No. 8 Spartans blank Iowa 3-0

Oct. 16, 2009

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Michigan State used two first half goals from freshman Adelle Lever (Blue Bell, Pa.) and an impressive defensive effort to defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes 3-0 Friday afternoon in Iowa City. The Spartans, who improved to 12-3 (3-0 Big Ten), dominated the statistics outshooting the Hawkeyes 15-1 and earning seven corners to Iowa's one.

"The Spartans dominated as a team today," said head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. "Our team play allowed us to get a big win over a young and talented Iowa team."

The Spartans and Hawkeyes played back and forth defensive hockey for the first twenty minutes of the first half with each team only managing one shot apiece. The Spartans finally broke through at the 26:40 mark when Lever deflected a shot past the Iowa keeper. Less than two and a half minutes later the Spartans were on the board again when senior Floor Rijpma (Bunnik, Netherlands) chipped in a shot off a corner making the score 2-0 MSU. The Spartans ended the half on a high note when Lever scored her second of the match off a beautiful feed from fellow freshman Manouk Vernij (Bleiswijk, Netherlands) giving the Spartans a 3-0 lead entering halftime.

The second half saw the Spartans play lockdown defense as they held the Hawkeyes shotless for the final 35 minutes ensuring the shutout for senior Elissa Unger (Reading, Pa.). The shutout was Unger's second straight and third of the season.

"Our ability to protect the ball was top notch today," van de Kerkhof said. "That really helped us to control the tempo and secure the victory."

The Spartans return to action next weekend when they host a pair of Big Ten matches with rivals Ohio State and Michigan.