Spartans Down CMU, 4-2

Aug. 28, 2010

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East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State advanced to Sunday's final in the Champions Invitational with a 4-2 victory over Central Michigan on Saturday morning at Ralph Young Field. The Spartans will play Duke, a 3-2 double-overtime winner over Louisville, at 2 p.m. on Sunday. CMU and Louisville will play in the third-place game at 11:30 a.m.

Sabine van den Assem scored twice for MSU, and senior classmate Andrea Pagura had a goal and an assist for the Spartans, who opened their season with a victory. Molly Cassidy made three saves in her first collegiate start.

The Spartans came out firing, putting pressure on the CMU defense immediately, drawing a good scoring chance and a penalty corner in the first 1:30 of game action.

The Spartans got on the board less than seven minutes into the game when Angela Pagura fed Joelle vonIreland at the top of the circle, and the fullback sent a shot netward that beat the goalkeeper to her right. Central got the goal back with a redirection off a corner play at 17:55. After Molly Cassidy made the save off the corner play, Brooke Sihota redirected it past the sprawling keeper, sneaking it around her outstretched stick to knot the score at one.

Jantine Steinmetz set up Angela Pagura on a corner play with under five minutes remaining to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead headed into the half. Chantae Miller sent the ball in to Steinmez, who stopped it and sent it netward. Pagura finished the play for her first goal of the season.

The teams traded goals midway through the second half. The Chippewas got on the board at 14:38 to knot the score at 2-2 when Simon Lazar finished off a corner play, but the Spartans countered less than 30 seconds later when Van den Assem potted her first goal in an MSU uniform to regain the lead for the home team. Van den Assem pushed the Spartan lead to 4-2 when she poked home a loose ball off a corner play at the left post with 7:59 remaining.

Duke 3, Louisville 2 (2 OT) Susan Ferger's second tally of the day ended the game 4:29 into the second overtime period to propel the Blue Devils into the Champions Invitational final on Sunday against Michigan State. Emmie Le Marchand had the other tally for Duke (1-0), and keeper Samantha Nelson made five saves for the Blue Devils. Louisville's markers came from Tuli Lim and Amber Thomas, and four saves from Erin Conrad. Louisville held a 10-2 edge in corners, and a 13-10 advantage in shots.