Field Hockey Travels To New England For Two Games

Sept. 11, 2008

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This Week
10th-ranked Michigan State travels to New England for two games this weekend. On Saturday, MSU will take on 18th-ranked Boston University at 1 p.m. The all-time series between the teams is 1-1, and the last meeting between the two was in 2007, when the Spartans shut out the Terriers, 3-0. MSU faces New Hampshire on Sunday at noon, and holds a 3-0 all-time record against the Wildcats. The last game between the two was a 6-0 Michigan State win in 2007.

Last Week
Michigan State hosted Stanford on Wednesday, posting a 3-2 overtime win off a goal by Jeamie Deacon (Wexford, Ireland), with assists to Floor Rijpma (Bunnik, The Netherlands) and Joelle van Ierland (Den Dolder, Netherlands). Senior Geraldine Raynor (Maronoera, Zimbabwe) and Rijpma tallied goals in regulation for the Spartans. The 18th-ranked Syracuse Orange posted a 3-1 win over MSU on Sunday. Redshirt freshman Angie Lucik (Emmaus, Pa.) recorded her first collegiate goal, and Jantine Steinmetz (Amstelveen, Netherlands) assisted. Junior goalkeeper Elissa Unger (Reading, Pa.) made five saves on the week.

Scouting the Spartans
Senior Gwen Riley (Louisville, Ky.) leads the team in assists (four) and points (10). She and Raynor are tied for the team lead in goals with three each. Rijpma has two goals, and five others have a goal this season. Riley leads the Big Ten in points, points per game (2.50) and is tied for second in assists. Unger has a 3-1 record, with 1.99 goals against average and a .529 save percentage. She is tied for sixth in the Big Ten in saves and ranks fifth in goals against average.

Scouting the Terriers
Boston University (2-1) participated in the Blue Hen Classic last week, falling to Temple, 3-2 in overtime, on Saturday and topping Delaware 1-0 on Sunday. The Terriers held a 21-6 shot advantage against Temple, and sophomores Allie Dolce and Maryette Stuart each scored their first career goals in the loss. On Sunday, freshman Giovanna Monaco recorded her first collegiate goal to lead the Terriers. The defense allowed just one shot on goal, and sophomore goalie Kim Kastuk picked up her second shutout of the season.

Scouting the Wildcats
New Hampshire (3-1) posted two wins last weekend over Ivy League teams. On Friday, the Wildcats tallied a 5-2 win over Brown. Junior Meg Shea led the team with two goals in the game, and senior Sarah Craigue recorded four points (a goal and two assists). Freshman Jenna Lehman made three saves in goal for the win. The Wildcats recorded a 3-2 win over Harvard on Sunday, scoring three second-half goals in a 13-minute span. Senior Brittany Jacobs, freshman Whitney Frates, and Craigue notched goals for New Hampshire, and Lehman made four saves in goal. Frates was honored by America East as Rookie of the Week.

Follow Along
Fans can follow Saturday's game against Boston University with , and Sunday's game against New Hampshire through Live Stats.