Michigan State University
Northeastern - NCAA Tournament
Field Hockey Advances To The NCAA Final Four
11/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 17, 2002
BOSTON - No. 3 Michigan State defeated No. 8 Northeastern in penalty strokes to advance to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in school history. Under cold, rainy conditions at Jordan Field on the campus of Harvard University, the Spartans claimed the win after 100 minutes of play and a shootout. With the game tied at one following regulation and two overtimes, MSU finished strong, converting three of four penalty strokes to move to 23-2 on the season.
The game opened as a battle of the midfield, as neither team was able to register a significant scoring opportunities. As the opening stanza wound down, the Spartans began to attack the cage. MSU had two balls shot in from outside the scoring circle and another enter the cage to high. Michigan State outshot the Huskies 5-3 and held a 4-0 advantage in penalty corners.
Michigan State put the first point on the board as Judith van Haeringen (Hagur, Netherlands) struck on a penalty corner goal from senior Vancouver, British Columbia natives, Jenny Sanders and Julia Adams in the 32nd minute. Northeastern evened it up a minute later. After an initial scramble in front of the net, Liane Dixon tipped in a pass from Mari Creatini. Both teams entered halftime tied at one.
The second half opened with several Northeastern scoring opportunities, but the Spartan defense remained strong. Junior Alexandra Kyser (Columbus, Ohio) made a big defensive save, shoving the ball away from the net as Northeastern attempted to score. Goalkeeper Christina Kirkaldy (Afton, N.Y.) also posted two saves on back-to-back Northerstern penalty corner attempts. Junior Sophie Rosmalen (Oss, Netherlands) stole a Huskie ball away at the edge of the circle with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. The Spartans had their own share of opportunites in the second half, but Northeastern's goalkeeper and defensive backs also posted several big stops. The Spartans ousthot the Huskies in the second half, 11-3 and again held the advantage in penalty corners with a 5-2 mark.
The Spartans and Huskies continued the second half of play without added any points to the board and the Spartans went into their first overtime game since opening day.
In the first overtime, during seven-on-seven action, Kirkaldy stepped up, making two key stops, while Jessica Miller (Carlsbad, Calif.) also tallied a take-away. The first 15-minute extra period ended without a score. During the second overtime, senior Cynthia Martin (Vancouver, British Columbia) made a game-saving stop for the Spartans, diving to the goal line as the ball got behind Kirkaldy.
Michelle Huynh-Ba (Hockessin, Del.) earned a yellow-card with four minutes left in the second overtime, putting the Spartans down a man, but MSU held tight and the second extra period ended without a winner.
Northeastern's first penalty stroke attempt went wide of Kirkaldy and the net, while Adams struck first for the Spartans and gave them the advantage. After the Huskies converted the second shot to the top of the cage, Kyser drove tally. Northeastern managed to score on their next opportunity, while Rosmalen's attempt was stopped by the goalie. The Huskies were unable to score on the fourth rotation, but Annebet Beerman (Maarssen, Netherlands) sank the ball in the cage for her team-leading 23rd goal of the season. When Northeastern was unable to convert its last hope, the Spartans came away with a tough, hard-fought victory.
The Spartans will play Wake Forest in the NCAA Final Four on Friday, Nov. 22, in Louisville, Ky. Old Dominion and Penn State will be the other two teams that will play for the National Championship on Sunday, Nov. 24 at Trager Stadium.
Scoring Summary 1 2 OT OT2 PS FinalMSU 1 0 0 0 ( 3 ) 2NEU 1 0 0 0 ( 2 ) 1
Team Goal (Assist) Period TimeMSU Judith van Haeringen (Jenny Sanders, Julia Adams) 1 31:01NEU Liane Dixon (Mari Creatini) 1 32:30
Penalty StrokesNEU (post)MSU Julia Adams (good)NEU (good)MSU Alexandra Kyser (good)NEU (good)MSU Sophie Rosmalen (save)NEU (wide)MSU Annebet Beerman (good)NEU (wide)
