Women's Soccer Takes on Michigan in Weekend Road Game
9/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
KICKOFF
The Michigan State women's soccer team rounds out its three-game road stretch travel¬ing to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in its in-state rivalry battle on Saturday, Sept. 24. Kick is set for under the lights at 7:30 p.m. at the U-M Soccer Complex.
Michigan State stands at 4-4-1 on the season and is 1-1 in Big Ten Conference play. The Spartans are coming off of a 1-1 weekend being brought down by Nebraska 2-0, Sept. 16, before defeating Iowa, 1-0 OT, Sept. 18.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan is currently on a four-game win streak marking a 6-1-1 overall record. The Wolverines are coming off a 2-0 weekend to open Big Ten Conference play.
The Wolverines defeated Iowa 1-0, Sept. 16, fol¬lowed by a 2-1 victory over Nebraska, Sept. 18. Through eight games Michigan has scored 18 goals, while holding its opponents to just six. The Wolverines have also tallied 20 assists for 38 points.
Michigan has three players with 10 or more points. Sophomore Reilly Martin and redshirt junior Ani Sarkisian lead the team with 12 points apiece, both netting four goals and contributing four helpers.
SPARTANS-WOLVERINES SERIES
Michigan State holds the overall series over Michigan, 12-11-7. The Spartans defeated the Wolverines in their last meeting at home 3-0 in 2015. Michigan State is 4-8-6 on the road against Michigan, but have scored 42 goals to Michigan's 37 in the all-time records.
LOOK AT THE BIG TEN
After nine games senior goalkeeper Kaitlyn Collin leads the Big Ten in saves with a total of 58, while also leading with a 6.40 saves per game average.
Senior Marisa Oleksiak is tied for 10th in the Big Ten with four goals. All four goals of Oleksiak's have been penalty kicks, one of which was a game-winner.
Junior Jamie Cheslik, sophomore Michaela Kovacs, and sophomore Lexy Warner were all named to the Big Ten Women's Soccer Preseason Honors List.
STATS, STATS, STATS,
Michigan State has had four overtime games this season, and have won two of them. The last time MSU has won two or more overtime games in one season was in 2011.
Kaitlyn Collin has recorded one double-digit game with 10 saves, a career high. She has had four games with seven or more saves.
MSU has scored a game-high of six points in two games this season, once in a 2-0 victory over Detroit and once in a 2-1 (OT) victory over Colorado.
Cheslik scored a team-high three points against Detroit, netting one goal and adding one helper.
CAPTAINS
Michigan State has three captains this season, senior Marisa Oleksiak, senior Kaitlyn Collin, and senior Jessica Kjellstrom. Oleksiak and Collin have started and played in every game this season, and Kjellstrom has started in six games after coming off of a preseason injury.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
As only a junior Jamie Cheslik is tied for 28th in the all-time record books in points. She has recorded 34 points on 12 goals and 10 assists .She is tied for 30th all-time with the 12 goals.
FRESHMAN IMPACT
Six freshman have contributed this year on the field, all six have started in at least one game of the season. Hannah Jones and Sadie Misiewicz have played in all nine games this season.
Hannah Jones has started in every game this season, and netted her first career goal as a Spartan against Detroit, Sept. 11.
MICHIGAN STATE NOTES
Throughout the 2016 campaign, Michigan State will play against six different schools who were in the 2015 NCAA Division I College Cup, including last year's National Champions, Penn State.
This year Michigan State returns seven starters from last season's team that concluded the season with a mark of 8-6-4 overall and 4-5-2 in conference play.
The Spartans returned their two top scorers, sophomore Lexy Warner and junior Jamie Cheslik. Last season Warner was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team last year after recording a team-high 10 points on three goals and four assists. Cheslik was the second leading points scorer, with two goals and four assists.
250TH CAREER WIN
The 2016 season marks head coach Tom Saxton's 26th year at the helm of the women's soccer program, he is only the second coach in MSU women's soccer program history.
Saxton earned his 250th career win, Sept. 11, when the Spartans defeated Detroit in a 2-0 non-conference matchup.
In all, Saxton has coached all 10 of the career leaders in goals and assists at Michigan State, serving as head coach during seven of 10 of their careers.
UP NEXT
Michigan State will return to DeMartin Stadium for a pair of home games. MSU will host Maryland, Sept. 29, the game is slated for 4 p.m. Michigan State will then welcome Rutgers, Oct. 2. The kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and will be aired on Big Ten Network Plus.
