Spartans Shut Out Bellarmine in 2026 Season Finale - Michigan State University Athletics

Sunday, October 25

East Lansing, Mich.

12 PM

Michigan State University

(6-11)

Bellarmine

(3-13)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Bellarmine	0	0	0	0	0
Michigan St.	0	0	2	1	3

Caroline Horace runs across the field at Ralph Young Field

Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography

10/25/2026 2:46:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State field hockey put an emphatic stamp on the 2026 season Sunday afternoon, blanking Bellarmine 3-0 in non-conference action at Ralph Young Field.

With the victory, MSU closes the campaign with a 6-11 overall record, while the Knights move to 3-13.

Michigan State controlled the pace of play throughout the contest, outshooting Bellarmine 17-8 overall, establishing a 13-5 edge in shots on goal, and earning seven penalty corners to five for the Knights.

The Spartans' offense placed 13 shots on frame, paced by goal scorers junior midfielder Lilian Knorr, sophomore forward Caroline Horace, and senior forward Bianca Pizano. Facilitating the attack, senior forward Minke Klijn and senior back Serena Mailhe each recorded an assist. Junior goalkeeper Lola Munoz de Verger delivered a standout complete-game performance in cage to earn her second solo shutout victory of the season, stopping all five shots on goal across a full 60 minutes of work.

Big save by de Verger on the penalty corner to keep Bellarmine off the board! https://t.co/XaK06RqZnX
— Michigan State Field Hockey (@MSU_FieldHockey) October 25, 2026

Both sides opened the match engaged in a midfield battle, with the Spartans generating early pressure off a fourth-minute penalty corner inserted by Knorr that produced back-to-back chances from sophomore Ellie Kendall. Bellarmine tested the Spartan cage midway through the second quarter with a sequence of four consecutive penalty corners, but Munoz de Verger stood tall, recording three saves in a 36-second span to keep the match scoreless going into the halftime break.

Michigan State broke through early in the second half, erupting for two goals in the third quarter. In the 36th minute, Klijn worked into space and found Knorr in front of the cage, who drilled a finish into the back of the net to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. Off a penalty corner sequence in the 42nd minute, Mailhe slipped a pass to Horace, who dribbled into the circle and buried her look past the goalkeeper to double the MSU advantage to 2-0.

Lili Knorr dives for it and scores to give us a 1-0 lead! Her sixth of the season. https://t.co/QPQpVUKhyq
— Michigan State Field Hockey (@MSU_FieldHockey) October 25, 2026

The Spartans sealed the decision in the fourth quarter with continued pressure. In the 51st minute, an initial drive from Knorr was stopped by a defensive save on the goal line before Pizano pounced on the loose ball to deposit the rebound and push the final margin to 3-0. Munoz de Verger and the Spartan backline held Bellarmine without a single shot attempt in the final 15 minutes to preserve the clean sheet.