MSU Heads East for Big Ten Matchups
9/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Series Notes
• Michigan State will hit the road for its first conference road trip of the year, beginning at Penn State on Friday, Sept. 25, and continuing to Maryland on Sunday, Sept. 27.
• The Spartans are coming off of a tough weekend, falling to Ohio State in the Big Ten opener last Friday, 2-1, and to UC Davis, 2-1, last Sunday to end the homestand.
• The Spartans sit at 3-5 on the season and 0-1 in conference play, but look to climb back against two conference opponents this weekend.
• Penn State sits at 3-4 so far this season, with a 0-1 mark in the Big Ten after a loss to Michigan to start conference play.
• The Nittany Lions have combined for 14 goals, averaging two per game with a .128 shot percentage.
• PSU has attempted 43 corners on the season, but has struggled to convert, scoring just one goal off of a corner.
• Freshman forward Aurelia Meijer leads Penn State offensively, recording two goals and three assists for seven points so far this season.
• Freshman Jenny Rizzo is the goalkeeper for the Nittany Lions, playing all seven games with a 3-4 record in the net. Rizzo has recorded 34 saves and allowed just 14 goals on the season, which ranks first in the Big Ten.
• The Nittany Lions went 16-6 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten in 2014, good for fourth in the league and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
• No. 9 Maryland is currently 6-3 overall, including a 1-0 start in Big Ten play with a win over Northwestern.
• The Terrapins have scored 31 goals on 199 shot attempts, good for 3.44 goals per game.
• MD has attempted 78 corners this season, converting 15 goals off of corner opportunities. The Terrapins are tied for second in the conference in this category.
• Senior midfielder Anna Dessoye leads Maryland offensively, notching 16 points with five goals and six assists heading into the weekend.
• Freshman Sarah Holliday and redshirt freshman Jill Genovese have both seen minutes in net for Maryland, combining for 25 saves with 16 goals allowed.
• The Terrapins came away as regular-season conference champions in 2014, finishing 19-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play.
Michigan State Notes
• The Spartans have enjoyed depth in the lineup, with 20 athletes seeing the field so far this season. Fourteen of the 20 have appeared in all seven games, with 13 contributing points.
• The Spartans are ninth in the Big Ten heading into the weekend on a three-game losing streak.
• MSU has scored 21 goals over eight games and is tied for fifth in the conference alongside Ohio State in this category.
• The Spartans have attempted 60 corners on the season, scoring on six occassions, good for fifth in the Big Ten.
• Junior Megan Fenton leads the Spartans on the offensive end of the field, scoring five goals for 10 points over eight games.
• Redshirt senior Heather Howie follows Fenton, notching eight points with two goals and four assists.
• Senior Mallory Tyler and sophomore Sophie Macadre have both added seven points to the total, each scoring two goals and adding three assists for the Spartans.
• The Spartans are tied for first in the conference in saves with 35, averaging 4.38 per game.
• Redshirt junior goalkeeper Sierra Patton has played all eight games in net for the Spartans, totaling 560 minutes with a 3-5 record, matching the Spartans overall record. Patton ranks second in the conference in saves with 31 and third in the conference in saves per game with 3.875.
• The Spartans are familiar to the east coast, with four athletes on the roster from Pennsylvania (Amanda Robinson, Madison O'Neill, Simone Vagnoni, Lauren Bonness) and two from Maryland (Mary Claire and Caitlin Abbott).
• Howie, Matula and Vagnoni were named 2015 Big Ten Field Hockey Players to Watch, as announced by the conference.
• The Spartan field hockey posters, featuring all four seniors and the 2015 schedule, are available to be picked up in the Ticket Office at Jenison Field House.
• The Spartans are coming off of a 10-9 season in 2014, going 4-4 in Big Ten play and tying for fifth in the conference alongside Iowa. The Spartans fell to Penn State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
• Up next, the Spartans will return home to Ralph Young Field to face Rutgers on Friday, Oct. 2 and Pacific on Sunday, Oct. 4.
• Rutgers is currently 5-2 overall, 0-1 in the Big Ten after a loss to Iowa in their Big Ten opener.
• Pacific is 3-4 seven games into the season and will face UC Davis and Missouri State in the coming weekend.
