Spartans Honor Seniors in Home Finale Saturday
10/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
EAST LANSING, Mich. â€" The Michigan State women's soccer team is hosting their final home game of the 2016 campaign on Saturday, Oct. 22. The Spartans welcome #16 Penn State to DeMartin Stadium for a 12 p.m. start time.
The Spartans know Saturday afternoon won't be an ordinary game day for the Michigan State women's soccer team as it will be the senior class' last regular-season home game at DeMartin Stadium. Throughout their four years this class has defended their home pitch, concluding their careers with a winning home record notching 18 wins.
MSU will be graduating nine student-athletes and over their years at Michigan State they have posted a cumulative GPA of 3.16. Three of the players will graduate in December of 2016, three will graduate in May of 2017, and the final three will graduate in December of 2017. With six Academic All-Big Ten honorees and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar these student-athletes have shown their excellence in the classroom as well as having a heart for giving back to the community. These individuals have given their time and commitment to the surrounding community in various service projects throughout the years.
Michigan State will enter Saturday's game in hopes to snap a five game losing streak, their last loss coming in a 1-0 early minutes goal against Wisconsin on Oct. 16. The Spartans are 5-10-1 this season, and hold a Big Ten conference record of 2-7-0.
Penn State currently has a 9-0-3 record in its last 12 matches, and will enter Saturday's game with an overall record of 10-2-4. The Nittany Lions are atop the Big Ten standings, sitting in first place with a conference record of 6-0-3.
Frannie Crouse is leading the Big Ten in goals with 11, notching a team-high 23 points. Nickolette Driesse has been the biggest contributor for Penn State as she has tallied six assists, which is tied for second most in the Big Ten.
As the primary goalkeeper, Amanda Dennis has seen the most action in the net as she holds an overall record of 10-2-4. Dennis has played 1517:49 minutes this year, has only allowed 12 goals, and has notched 46 saves for a goals against average of 0.71.
At the conclusion of Saturday's match, the Michigan State women's soccer team will have one more game of the season. The Spartans will travel to West Lafayette, Ind. to face off against Purdue on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The game is slated for 7:00 p.m.
The nine seniors that will be honored this Saturday before the game are listed below with their expected graduation date and major:
#0 Kaitlyn Collin (Captain) â€" December 2016, Communication
#3 Shelby Foit â€" December 2017, Psychology
#8 Jessica White â€" December 2016, Hospitality Business
#13 Emily Paymer â€" May 2017, Criminal Justice
#16 Jessica Kjellstrom (Captain) â€" December 2017, Advertising
#18 Michelle Dear â€" May 2017, Finance
#19 Marisa Oleksiak (Captain) â€" December 2017, Advertising
#21 Megan Rafac â€" May 2017, Kinesiology
#26 Madeline Lucci â€" December 2016, Media and Information
