Michigan State Pushes #13 Michigan to the Wire in 2-1 Conference Opener

Friday, September 18

East Lansing, Mich.

4 PM

Michigan State University

(3-4, 0-1)

Michigan

(4-2, 1-0)

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

Caro Schafer hits the ball against Michigan at Ralph Young Field

Photo by: Evan Peacock

Michigan State Pushes #13 Michigan to the Wire in 2-1 Conference Opener

9/18/2026 8:19:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State field hockey opened Big Ten play on Friday afternoon, falling in a tightly contested 2-1 battle to rival Michigan at Ralph Young Field.

MSU moves to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten action and returns to non-conference action when the Spartans travel to face Ball State on Sunday, September 20, at 12 p.m. Michigan improves to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in B1G play.

The Wolverines held a narrow 10-9 advantage in shots and an 8-7 advantage in penalty corners chances throughout the contest.

Sophomore goalkeeper Catherine Wolf made a team-high four saves, allowing two goals across 30 minutes of action in the first and third quarters. Junior goalkeeper Lola Munoz de Verger turned aside two shots across 30 scoreless minutes split between the second and fourth frames.

Sophomore forward Caroline Horace scored a third period goal for the Spartans, while junior midfielder Carmen Maudlin tallied her second assist of the season. Junior back Caro Schaefer contributed her conference-leading fourth defensive save of the season.

Following a defensive, scoreless first half that saw Michigan State stop two late Wolverine penalty corner opportunities, Michigan broke the 0-0 deadlock early in the third quarter, converting a penalty stroke in the 32nd minute. Michigan's lead increased to 2-0 just over a minute later off a penalty corner.

Munoz de Verger makes a big save to keep things scoreless! pic.twitter.com/XOlL4ZURs3
— Michigan State Field Hockey (@MSU_FieldHockey) September 18, 2026

Michigan State answered quickly in the 36th minute after Michigan's starting goalkeeper was sent off with a green card. On the ensuing sequence, Schaefer inserted a penalty corner, and Maudlin collected the ball to feed Horace, who redirected it in front of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Caroline Horace gets us on the board in the third! pic.twitter.com/6mF6JniMup
— Michigan State Field Hockey (@MSU_FieldHockey) September 18, 2026

The Spartans continued to press forward in the fourth quarter, out chancing the Wolverines while holding Michigan without a single shot over the final 15 minutes of action. Michigan State earned two late penalty corners, including a look in the 51st minute that led to a blocked attempt from Maudlin, but the Wolverines managed to withstand the Spartan pressure.