Michigan State University
(2-0)
Saint Louis
(0-2)
Field Hockey Moves to 2-0 with Win Over Saint Louis
8/28/2022 7:40:00 PM | Field Hockey
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Lifted by a strong second-half offensive effort, Michigan State field hockey moved to 2-0 on Sunday with a 6-1 win over Saint Louis. Â
Five different Spartans scored en route to the win, with sophomore Ellie Rutherford leading all scorers with two goals. Emma O'Neill, Lulu Fulton, Kim Smit, and Jillian Bonczewski each added a goal.Â
The Spartans and Billikens were locked in a defensive battle for the majority of the first quarter before senior midfielder Merel Hanssen assisted O'Neill for the first goal of the game in the 13th minute. Michigan State recorded six shots, two on goal, while goalkeeper Monique Jardell made one save.Â
Michigan State held Saint Louis to one shot in the second quarter. The Spartans recorded eight shots in the quarter but were unable to score, heading into halftime with a 1-0 lead.Â
A two-goal third quarter gave the Spartans a 3-0 lead, with Fulton scoring her first goal of the season on a pass from senior Devin Reilly in the 34th minute. Rutherford scored her first goal of the game a minute later, assisted by graduate student Georgia Davies.Â
Rutherford's second goal came in the fourth quarter, converting on a penalty corner with an insert from junior Ashley Harlock and stick stop from Davies. The Spartans were unable to preserve the shutout in the fourth quarter, as Saint Louis' Olivia French scored on a breakaway in the 56th minute. Hanssen added another assist for the Spartans shortly after the Billikens' loan goal, making a pass to Smit for Smit's first goal of the season and third of her career. In the final thirty seconds of the game, Smit passed to Bonczewski for her first career goal. Â
The Spartans held a 26-7 advantage in shots and a 10-1 advantage in penalty corners. 19 players recorded minutes for Michigan State.Â
"It took us a while to get rolling and we turned the ball over too much in the first half," said Spartans' head coach Helen Knull. "We made some solid adjustments and found our momentum in the second half. I'm really pleased with the adjustments we have made every game and it's great to go to California next weekend 2-0."Â
The Spartans head to the West Coast next weekend for road matchups at UC Davis on Friday, Sept. 2 (3 p.m. ET/noon PT) and Stanford on Sunday, Sept. 4 (4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT). Â
Team Stats
O'Neill, Emma
Assisted By: Hanssen, Merel
GOAL by MSU O'Neill, Emma (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Hanssen, Merel.
13:07
Fulton, Lulu
Assisted By: Reilly, Devin
GOAL by MSU Fulton, Lulu, Assist by Reilly, Devin.
34:42
Rutherford, Ellie
Assisted By: Davies, Georgia
GOAL by MSU Rutherford, Ellie, Assist by Davies, Georgia.
35:42
Rutherford, Ellie
Assisted By: Harlock, Ashley , Davies, Georgia
corner
51:45
French, Olivia
breakaway goal
56:23
Smit, Kim
Assisted By: Hanssen, Merel
GOAL by MSU Smit, Kim, Assist by Hanssen, Merel.
57:06
Bonczewski, Jillian
Assisted By: Smit, Kim
GOAL by MSU Bonczewski, Jillian, Assist by Smit, Kim.
59:24
