Field Hockey Faces Rival Michigan and Ohio
10/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 16, 2008
Spartan Sports Podcasts:
• Senior Michelle Ciliberti
• Freshman Chantae Miller
• Head Coach Rolf van de Kerkhof
This Week
Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. for a match-up with Big Ten foe Michigan on Friday at 3 p.m. The Spartans return home Saturday for a non-conference game with Ohio at noon.
Series History
The Wolverines lead the all-time series over the Spartans, 31-22-7. The two teams last met on Oct. 5, 2007 when Michigan recorded a 2-1 win over the Spartans in overtime. Michelle Ciliberti scored MSU's only goal, and Elissa Unger made three saves.
The Spartans hold a 9-1 all-time record against Ohio. The two teams last met in 2007 with the season-opening Champions Invitational Tournament. Michigan State posted a 3-2 overtime win over the Bobcats. Gwen Riley and Floor Rijpma scored for the Spartans, and Becky Manning recorded the game-winner off a penalty corner.
Last Week's Action
The Spartans traveled to Evanston, Ill. for two matchups. On Friday, MSU defeated Northwestern, 3-1, to remain undefeated in Big Ten play. Freshman Chantae Miller (East Amherst, N.Y.) had a hand in each of the Spartans' three goals, recording four points in the game. Michigan State faced 3rd-ranked Wake Forest on Saturday in a neutral-site contest, falling 2-1. It was just the second loss of the season for the Spartans, and snapped the team's nine-game win streak.
Scouting the Wolverines
Michigan (7-7, 2-1 Big Ten) is coming off a 5-2 win over Central Michigan on Tuesday. The Wolverines recorded three straight goals in the second half to pull away from the Chippewas. Junior Kelly Fitzpatrick and sophomore Meredith Way both registered two goals in the game, and goalkeeper Paige Pickett earned her third win of the season for Michigan.
Way leads the team with 12 goals and 29 points. Senior Sarah Wilhite is second in scoring with 28 points and leads the team with 16 assists. Junior goalkeeper Christi Barwick owns a 4-3 record this season, while Pickett is 3-4. Way is tied for third in points, second in points per game, and tied for fourth in goals in the Big Ten, while Wilhite leads the conference in assists.
Scouting the Bobcats
Ohio (6-8) travel to Michigan for a matchup with the Spartans on Saturday, and a game with Central Michigan on Sunday. The Bobcats are coming off a 4-0 loss to No. 5 Duke on Tuesday. Senior Jessie Martin made six saves in goal for Ohio.
Rachelle Coetzee leads the team in goals (eight) and points (18). Nikki Gnozzio leads the team in assists (5) and is second in points (11). Martin has started all 14 games in goal for the Bobcats, recording a .736 save percentage and 1.94 goals against average.
Scouting the Spartans
Junior Floor Rijpma (Bunnik, Netherlands) leads the team in goals (13) and points (29), while junior Jeamie Deacon (Wexford, Ireland) and Miller are tied for second in goals (9) and points (27) this season. Miller leads all freshmen in the Big Ten in goals, assists and points. Senior Gwen Riley (Louisville, Ky.) leads the team with 10 assists and is fourth with 24 points.
The Spartans have outscored their opponents 61-18, including a 34-9 advantage in the second half. MSU holds a 295-103 advantage in shots and a 133-22 lead in penalty corners. Michigan State's only two losses this season came to the first and third ranked teams in the country.
National Recognition
Michigan State is ranked third nationally in goals per game (4.36), third in scoring margin (3.03), and second in points per game (12.21). MSU is tied for fifth nationally in winning percentage. The Spartans rank first in scoring margin, shots (295) and in goals scored (61) in the Big Ten, and sit atop the conference with a .857 win percentage and the fewest losses so far this season.
Junior Elissa Unger (Reading, Pa.) ranks 12th nationally in GAA, and is tied for 23rd in save percentage ... Rijpma is 22nd nationally in points per game and is tied for 15th in goals per game ... Deacon and Miller are tied for 23rd nationally in assists per game, and are tied for 27th in points per game ... Riley is tied for 18th nationally in assists per game (.71).
