Field Hockey Set to Take on No. 2 Maryland, Central Michigan

EAST LANSING, Mich.- Michigan State field hockey returns to action this weekend with a pair of games against No. 2 Maryland and Central Michigan.

The Spartans (6-9, 0-6 B1G) travel to No. 2-ranked Maryland to take on the Terrapins on Friday at the FH and Lax Field (5 p.m.), then head back home for a non-conference matchup against Central Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. The game will be MSU's pink game for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

MSU is 6-9 on the season, with wins over St. Francis, Kent State, Ball State, Miami (Ohio), UC Davis and Ohio. Seven of MSU's nine losses have come to ranked opponents (No. 12 Louisville, No. 3 UConn, No. 7 Northwestern, No. 8 Iowa, No. 9 Michigan, No. 20 Wake Forest and No. 18 Rutgers).

MSU looks for its first B1G win of the season this weekend, after an 0-6 start and losses to No. 7 Northwestern, No. 8 Iowa, No. 9 Michigan, Penn State, No. 18 Rutgers and Indiana.

Scouting Maryland
Maryland comes into the contest with a Big Ten-best 14 wins, including nine wins over ranked opponents. The Terrapins are 6-1 in conference action , their lone loss coming to No. 9 Michigan. Maryland is 9-0 at home, and lead the league with 53 goals.
Madison Maguire and Linda Cobano lead the charge for the Terrapins with nine goals each, while Bibi Donraadt comes in with six goals and seven assists. Noelle Frost has played 16 games in goal for the Terrapins, allowing only 15 goals, and a 1.12 GAA.

All-Time Series Maryland leads, 10-0
Maryland Streak 10 wins from 1982-2018
First Meeting Sept. 17, 1982
Last Meeting Oct. 28,, 2018
Last MSU Win -
Last Maryland Win Oct. 28, 2018 (6-0, B1G Tournament)
Largest MSU Win -
Largest Maryland Win 6-0 (Oct. 28, 2018)

Scouting Central Michigan
Central Michigan is 2-13 on the season, with its wins coming against Colgate (4-1) and Saint Louis (3-0). The Chippewas are led in scoring by Alice O'Hagan with six goals and Samantha Glapinski with five. Abigail Ebersol has compiled 116 saves on the season for the Chippewas in 14 games.

All-Time Series MSU leads, 47-14
Michigan State Streak 11 wins from 2008-Pre.
First Meeting 1972
Last Meeting Sept. 18, 2018
Last MSU Win Sept. 18, 2018 (2-1 away)
Last Central Michigan Win Sept. 26, 2007 (3-2)
Largest MSU Win 6-0 (Sept. 25, 2001)
Largest Central Michigan Win 4-0 (Oct. 29, 1980)

Last Time Out
MSU fell to Penn State (Oct. 18) and No. 18 Rutgers (Oct. 20) at home. Against the Nittany Lions, MSU fought until the end, before falling 3-1. Cara Bonshak recorded her first goal of the season and Nienke Bloemsaat added her fifth in a 3-2 loss to Rutgers.

Spartan Leaders
Junior Lia Sinisi leads the Spartans on the offensive side with six goals, while sophomore Aisha Osinga has collected five goals on the season with three game-winning goals, tied for first in the Big Ten. Osinga leads the Spartans with 32 shots, including 20 on goal.

Bloemsaat has added five goals, two assists and six defensive saves. Sinisi recorded her first career goal in MSU's season opener against St. Francis on Aug.31. Bloemsaat has started in 14 of 15 games for the Spartans as a defender, recording all four goals on penalty corners. Bonshak leads in assists with six, while senior Kelsey Keener has one goal and three assists to her name.

Goalkeeper Jade Arundell leads the Big Ten with 123 saves in 15 games. Her 8.0 saves per game ranks sixth in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten. Meredith Ross comes in to the weekend with three goals and an assist. Redshirt junior Maggie Cole recorded her first goal in the Green and White in the seasonopener vs. St. Francis (Aug. 31)

MSU at the Top in Defensive Saves
Michigan State field hockey is among one of the nation's best in defensive saves with 9. Among the 67 teams with defensive saves, MSU ranks No. 4 in the NCAA. MSU leads the Big Ten in defensive saves. Bloemsaat leads the Big ten with six defensive saves , good enough for third in the NCAA. Sophomore Maddie McDonough has been a heavy defensive presence with Bloemsaat on the back line of defense. McDonough has two defensive saves on the year, including a layout save against No. 20 Wake Forest on Oct. 13. Bonshak recorded her first defensive save of the season on Sept. 29 against No. 8 Iowa.

Balanced Attack
Eight different Spartans have recorded a goal this season. Aisha Osinga, who is tied for first in the Big Ten with three-game winning goals, has five goals while Meredith Ross has recorded three goals. Isa van der Weij, who led the Spartans in scoring last season as a freshman, has two goals and one assist. Maggie Cole, a redshirt junior from Chelsea, Mich., recorded her first career goal in MSU's 7-0 win over St. Francis. Freshmen Merel Hanssen and Celina Riccardo have seen significant playing time early for the Spartans. Riccardo has started in 13 games, while Hanssen has played in all 14 and started eight.

Freshman Sensation
Bloemsaat is off to a blistering start in her freshman campaign. Bloemsaat has started in 14 of 15 games for MSU at the back position. Bloemsaat, from The Netherlands, has been key on the defensive side for the Spartans where she has collected six defensive saves. Offensively, Bloemsaat has compiled five goals on seven shots on goal, all from penalty corners. Bloemsaat is second on the team with 13 points. Along with her ability to score and her stellar defense, Bloemsaat can also distribute. She is tied for second on the team with three assists.

Arundell on Top
Sophomore goalkeeper Jade Arundell leads the Big Ten with 123 saves in 15 games (8.0spg) in goal for the Spartans. Her 8.0 saves per game rank sixth in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten. Indiana goalkeeper Sachi Ananias is second in total saves with 72 on the season. Arundell, who compiled 122 saves last year in her freshman season, recorded a career-high 15 saves on Oct. 6 at No. 9 Michigan. Arundell compiled 41 saves over a three-game span against No. 7 Northwestern, No. 8 Iowa and No. 9 Michigan. Arundell's .755 save percentage ranks 2nd in the Big Ten and ranks 17th in the NCAA. Arundell's three shutouts are tied for second.

Field Hockey Set to Take on No. 2 Maryland, Central Michigan

Players Mentioned

Jade Arundell

Nienke Bloemsaat

Cara Bonshak

Maggie Cole

Merel Hanssen

Kelsey Keener

Celina Riccardo

Meredith Ross

Lia Sinisi

Isa van der Weij

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