Field Hockey Welcomes Northwestern, New Hampshire
9/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 28, 2011
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EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State field hockey team (5-6, 0-1 Big Ten), hosts two ranked teams this weekend, welcoming No. 16 Northwestern and No. 10 New Hampshire to East Lansing. The Spartans and Wildcats face off in a Big Ten matchup on Thursday 29th at 3 p.m. that will air on BigTenNetwork.com. MSU and UNH play on Sunday, Oct. 2nd at 12 p.m.
Looking Back
On Sunday, the Spartans notched a thrilling overtime 2-1 victory against Kent State in their first home match of the season. The Golden Flashes scored the only goal in the first period when Debbie Bell reverse flicked it into the net. After receiving a pass from freshman Heather Howie, redshirt sophomore Elizabeth Helffrich notched the equalizer that sent the game into overtime. With three minutes left in the extra period, the Spartans were awarded a corner play. Redshirt senior Angie Lucik sent the ball to freshman Becky Stiles, who found the back of the cage and secured Michigan State's victory.
Michigan State recorded 2-1 win over Central Michigan earlier in the week. After being down a goal to the Chippewas, junior midfielder Adelle Lever notched a game-tying tally, and sophomore forward Katherine Jamieson secured MSU's victory with her first goal of the season with under 20 minutes left in regulation. The Spartans also opened Big Ten play this past weekend, falling to Iowa, 2-0.
Watching the Northwestern Wildcats
Michigan State will be the first stop on Northwestern's final road trip of their season. The Wildcats, who own a record of 9-3, fell in their first conference match to No. 18 Indiana, 4-1. Junior Chelsea Armstrong has broken two Northwestern records this season, notching 150 career points and 62 career goals. She also leads the Big Ten in shots with an average of 6.73 a game and game-winning goals with six. In net for the Wildcats is freshman goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter, who has posted a GAA of .244 and a save percentage of .694
Scouting the New Hampshire Wildcats
After beginning the season on an eight-game winning streak, New Hampshire fell in both of its games this past weekend to No. 19 Louisville and No. 15 Northwestern. Hayley Rausch leads the Wildcats offensively with 34 points off of 15 goals and four assists. Veteran goaltender Katherine Nagengast is in net for UNH, with a GAA of 1.63 and a save percentage of .741.
Spread-Out Scoring
The Spartans have had goal contributions from 11 different players so far this season. Two players have scored three times, Abby Barker and Elizabeth Helffrich; Barker leads MSU with three goals and one assist. Two out of her three goals have been game-winners. Freshman Allie Ahern, junior Adelle Lever and redshirt junior Chelsy Coil each have scored twice for MSU. Heather Howie leads the team in assists with four.
Tough Defense
Adelle Lever leads the defense with three defensive saves, which she recorded against Boston University, Northeastern and Kent State. Angie Lucik also tallied a defensive save against the Huskies, while Corey Block has also notched a defensive save.
Redshirt sophomore goaltender Molly Cassidy leads the Big Ten in saves per game with an average of 6.27 per contest. She also leads the conference in total saves, with 69 in 11 games. Cassidy has a GAA of 2.86 and a save percentage of .734. She was honored after her 3-0 shutout over No. 7 Virginia and a 2-1 victory over Miami of Ohio, as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
Sister Act
Sophomore Katherine Jamieson and her sister, Northwestern redshirt senior Megan Jamieson, will play against each other for the fourth time in two years when the Spartans take on the Wildcats on Thursday. Northwestern and Michigan State met three times last season, twice in the regular season and once in the Big Ten Tournament.
Home Sweet Home
The match against Northwestern counts as the Spartans first home conference match of the season. MSU is 1-0 at home, after defeating Kent State this past Sunday. It will be MSU's second appearance in East Lansing this season after playing ten straight games on the road. The Spartans have traveled to Louisville, Ky., Boston, Mass., Oxford, Ohio and Providence R.I. since the beginning of their season.
Game Day Promotions
At Thursday's 3 p.m. match against Northwestern, free pizza will be given out to all students who show their student ID. On Friday Oct.14th at the Spartans' game against Ohio State, there will be a t-shirt giveaway to the first 100 students. Every student that receives a t-shirt will be eligible to win an iPod touch at the October 21st game against Michigan. In order to be eligible to be entered into the raffle for the prize, students must wear the shirt they received at the Ohio State game to the Michigan game. The drawing will take place at halftime.
Fall Play Day
Following its contest against New Hampshire, Michigan State will host its annual Fall Play day, which provides young girls from around the state of Michigan a chance to learn from and play with the Spartan field hockey team. Drills and scrimmages will take place immediately after the conclusion of the match and last for two hours.The fee can still be paid prior to the event.
Next Up
The Spartans return to the road next weekend, traveling to Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 8th and Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 9th. The match at Indiana will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
