Field Hockey Opens Home Slate with UC Davis, Louisville

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State field hockey opens its 2019 home slate this weekend with two matches against UC Davis and No. 12 Louisville.

The Spartans welcome in UC Davis for their home opener on Friday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. Sunday's showdown with the Cardinals is scheduled for 11 a.m. Both matches will be streamed live on BTN+.

MSU's Hot Start
The Spartans opened the season last weekend with two wins in Kent, Ohio. In a neutral match with St. Francis on Saturday, MSU put up seven goals on 24 shots on its way to an impressive 7-0 win. Junior Lia Sinisi and sophomore Isa van der Weij led the scoring for the Spartans with two goals each, while freshman Nienke Bloemsaat added a penalty corner goal for her first collegiate goal and two assists. Senior Kelsey Keener pitched in two assists and redshirt junior Maggie Cole punched in her first career goal as a Spartan. MSU took on host Kent State on Sunday in what was a defensive battle with the Spartans grabbing the upper edge, 1-0. Sophomore Aisha Osinga recorded the lone goal for the Spartans, while sophomore goalkeeper Jade Arundell collected six saves and her second-straight shutout.

About the Spartans
Michigan State returns three of its top four scorers from last year's squad. The Spartans are led by 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 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. 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.), Bloemsaat (Oosterhout, The Netherlands), Hannah Jarvie (Saline, Mich.), Devin Reilly (Saline, Mich.), Merel Hanssen (Boxmeer, The Netherlands) and Valerie Radvany (Lawrenceville, N.J.).

Arundell Lands Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Honors
Michigan State field hockey goalkeeper Jade Arundell was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3.

Arundell, from County Kildare, Ireland, helped the Spartans to wins over St. Francis and Kent State this past weekend. Arundell played 60 minutes in both games and recorded 10 saves on the weeekend. Arundell recorded two shutouts in the victories to move to 2-0 in the net for the Spartans.

"Jade was excellent both games (St. Francis and Kent State). Her communication was outstanding, and she made some clutch saves for us. It has been great watching her grow and mature in the goal from her freshman to sophomore season," MSU field hockey head coach Helen Knull stated.

Arundell becomes the first Spartan to take home Defensive Player of the Week honors since Jenni Smith in 2013. Van der Weij was the last MSU player to earn Big Ten weekly honors, when she was named Freshman of the Week on Aug. 27, 2018.

Big Ten Preseason Honors
Michigan State field hockey seniors Makenzie Brown and Kelsey Keener along with 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 UC Davis
UC Davis is off to a 1-0 start after knocking off Quinnipiac,1-0, last Sunday. Chelsea Bigelow leads the Aggies on the defensive end with 278 career saves, including four against Quinnipiac. Junior Nicola Prebble leads the offensive charge with one goal, while Grace Austin has one assist. The Aggies are led by third year head coach Britt Broady.

Matchup History
Series: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Aug. 26, 2017 (2-1 in East Lansing)
Last UC Davis win: Sept. 20, 2015 (2-1)

On Louisville
The Cardinals begin the season ranked No. 12 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Preseason Poll. Louisville begins the season with a 3-0 record and wins over Indiana (5-0), Massachusetts (1-0), and Kent State (4-2). 2018 All-ACC Second Team selection Bethany Russ leads the Cardinals in scoring with 11 points on five goals. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Hollyn Barr holds a perfect 3-0 record with three saves.

Matchup History
Series: MSU leads, 9-6
Last MSU win: Sept. 16, 2012 (2-1 OT in East Lansing)
Last Louisville win: Oct. 7, 2018 (4-1 in Louisville)
Home Record: 5-2

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

Maggie Cole

Merel Hanssen

Hannah Jarvie

Kelsey Keener

Valerie Radvany

Devin Reilly

Celina Riccardo

Meredith Ross

Lia Sinisi

Isa van der Weij