Women's Soccer Faces U of M
10/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 8, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Particulars
Michigan State women's soccer team will head to Ann Arbor on Saturday (Oct. 9) to take on in-state archrival University of Michigan. The matchup will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Complex.
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Scouting the Spartans
After an undefeated weekend at home against Indiana and Purdue, MSU enters the game with a Big Ten record of 2-1-0, and is 7-3-1 overall on the season. Junior goalkeeper Jill Flietstra posted back-to-back shutouts, while Laura Heyboer and Olivia Stander provided three and one goals respectively. Heyboer is now leading the Spartan offense with eight scores, with Stander close behind with six. Megan Pines and Annie Steinlage are still tied for the team lead in assists with four each. Flietstra is now holding a .62 GAA and a save percentage of .877.
Looking at the Wolverines
Michigan comes into Saturday's competition with a 5-2-3 record overall and is 0-1-1 in conference play. Nkem Ezurike (six goals) and Tori McCombs (four tallies) are topping the Wolverine scoring charts. Amanda Bowery has assisted on four goals, while Clare Stachel has the helper on three, putting them in the team lead for assists. Haley Kopmeyer is Michigan's go-to keeper and is tallying a save percentage of .775 and a GAA of 0.89.
Big Ten Luminaries
Laura Heyboer and Olivia Stander are maintaining spots in the Big Ten statistical rankings. Heyboer is second-best in the conference in both points (19) and goals (8). Stander is also making an appearance in those categories, with 15 points and six goals. Megan Pines and Annie Steinlage are both tied for second in the Big Ten in assists, with four each, and tied for third in assists per game (0.36). Jill Flietstra is number one in the Big Ten in saves per game (4.55), shutouts (8) and shutouts per game (.73). The junior is also second in the conference in saves with 50.
NCAA Notes
MSU jumped up six spots to No. 3 in NCAA statistics in shutout percentage, thanks to Jill Flietstra's eight shutouts in 11 games so far this season. Flietstra is also ranked 21st in the nation in save percentage with a .877 average. Climbing the Ladder
Junior Laura Heyboer continues to climb the all-time scoring charts. The forward currently sits in third place in career scoring with 90 points, and now also holds third with 37 career goals. She also has 16 career assists, tying Lauren Hill and Leah Hutko for 11th on the all-time list.
Jill Flietstra is currently in eighth for career saves with 133, and is in fourth in shutouts with 15. The junior now stands alone in seventh in career wins (19); seven of which have come in her 11 starts this season.
Head Coach Tom Saxton needs three wins to reach the 200-win plateau. He is in his 20th season as the head coach at Michigan State.
Big Ten Pundits
MSU was picked fourth in the 2010 Big Ten preseason poll of coaches. Penn State was selected as the league favorite for the eighth consecutive season, followed by Ohio State, Wisconsin, and the Spartans. Following MSU in the poll, in order, is Purdue, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Northwestern, and Iowa. Players to Watch
Spartan senior Cara Freeman and juniors Laura Heyboer and Jill Flietstra were named to the Big Ten's "Players to Watch" list. Three student-athletes were selected from each school.
The Spartan Staff
Michigan State head coach Tom Saxton is in his 20th season in command of the women's soccer program. He entered the season with a 190-157-34 record, and is coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009. He has Associate Head Coach Tammy Farnum returning for her 14th season and assistant Stacy Heller for her seventh, both after four-year careers in Green and White
