Field Hockey Welcomes Back Alumni for Weekend Action
10/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Team Notes
• Michigan State will kick off October at home against Rutgers on Friday, Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. and then host Pacific on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 11:30 a.m. Both games will be played at Ralph Young Field.
• This homestand will serve as Alumni Weekend in recognition of Homecoming Week on campus. Former MSU field hockey players are invited to take place in a halftime ceremony on the track at Ralph Young Field during both games.
• The Spartans are coming off of a tough weekend, falling 6-1 to Penn State and 5-1 to No. 9 Maryland. With the pair of losses, the Spartans move to 3-7 overall, 0-3 in the Big Ten.
• Senior Mallory Tyler and junior Shelby Supica both scored for the Spartans last weekend. Both goals were unassisted.
• The Spartans have yet to be shut out in the 2015 season, with 10 athletes contributing to 23 total goals, good for fifth in the Big Ten alongside Ohio State.
• MSU holds a 138-135 edge in shots over opponents on the season, and a 66-49 lead in penalty corner opportunities. The Spartans have converted six of 66 corners into goals, good for fifth in the Big Ten.
• Junior Megan Fenton leads the Spartan offense with 10 points, scoring five goals on 14 shots. Tyler has added nine points on three goals and three assists.
• The Spartans have enjoyed depth in the lineup, with 21 athletes seeing the field so far this season. Fourteen of the 21 have appeared in all 10 games, with 13 contributing points.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Miller made her season debut at the 11:00 mark against Maryland, playing 59 minutes in the net for MSU and recording a career-high 11 saves. Three of the 11 came in the first half, while eight saves were made in the second half.
Series Notes
• Rutgers has yet to win a Big Ten contest, falling to No. 16 Iowa, Northwestern and Michigan to start conference play. The Scarlet Knights are coming into Friday's contest on a two-game losing streak and are 5-4 overall.
• RU has scored 30 goals over nine games, averaging 3.33 goals per contest.
• Senior Nicole Imbriaco leads the Scarlet Knights offensively, tallying 22 points with 10 goals and two assists. Senior Katie Champion sits in second-place among RU scorers with four goals and three assists for 11 points.
• Junior Shevaun Hayes is the starting goalkeeper for Rutgers, playing 612 minutes in net and recording 38 saves with 12 goals allowed.
• All but one of Rutgers contests has taken place on their home turf, and they are currently 0-1 on the road after a 4-3 loss at No. 16 Iowa.
• Pacific is currently 5-4 overall, 1-0 in the America East, including a 2-1 record on the road.
• The Tigers will play Central Michigan and Michigan on Friday and Saturday before coming to East Lansing to face the Spartans on Sunday.
• Sunday's game will be live on BTN Plus and available at www.btn2go.com/channel/btnlive (subscription required).
• UOP is coming into the road trip on a two-game winning streak with victories over UC Davis and Missouri State last weekend.
• Sophomore Savannah Burns leads the Tigers' offense, scoring four goals and recording three assists on the season. Junior Ali Campos follows suit with three goals and two assists, good for eight points.
• Howie, Matula and Vagnoni were named 2015 Big Ten Field Hockey Players to Watch, as announced by the conference.
• The Spartans will return home to face Indiana on Friday, Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. before finishing off the weekend on the road at Ohio on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m.
