Field Hockey Hosts Pair of Ranked Opponents
10/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Friday's game vs. Iowa will be the team's annual "Pink Game" to support breast cancer awareness. The Spartans will wear their pink jerseys in the game and fans are encouraged to sport their pink as well in support of the cause.
The Hawkeyes come into East Lansing owning a 9-4 overall record and 2-2 mark in Big Ten play. Iowa has won six of its last eight games, but dropped its last two Big Ten matches. Iowa owns a 48-14-1 margin in the all-time series between the two schools, but the Spartans won both matchups last season, including the 3-2 victory in the Big Ten Tournament Championship.
Natalie Cafone leads the offense for the Hawkeyes, as her 16 goals and 36 points are both tops of the Big Ten. Sophomore Stephanie Norlander has added 13 goals and ranks tied for fifth in the conference. Alexandra Pecora is the likely starter in net, owning a 1.68 GAA and .706 save percentage.
Northwestern
No. 9 Northwestern heads into the weekend with a 10-4 record and sit atop the Big Ten at 4-0. The Wildcats will play at Michigan on Friday before coming to East Lansing, where they won 2-1 on MSU's senior day last season. Northwestern leads the all-time series 36-24 and have won the last three meetings.
The Cats are led by Isabel Flens and Carolin Troncelliti, who have nine goals each on the year. Goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter owns a 1.25 GAA that ranks second in the Big Ten, while her .726 save percentage sits fifth.
MSU Notes
Michigan State returns home having played nine of its last 11 games on the road. The Spartans will play all five of their remaining games in the state of Michigan, with just one game away from Ralph Young Field when they travel to Ann Arbor on Oct. 24 to take on Michigan.
The Spartans have relished in role as comeback kids, as they have trailed in six of their seven victories and are outscoring opponents 18-11 after halftime. MSU's 98 saves are the most in the Big Ten, resulting in a 7.54 saves per game average that ranks 12th in the nation.
Sierra Patton ranks second in saves among Big Ten goalkeepers with 88, just two behind Ohio State's Liz Tamburro. Her 6.77 saves per game is tied for 10th in the country. Patton made a career-high 13 saves vs. Indiana last weekend.
Alli Helwig's four defense saves are the second most in the Big Ten.
So far this season, there has been a stark contrast in Michigan State's offense in wins and losses. In MSU's seven wins, the team is averaging 4.29 goals per game as opposed to just 1.00 goals per game in losses.
MSU has tallied 30 assists on 36 goals, leading to a 7.85 points per game average that is tied for 20th in the nation.
Abby Barker is the only player in the Big Ten to rank in the top five in goals, points, and assists. Barker is tied for fourth in goals (12), fifth in assists (10), and sits in second place in points (34). She has tallied both a goal and an assist in eight games so far this season and has recorded a point in all but two games. Nationally, Barker ranks sixth in points per game (2.62) and 11th in goals per game (0.92).
Allie Ahern has the second most goals (7) and points (17) on the team, while her 62 shots are the second most in the Big Ten.
Record Book Watch
Abby Barker is moving up the list for career points in Michigan State's record book. After starting the year in ninth place with 96 points, Barker's 34 points on the season has vaulted her into sole possession of fourth place all-time with 130 points. Barker needs eight more points to move into a tie for third place with Floor Rijpma (2006-09). She would need 20 more points to move into a tie for second with Nance Lyons (1975-78).
Barker's 57 career goals rank fourth at Michigan State in that category. Nance Lyons (1975-78) sits in first place with 75, while Annebet Beerman (2001-04) is second with 61. Currently, Barker is chasing third place - Floor Rijpma's 60 career goals.
Playing the Best
Michigan State has played five ranked teams so far this season, including three ranked in the top 10 at the time of the game. MSU's schedule features nine of the 20 teams that appear in this week's NFHCA poll. The Big Ten has six teams ranked in this week's poll, including Maryland (2nd), Penn State (5th), Northwestern (9th), Iowa (12th), Michigan (14th), and Indiana (18th). MSU will face four 2013 NCAA Tournament teams this season, including two of the four participants from last year's Final Four weekend (Maryland, and runner-up Duke). The Spartans face nine teams in their 18-game schedule that ended the 2013 season ranked in the top 25.
Up Next
The Spartans head to Ann Arbor to take on in-state rival Michigan on Friday in a game that will be featured live on Big Ten Network at 3:30. On Sunday, MSU will play host to Central Michigan at 12 p.m.
