Spartans Bounce Back in 3-1 Victory at Kent State

Friday, September 11

Kent, OH

2 PM

Michigan State University

(3-2, 0-0)

Kent State

(0-5, 0-0)

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

Carmen Maudlin hits the ball against Louisville during the 2026 season

Photo by: Evan Peacock

9/11/2026 4:52:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

KENT, Ohio -- Michigan State field hockey team returned to the win column on Friday afternoon, defeating Kent State 3-1 at Murphy-Mellis Field.

Friday's win improves the Spartans' record to 3-2 overall while Kent State falls to 0-5.

MSU controlled the pace of play, out-shooting the Golden Flashes 9-5 overall with a 6-2 advantage in shots on target while also generating a 5-3 margin in penalty corners.

Junior goalkeeper Lola Munoz de Verger earned the victory in cage for the Spartans, stopping the lone shot she faced across 30 scoreless minutes of action split between the second and fourth quarters. Sophomore goalkeeper Catherine Wolf started in goal for MSU, allowing one goal over 30 minutes in the first and third frames.

The Spartans established their offense early in the opening quarter, forcing Kent State goalkeeper Michaela Skinner into saves on shots from sophomore Ellie Kendall and senior Bianca Pizano. Michigan State broke through late in the second period when Pizano found the back of the cage unassisted in the 28th minute for her team-leading fourth goal of the season. Pizano capitalized on a Kent State turnover in their own end.

MSU doubled its advantage in the 33rd minute off a sequence initiated off a penalty corner from junior Lilian Knorr. After junior Carmen Maudlin's initial shot was blocked, Maudlin collected the rebound and fed a diving junior Mora Cavazza. Cavazza redirected the shot home for her second goal of the season to give the Spartans a 2-0 cushion. Kent State answered just over a minute later as Eva Usoz scored to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Munoz de Verger returned to the cage in the fourth quarter to help protect the one-goal advantage, and the Spartan offense added an insurance goal in the 57th minute. Following another Knorr penalty corner and a blocked Pizano shot, sophomore Caroline Horace pounced on the loose ball to bury an unassisted goal for her first of the season, sealing the 3-1 road victory.

UP NEXT
Michigan State returns home to Ralph Young Field on Sunday, September 13, hosting Cal at noon. The non-conference match-up will be broadcast live on B1G+.