Field Hockey Finishes Road Swing with Pair of Games in Athens, Ohio

Michigan State vs. Northeastern
Date: Friday, Sept. 3
Time: 1 p.m.
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Location: Pruitt Field (Athens, Ohio)

Michigan State at Ohio
Date: Sunday, Sept. 5
Time: 1 p.m.
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Location: Pruitt Field (Athens, Ohio)

ATHENS, Ohio – The Michigan State field hockey team is set to wrap up its four-game, season-opening road swing this weekend with two contests in Athens, Ohio.

A neutral-site game awaits the Spartans on Friday, Sept. 3, as MSU will play Northeastern at 1 p.m. The Green and White then turn around to face host Ohio on Sunday, Sept. 5, with that contest also slated for 1 p.m.

Last Time Out
The Spartans opened the 2021 season by earning victories in each of their first two games, defeating Kent State, 3-1, on Aug. 27 before shutting out Saint Louis, 4-0, on Aug. 28.

Junior Nienke Bloemsaat recorded the first goal of the season for the Green and White, with senior Lia Sinisi and graduate student Maddie Babineau also scoring in the opener. Saturday's win saw four more Spartans reach the scoresheet, as seniors Cara Bonshak and Isa van der Weij, sophomore Ashley Harlock and freshman Ellie Rutherford all registered their first goals of the campaign.

The 2-0 start is the best for MSU since the 2019 season, when the Spartans collected wins in each of the team's first three games.

Stingy Defense
In addition to scoring seven goals across two games, the Spartans limited their opponents to four shots on goal over the weekend. Both Kent State and Saint Louis were held to two shots on goal in their respective meetings against MSU, as senior goalkeepers Jade Arundell and Monique Jardell combined for the shutout in the win over SLU.

The last shutout by the Spartans came on March 7, as Arundell and her squad blanked Indiana, 2-0.

Double the Captaincy
Bonshak and Sinisi were selected as team captains for the Spartans this season prior to the opener at Kent State. This will be Bonshak's third season serving in the captaincy, while it will mark Sinisi's second stint in a captain's role. The two served as co-captains in the spring 2021 season and Bonshak was a co-captain during the 2019 campaign as well.

Both players are in their fifth season in head coach Helen Knull's program, with Sinisi totaling 73 games played for the Green and White and Bonshak appearing in 66 career games, picking up an All-Big Ten Second Team selection in 2020-21.

Scouting Northeastern
The Huskies enter the second weekend of the season at 0-2, dropping their Aug. 27 opener to UMass, 3-0, before falling in a high-scoring 6-5 contest to Monmouth on Aug. 29. Mak Graves paces the Northeastern squad with two goals, while Lauren Rowe has collected a goal and an assist on the campaign. Both goalkeepers, Julia Gluyas and Erin Savage, have recorded a start in net.

The last meeting between the Spartans and Huskies came on Sept. 20, 2013, a 2-0 MSU win that gave the Green and White a 4-3 edge in the all-time series.

Scouting Ohio
The Bobcats opened the campaign on Aug. 27 with a 6-0 loss at No. 5 Louisville, and followed that with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of New Hampshire the next day.

MSU leads the all-time series with Ohio, 15-2, with the most recent meeting coming on Oct. 11, 2019. That contest ended with a 1-0 Spartans victory.

Up Next
The Spartans are set to return to Ralph Young Field for their home opener on Sept. 12, hosting Ball State in a non-conference matchup. That contest is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Field Hockey Finishes Road Swing with Pair of Games in Athens, Ohio

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Players Mentioned

Jade Arundell

Maddie Babineau

Nienke Bloemsaat

Cara Bonshak

Ashley Harlock

Monique Jardell

Ellie Rutherford

Lia Sinisi

Isa van der Weij