Women's Soccer Preview
10/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 6, 2011
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The Particulars
Michigan State (10-3-0, 3-2 B1G) looks to bounce back after going 1-1 in road Big Ten contests last week. MSU welcomes Illinois (8-4-1, 2-2-1 B1G) into DeMartin Stadium Saturday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.
A Week in Review
The Spartans traveled to Nebraska for the first time since the Huskers joined the Big Ten and came away with a 1-0 victory. Laura Heyboer scored the lone goal of the game in the 25th minute, her 15th of the season. Teammate Jill Flietstra made six saves and posted her sixth shutout of the season, leading all Big Ten goalkeepers.
Michigan State then made the trip to Iowa City, Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes (10-1-2) in a conference showdown. The Spartans lost 1-0 in a tough, hard-fought match. Dana Dalrymple scored the only goal of the contest in the eighth minute. Both goaltenders Jill Flietstra and Emily Moran of Iowa recorded eight saves and many team statistical categories were incredibly close as well. Both teams had 11 fouls and nine shots on net, and each finished with four corner kicks. Iowa held a 20-15 edge in shots overall.
A Look at the Fighting Illini
Illinois carries an 8-4-1 record coming into the matchup against the Spartans. The Illini are coming off back-to-back home victories over Indiana (4-1) and Purdue (1-0). Illinois boasts a strong offensive attack, leading the conference in shots and goals, and is ranked second in points. Sophomore Vanessa DiBernardo leads Illinois with a 12-3-27 scoring line, and her 12 goals rank fourth in the conference. DiBernardo was named Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week the conference announced Monday, Oct. 3. The sophomore midfielder accounted for six points and had both game-winning goals against Indiana and Purdue. DiBernardo is tied for the conference lead in game-winning goals with six. Goalkeeping duties fall on the shoulders of junior Steph Panozzo, she has started every game for the Illini and has recorded three shutouts.
A CLASS of Her Own
Senior forward Laura Heyboer was selected as a finalist for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in collegiate soccer. The prestigious accolade honors student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Heyboer not only makes an impact in the MSU community, but is a strong leader on the soccer field. At the beginning of the season, Heyboer broke two school records and is now MSU's leading career scorer with 54 goals and also leads in all-time points with 130. So far this season, the forward has notched 15 goals and six assists for a total of 36 points.
Defensive Effort
In two matches last week the Spartan defense allowed only one goal. Senior goalkeeper Jill Flietstra is second in the conference in goals against average (.70) and third in save percentage (.857). She also is tied for the conference lead in shutouts with six. Flietstra is not the only Spartan raising her play on the defensive side. A trio of defenders, senior Katelin Chaklos, junior Kelsey Kassab, sophomore Annie Steinlage, and sophomore Kelsey Mullen, have all played critical roles in keeping the Spartans among the top of the Big Ten in defensive statistics.
Alumni Weekend and Tribute to a Legend
On Oct. 8-9, the Spartan men's and women's soccer programs will salute Joe Baum, who retired from Michigan State University on June 30 after parts of six decades as a part of the MSU soccer programs. The former Spartan mentor will be honored at both the women's game against Illinois on Saturday and the men's game against Penn State. It is also alumni weekend for both programs. Baum served as the head coach of the men's program for 32 years, and was the women's program's first head coach (1986-90). Baum turned the reins of the women's program over to his former player, Tom Saxton, who has led the team for the last 21 seasons. He stepped down from his position of men's head coach after the 2008 season, and served his final two seasons as an assistant to his former player and assistant, Damon Rensing
Baum, who was a goalkeeper for the men's soccer program in the late 60s and helped the Spartans win a share of the 1968 NCAA Championship, helped the most recent team into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, where it fell to North Carolina in penalty kicks. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in the early 70s, and patrolled the Spartan sidelines for 36 seasons.
Next up
Following the weekend, Michigan State hosts rival Michigan Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. at DeMartin Stadium.
