Spartan Field Hockey Kicks off Big Ten Tournament Thursday
11/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Series Notes
• The eighth-seeded Spartans will face top-seeded and nationally-ranked Maryland in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be held in Bloomington, Ind. at the IU Field Hockey Complex and will be televised live by the Big Ten Network.
• The tournament will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network. Fans can also watch on BTN2Go, or on the BTN's mobile app, and will be asked to enter their cable login information.
• Maryland beat Michigan State, 5-1, in College Park on Sept. 27. Freshman Linnea Gonzales scored twice and Welma Luus, Carrie Hanks and Brooke Adler also scored in the victory. Shelby Supica scored the lone Spartan goal.
• Maryland won its 14th straight game Saturday with a 2-1 double overtime win at Iowa. Anna Dessoye scored in the 19th minute for the early lead.
• No. 7 Maryland will be the fourth-straight ranked opponent the Spartans will face (No. 16 Northwestern, No. 11 Michigan and No. 9 Louisville) and the fifth ranked opponent featured on this year's schedule (No. 16 Old Dominion).
Team Notes
• Under head coach Helen Knull, the Spartans are 3-3 in the Big Ten Tournament, highlighted by a Big Ten Tournament Championship in 2013.
• Senior Heather Howie has been named First-Team All-Big Ten, as announced by the conference on Wednesday. Howie, who has tallied four goals and five assists this season, is tied for second among the Spartans in 2015. This is the first Big Ten recognition for the midfielder who has started in 73 games throughout her Spartan career and was named a Big Ten Player to Watch prior to this season.
• Senior Mallory Tyler has been recognized by the Big Ten as a Sportsmanship Award honoree. Tyler has also tallied four goals and five assists in 2015.
• Michigan State owns a 5-13 overall record and went 2-6 in conference play, posing wins over Central Michigan, Kent State, Quinnipiac, Rutgers and Indiana.
• MSU has lost five straight, falling to Ohio, Iowa, No. 16 Northwestern, No. 11 Michigan and No. 9 Louisville.
• After going 8-0 in league play, Big Ten champion Maryland (16-3, 8-0 B1G) is the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
• MSU's scoring has been balanced, recording 18 first-half goals and 17 second-half scores, as well as one overtime goal and one in double-overtime.
• The Spartans are 2-0 in overtime games in 2015, beating Indiana in a 3-2 overtime contest and Rutgers 5-4 in a double-overtime matchup.
• 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.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Miller has started in eight straight games for MSU, posting a 2-6 record along with the team, but leading the Big Ten in saves per game with 7.89.
• Sophomore Sophie Macadre remains the Spartans leading scorer, recording seven goals and five assists for a career-high 19 points.
• Fourteen players have posted points this season, three more than the 2014-15 season, combining for 98 as a team.
• Eleven Spartans have started all 18 games, while 21 have seen action in at least three games, strengthening the depth on the bench.
• The Big Ten Tournament semifinals will be played Friday at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. and the Big Ten Tournament championship match will be Sunday at noon. All seven matches in the Big Ten Tournament will be televised on BTN.
