half of the matchup and goaltender Ally Tunitis recorded two saves.
"We know that Ohio State can score goals," said head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. "We need to find a way to limit their scoring and scoring opportunities. We know that we have a chance to score some goals on them so we need to be on both sides of the ball."
The Northwestern Wildcats
Northwestern will arrive on Michigan State's campus to play the first of two regular-season tilts against the Spartans. The game on Sunday will not count as towards either of the schools? Big Ten record. The match at Northwestern on Oct. 31 will count as the 2010 Big Ten meeting between the two schools.
The Wildcats are led by offensive threat, Chelsey Armstrong. Armstrong has been named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week three times already this season and leads the conference in goals scored (19) and points (49). So far this season, Northwestern has beaten Indiana, 4-2, and Ohio State, 3-2. Armstrong and Sarah Marcincin had two goals each in their victory over the Hoosiers. MSU freshman midfielder Katherine Jamieson will face off against her older sister, Megan Jamieson who is a back for the Wildcats.
