Field Hockey Takes on Two Ranked Opponents
10/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State field hockey team hits the road for a pair of matchups against ranked opponents this weekend. The Spartans begin the weekend against No. 7 Maryland on Friday at 6 p.m. with the game airing on BTN Plus. MSU will then travel to Washington, D.C. to take on No. 20 American on Sunday at 12 p.m.
The Spartans are 5-6 on the year and 1-2 in the Big Ten and are looking to bounce back after losing a pair of games last weekend. Friday's contest with Maryland will be the fourth game this season against a top-10 opponent, while American will be the fifth ranked opponent MSU has faced so far this season.
"It is great for us to get more opportunities to play our own game," said head coach Helen Knull. "We have been struggling with consistency from a mental standpoint and have been working on that a lot this week in preparing for two more quality opponents. As we are at the midpoint of the season, we need to focus on our own game and execute for 70 minutes. Consistency is what I am looking for this weekend in regards to our work rate and execution."
Junior Kendal Anderson and senior Megan Fenton provide a nice one-two punch offensively for the Spartans, as both have scored 10 goals this season to lead the team and rank tied for fifth in the Big Ten. Anderson has also added seven assists, making her 27 points the fifth most in the league.
MSU has gotten production from up and down the lineup, as 12 different Spartans have registered a point, while nine different players have tallied goals. Four Spartans currently have more than 10 points on the season.
After beginning the year with eight of the first 11 games at home, the Spartans begin a season-long three game road trip on Friday and will play four of their next five games away from Ralph Young Field.
Maryland enters Friday's contest as the seventh-ranked team in the country with a 9-3 record and 3-1 mark in Big Ten play to sit in a tie for second in the Big Ten standings. The Terrapins have won eight of their last nine games, including an overtime victory over ninth-ranked Michigan at home last weekend.
Grace Balsdon is tied for the team-lead with 10 goals and is second on the team with 22 points and has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for two consecutive weeks. Luus Welma leads the Terps with 24 points on 10 goals and four assists. Sarah Holliday is the likely keeper for Maryland, as she has started in 11 games, and owns a 1.47 GAA and .800 save percentage - both marks that are the best in the Big Ten.
Friday's contest will be just the fourth meeting all time between the two schools, with the Terps taking each of the first three games.
American begins the weekend with a 7-3 record. The Eagles appear in the NFCHA poll for the first time this season at No. 20 this week. AU will take on Liberty on Thursday before welcoming the Spartans to town on Sunday.
Sophomore goalkeeper Maura Jacobs was the Corvias Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week after stopping six of seven shots against Bucknell and improved her individual record this season to 5-2. Senior forward Natalie Konerth leads American in points (19), goals (9) and game-winning goals (3), with junior Leah DiGiandomenico now having six goals and 15 points after sending the Bucknell match into overtime with a tying goal with no time left in regulation.
MSU leads the all-time series vs. American, 3-2-1.
Michigan State has two Big Ten games next weekend, starting on Friday at Rutgers before returning home to take on Indiana on Sunday.