Big Ten Honors
Three Spartans have garnered Big Ten honors this year. Rijpma was named Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 6 and Deacon earned the honor on Sept. 29, giving MSU back-to-back awards. Unger was named Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15 for the first time in her career. Rijpma's honor was also her first, while Deacon's was her fourth.
Defensive-Minded
The MSU defense has been strong this year, allowing a goal or less in nine of its 14 games this season, and ranks 14th in the NCAA with a 1.27 goals against average. Sophomore Joelle van Ierland (Den Dolder, Netherlands) leads the team with two defensive saves this season and is tied for first in the category in the Big Ten. Unger has recorded two shutouts, while posting a 1.64 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.
Third Time's a Charm
The Spartans are 12-2 on the season. MSU has posted a similar record or better at this point in the season just two other times - 2002 and 2004. Both seasons the Spartans advanced to the NCAA Semifinals.
Freshman Sensation
Miller is a candidate to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year Honors. She leads all freshmen in the Big Ten in goals, assists and points. The Spartans have had three Freshman of the Year award-winners, with Jantine Steinmetz (Amstelveen, Netherlands) receiving the honor last season.
Career Year
Rijpma has surpassed her goal total from last season and is two points away from tying her point total from 2007. She recorded her first career hat trick on Oct. 3 when she tallied a career-high four goals against Indiana. It was also the first hat trick for the Spartans this season. Rijpma posted 10 points in the two games that weekend and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 6 for her performance. She currently has 31 career goals, good for ninth on MSU's career goals list.
High-Scoring Affair
MSU recorded 18 goals in two games two weeks ago. On Friday, Oct. 3, the Spartans recorded a 9-1 win over Indiana, and posted a 9-0 victory on Sunday. Oct. 5 against Temple. Ten Spartans recorded points in the games, with four leading the way. Rijpma recorded 10 points, Steinmetz and Riley both tallied eight points, and Deacon posted seven in the two games.
Best Yet
This season is head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof's third with Michigan State. He currently holds an overall record of 36-20 and is having the best start in his coaching career.
Wolverine Roots
First year assistant coach Molly Maloney is a graduate of Michigan. She was a member of the 2001 National Championship team. Maloney helped the Wolverines to the Big Ten Regular-Season Championship in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004, as well as the Big Ten Tournament title in 2004. She holds a share of six career records at Michigan.
Perfect Ending
The Spartans have posted two overtime wins, both by a score of 3-2, and have held their opponents without a shot in extra time.
Time to Shine
MSU is tied for first in the Big Ten with a 3-0 record this season. Michigan State has yet to win a Big Ten regular season title outright. They have tied for first in 2001, 2003 and 2004.
Immediate Impact
Freshmen Chantae Miller and Holly Sherman (Vancouver, B.C.) have played in all 14 games this season. Miller is a strong presence on the forward line, starting eight games. Sherman has started every game, anchoring the defense.
Champions Invitational
Michigan State opened the season at the Champions Invitational Tournament, hosted by the University of Louisville. The Spartans posted a 3-2 win over Delaware to advance to the title game and a match-up with host Louisville after the Cardinals downed Duke. MSU posted a 6-1 win over Louisville, winning the Invitational for the third time in five years.
On a Roll
The Spartans have yet to be shutout this season. The last time MSU was held scoreless in a game on Sept. 30, 2007, when Wake Forest posted a 2-0 win over Michigan State.
Comeback Kid
Angie Lucik (Emmaus, Pa.) appeared in four games last season before suffering a season-ending injury and redshirting. She has returned to the Spartan roster this season, starting in all 14 games. Lucik has posted three goals this season, recording her first career goal on Sept. 7 against Syracuse.
Honor Roll
Last season, Deacon was named to the second team NFHCA All-American team and Rijpma was named to the third team. Both earned first team NFCHA All-Region honors, and Steinmetz was a member of the second team. Deacon was also named to the first team All-Big Ten and Rijpma garnered second team accolades.
Up Next
Michigan State hosts Iowa in a Big Ten game on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. The game will air as a tape delay broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
