Spartans Set for Big Ten Tournament

Nov. 2, 2016

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State field hockey wrapped up the regular season with an 8-11 overall record and 3-5 mark in conference play. The Spartans earned the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will square off with in-state rival and No. 3 seed Michigan on Thursday at 10 a.m. in College Park, Maryland. The tournament will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network or fans can also watch on BTN2Go.

Tournament Bracket
Tournament Central
MSU Game Notes

Tournament History
Michigan State holds a 17-18 record all-time in the Big Ten Tournament, including a 9-12 mark in first round games, 4-6 in second round games, and a perfect 4-0 when they reach the final.

The Spartans four tournament titles came in 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2013.

Series Notes
This will be just the second time that the Spartans and Wolverines meet in the Big Ten Tournament. The first and only meeting in postseason play came in the championship game back in 2002, when MSU took home the title with a 3-0 victory.

Thursday's meeting will be the 72nd all-time between the two schools, with Michigan owning a 39-25-7 advantage in the series. The Spartans are 2-4 against the Wolverines under Helen Knull.

Meetings with Michigan
The Spartans will see Michigan for the third time this season on Thursday. MSU opened up the season with an exhibition match on Aug. 20, in which five different Spartans scored in the 5-3 win at Ralph Young Field. MSU scored two first-half goals and added three in the second half to pull away from the Wolverines and secure the victory.

During the regular season, Michigan downed the Spartans 4-1 in the Big Ten opener. The Wolverines scored two quick goals to jump out to an early lead. Kendal Anderson scored the lone goal of the game for MSU, while Sophie Macadré recorded an assist.

MSU Notes
• Junior Kendal Anderson is fifth in the Big Ten with 36 points, while her 14 goals are tied for fifth and her eight assists are tied for eighth.

• With 39 points through 19 games, Anderson's 0.74 goals per game and 1.89 points per game are the sixth highest average in the Big Ten.

• Senior captain Kristin Matula has been on a hot streak as of late, tallying 12 points in the last seven games. She has recorded at least one point in six of those games, including a goal in five of the last seven games. Matula ranks second on the team in points (25), and is third in goals (10) and assists (5).

• Matula has appeared and started in all 19 games for the Spartans this season. The veteran has now played in at least 19 games in each of her four seasons on campus, and her 79 games in the Green and White are more than anybody else on the team.

• After leading the Spartans' offense last season, Sophie Macadré is having another productive season, ranking fourth on the team with seven goals and 24 points, while her eight assists are tied for the team lead and eighth in the Big Ten. A native of Wellington, New Zealand, Macadré's three game-winning goals are tied for the fifth most in the league this season.

• Junior goalkeeper Katie Miller has started in 14 games for the Spartans and seen action in 17. Her 64 saves are the fourth most in the Big Ten and she owns a 2.61 GAA and .660 save percentage. Miller has allowed one goal or less in six games and recorded her first career shutout vs. Indiana (10/16).

• Senior Addie Donaldson has started in all 19 games for the Spartans and has scored one goal to go along with five assists. The senior picked up an assists in both games vs. ranked opponents last weekend and now has a point in three consecutive games. She is also tied with Hannah Ackers for the team lead in defensive saves with two.

• Freshman Kelsey Keener has played in all 19 games during her freshman campaign and has totaled five goals and an assist. Keener had the best weekend of her young career two weeks ago, registering her first career two-goal game vs. Iowa (10/21) before scoring the game-winning goal against Ohio (10/23).

• 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. Five Spartans currently have more than 10 points on the season.

• The Spartans faced a challenging slate in 2016, taking on eight ranked opponents as part of their 19-game schedule.

• MSU lost five decisions by one goal this season, including four one-goal losses to ranked teams.

Scouting Report - Michigan
The Wolverines finished the regular season 11-6 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten, good for the third seed in the tournament. UM closed out the season on a three-game winning streak over ranked teams, defeating No. 16 Iowa, No. 10 Northwestern and No. 7 Louisville.

Sam Swenson is the likely keeper in net for the Wolverines and her three shutouts were tied for the most in the Big Ten this season. Swenson saved 75 percent of the shots sent her way and her 1.72 GAA ranks second in the conference. UM provides a balanced offensive attack with three different players tied for the team lead with six goals.

Up Next
The winner of Thursday's game advances to take on the winner of No. 2 Penn State and No. 7 Indiana on Friday at 1 p.m.