Spartans Down Iowa, Advance to Big Ten Final

Nov. 6, 2009

East Lansing, Mich - Michigan State jumped out to a 4-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 5-1 victory over Iowa in the semifinal of the 2009 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament. The Spartans advance to Sunday's Big Ten Championship game, and will look to add a tournament title to its regular-season championship.

Michigan State wasted little time, jumping on the scoreboard with a goal by Manouk Vernij off a corner play at 4:19. The Spartans then got a pair five minutes apart in the middle of the period, the first coming from Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Floor Rijpma, when she tipped a pass from Jantine Steinmetz and beat the keeper high. Jeamie Deacon followed with another goal off a corner play at 21:06, amd Adelle Lever tipped a Vernij shot past the goalie for a 4-0 lead headed into the intermission.

Iowa came out in the second half with a renewed energy and did a better job of disrupting MSU's offensive flow, but could only muster a single goal - a Tricia Dean goal off of a corner play at 46:32. Vernij closed out the game scoring when she redirected a Rijpma pass into the back of the net at 62:44.

Elissa Unger made seven saves for MSU, which will appear in its first Big Ten Tournament final since 2003 on Sunday. The game will be at noon and air live on the Big Ten Network.