Field Hockey Wraps Up Road Trip
10/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Last Time Out
Michigan State earned two wins on the road last weekend over Rutgers and Monmouth. MSU scored three unanswered goals on Friday vs. Rutgers to overcome a first half deficit and earn the 3-2 win. Three different Spartans scored goals in the game to give MSU its second conference win of the season.
Indiana
MSU kicks off the weekend with Big Ten opponent Indiana, which is currently 8-3 on the year. The Hoosiers won their first seven non-conference games of the season before dropping their first three games in conference play. IU is coming off its biggest win of the season, defeating No. 4 Duke, 3-2, at home last weekend.
The Hoosiers are led by Audra Heilman who ranks sixth in the Big Ten in points (25) and fifth in goals (10). Maggie Olsen is the likely keeper in net for Indiana, and she has compiled a 1.53 GAA and .759 save percentage that ranks second in the Big Ten.
Michigan State leads the all-time series with Indiana by a 19-3 margin, having won the last three meetings and 10 of the last 11.
Ball State
Ball State enters the weekend 3-7 and plays host to Missouri State on Saturday before welcoming the Spartans on Sunday. Bethany Han leads the offensive attack for Ball State with four goals on the season, while three other Cardinals have notched two goals each. Goalkeeper Shelby Henley is allowing 2.94 goals per game and owns a .684 save percentage.
The Cardinals own an 11-9-2 edge in the all-time series, but the Spartans have dominated in recent games, winning the last six.
MSU Notes
Michigan State has won six of its last seven games away from home. MSU is 4-1 in road games and 2-0 in neutral site games this season.
The Spartans have relished in role as comeback kids, as they have trailed in six of their seven victories and are outscoring opponents 17-8 after halftime.
Michigan State's 3.09 goals per game is tied for third most in the Big Ten and 15th in the country. However, the Spartans are averaging 4.28 goals per game in wins and just 1.00 per game in losses. The Spartans 2.64 assists per game are the 10th most in the nation, while the team's 8.82 points per game ranks 15th.
MSU has tallied 29 assists on 34 goals, ranking fourth in the conference in both categories.
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 third in goals (11), fifth in assists (9), and sits in second place in points (31). She has tallied both a goal and an assist in eight games so far this season. Nationally, Barker ranks fourth in points per game (2.82) and fifth in goals per game (1.00).
Allie Ahern's seven goals are tied for the 10th in the Big Ten and her 50 shots are third most.
Defensively, Michigan State's 79 saves are the second most in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (85). Sierra Patton's 71 saves are the second most among conference goalies and her 6.45 saves per game ranks 16th in the country. Alli Helwig has three defensive saves this season, 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 31 points on the season puts her fifth all-time with 127. With one point this weekend, Barker will move into a tie for fourth place. She needs 11 more points this season to move into a tie for third place.
Barker's 56 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 four 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.
Including the 20th ranked Spartans, the Big Ten has seven teams ranked in this week's poll, including Maryland (2nd), Penn State (4th), Northwestern (8th), Iowa (10th), 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
Michigan State returns home next weekend to play No. 10 Iowa on Friday at 3 p.m. and No. 8 Northwestern on Sunday at 12 p.m.
