Spartans Host No. 11 Michigan for Senior Day
10/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Team Notes
• Michigan State field hockey will host in-state rival No. 11 Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. The game will be played Ralph Young Field.
• Sunday's contest will serve as Senior Day and will include a pre-game ceremony honoring Victoria Radwell, Heather Howie, Claire Johnson and Mallory Tyler for their commitment to Spartan field hockey during their collegiate career.
• The game will be broadcasted by BTN Plus, available at www.btn2go.com (subscription required).
• The Spartans are currently 5-11 on the season, including 2-5 in conference play after a tough two-loss weekend on the road. MSU fell to Iowa, 3-1, last Friday, before coming up on the short end of a 3-0 game against the-then No. 16 Northwestern.
• Freshman Madison O'Neill was the lone MSU goal-scorer on the weekend, notching an unassisted goal at Iowa for the first of her Spartan career.
• The Spartan defense dominated the first half at NU, stopping the Wildcats on nine shots and eight penalty corner opportunities. Recording just one shot and zero corners in the matchup, MSU was unable to answer three second-half NU goals.
• Sunday's B1G contest with Northwestern was the first time this season the Spartans have been shut out, posting 35 goals over 16 games.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Miller has started six-straight games in the cage for the Spartans, recording 55 saves alongside 22 goals allowed. Miller ranks first in the Big Ten in saves per game, averaging 7.86 stops over seven appearances.
• Michigan State has played 11 athletes in all 16 games, with 21 appearing in at least two games and combining for 96 total points.
• Michigan State has attempted 95 penalty corners this season, but has struggled to convert, scoring just nine goals off of corners. The Spartans have yet to attempt a penalty stroke this season.
• MSU's scoring has been balanced, recording 17 first-half goals and 17 second-half scores, as well as one overtime goal and one in double-overtime.
• Michigan State field hockey senior Heather Howie has been selected to the Scottish Senior Squad, as announced by Scottish Hockey. Howie, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, competed on Scotland's U21 team last summer, and will join her sister, Allison, on the Senior Squad upon graduation from MSU in December.
Scouting the Competition
• MSU will look to break a three-game losing streak against UM, which has posted a 13-3 record alongside a 5-1 Big Ten mark, good for second in the conference behind No. 6 Maryland.
• The Wolverines are coming off of a seven-game winning streak, posting victories off of the-then No. 16 Northwestern and a shutout victory over Central Michigan.
• UM sophomore goalkeeper Sam Swenson was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after posting a career-best 14 saves, including eight in overtime, against Northwestern (Oct. 16) and contributing to a shutout win at Central Michigan (Oct. 18) last weekend.
• Senior Shannon Scavelli leads Michigan with a career-best nine goals this season, most recently tallying the game-tying goal late in regulation at Northwestern.
• The Wolverines lead the all-time series against Michigan State, 37-25-6, but MSU has claimed each of the last two meetings, including a 2-1 decision last year in Ann Arbor. The two teams squared off in preseason exhibition play in August where UM took the victory, 2-0.
Up Next
• Up next, the Spartans will travel to Louisville, Kentucky to face the University of Louisville on Friday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. The road trip will serve as a homecoming for Bailey Higgins, Kristin Matula, Claire Johnson and Mallory Tyler, who are all from Louisville.
