Field Hockey Opens 2019 Season Saturday on the Road

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State field hockey team opens the regular season this weekend with a pair of matches in Kent, Ohio.

MSU opens the season on Saturday, Aug. 31 with a neutral match against St. Francis, followed by a contest against host Kent State on Sunday, Sept. 1. Both matches are slated for 1 p.m. at Murphy-Mellis Field.

Ninth year Head Coach Helen Knull on the season opener..
"The Spartans are eager to get on the road and start the season. Last week in our exhibition, we were challenged in our structure and play – which has allowed us to make adjustments for opening weekend."

Last Time Out
The Spartans took on Michigan in preseason action on Saturday, Aug. 24 in Ann Arbor. MSU got things going early in the first period, with sophomore Isa van der Weij putting the Spartans on the board with a goal off a penalty corner in the opening minutes. MSU held strong defensively to take a 1-0 lead into the break. Van der Weij recorded her second goal of the day (32^nd minute) on a fast break after MSU successfully defended three-straight penalty corners. Michigan got on the board with a penalty stroke in the 46^th minute, but the Spartans held strong to close out the 2-1 victory at Ocker Field. The teams went on to play an extra 10-minute period followed by a shootout.

About the Spartans
Michigan State enters the 2019 season returning three of its top four scorers from last year's squad. The Spartans are led by sophomore Isa van der Weij, who led MSU in multiple statistical categories a season ago. A native of Bussum, The Netherlands, van der Weij finished the 2018 season with a team-best 11 points on four goals scored.

Additionally, junior Meredith Ross (3 goals) and sophomore Aisha Osinga (2 goals) return at the forward position for MSU and join nine Spartans who made at least one start from last year's team. Sophomore goalkeeper Jade Arundell, who started all 20 games in the net last season, returns after compiling 122 saves during her freshman campaign.

MSU welcomes six freshmen to the 2019 team: Celina Riccardo (Dowington, Pa.), Nienke Bloemsaat (Oosterhout, The Netherlands), Hannah Jarvie (Saline, Mich.), Devin Reilly (Saline, Mich.), Merel Hanssen (Boxmeer, The Netherlands) and Valerie Radvany (Lawrenceville, N.J.).

Big Ten Preseason Honors
Michigan State field hockey seniors Makenzie Brown and Kelsey Keener along with junior Meredith Ross were named to the 2019 Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list, the conference office announced on Aug. 27.

A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Brown started in 18 games for the Spartans last season. The senior midfielder recorded two points with one goal on nine shots. Brown was named to the All-Big Ten Academic team in 2018. Entering her senior season, Brown has competed in 56 games for MSU and has five career goals to her name.

Keener, from Millerstown, Pa., started in all but one game for the Green and White a season ago at the forward position, compiling one goal and one assist. Keener has 18 career points on seven goals in 59 games for the Spartans.

Ross, a forward from Berwyn, Pa., was second on the team in goals scored with three for the Spartans in 2018. Ross played in 19 games for MSU last season, with three starts. Along with being named to the 2018 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars list, Ross was a member of the All-Big Ten Academic team in 2018.

On the Redhawks
St. Francis finished with a 9-10 mark in 2018, going 4-4 in the Northeast. The Redhawks lose three of their top four scorers from a season ago in Brea Seabrook (nine goals), Brianna Govia (five goals, 10 assists) and Atina Pagani (four goals, 11 points). Taylor Nesmith, a forward from Mechanicsburg, Pa., returns for St. Francis after a junior campaign that saw her score 13 points on five goals.

SFU is led by third year head coach Maria Bettiana Ceretta. Saturday's game will be the first between the two programs.

On Kent State
Led by first-year head coach Kyle Desandes-Moyer, the Flashes finished the 2018 season 8-12 overall and 5-1 in the MAC. Kent State returns its two leading scorers from last season in Clara Rodriguez Seto and Emma Bressler. Mary Crumlish, who started all 20 games in the net, also returns for Kent State.

MSU leads the all-time series with the Flashes, 23-8. MSU knocked off Kent State, 3-2 (OT) , in its last meeting on Aug. 26, 2018.

Spartan Schedule
MSU's 18-game regular season slate includes 11 home games and seven on the road. The Spartans play host to five teams who rank inside the top-25 of the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Preseason Poll. After their home opener on Sept. 6 against UC Davis, the Spartans welcome No. 12 Louisville to Ralph Young Field on Sunday, Sept. 8. Miami (Ohio) travels to East Lansing on Sept. 13, followed by a home meeting with 2018 Elite 8 finisher and No. 4-ranked UConn on Sept. 15.

Other schedule highlights include trips to No. 7 Michigan (Oct. 6), No. 2 Maryland (Oct. 25) and home meetings with No. 9 Penn State (Oct. 18), No. 19 Rutgers (Oct. 20) and No. 14 Ohio State (Nov. 2). The Terrapins finished as national runner-up last season to North Carolina at the Division I Field Hockey National Championship.

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Players Mentioned

Jade Arundell

Nienke Bloemsaat

Makenzie Brown

Merel Hanssen

Hannah Jarvie

Kelsey Keener

Valerie Radvany

Devin Reilly

Celina Riccardo

Meredith Ross

Isa van der Weij