Spartans Win, 5-3, in Exhibition vs. Michigan

Aug. 20, 2016

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Five different Spartans scored in a 5-3 win over in-state rival Michigan on Saturday afternoon in an exhibition match 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.

"It is a healthy competition and I think it is good for both programs," said head coach Helen Knull. "We get to test each other early. We know we are getting good competition early on, so the big thing for us today was getting a test. We have been playing against each other for 10 days now twice a day, so we were ready to see where we are and there is no better opponent than Michigan."

MSU wasted no time getting on the board, as freshman Kelsey Keener put home the Spartans' first shot of the game to give them an early 1-0 lead. Senior Megan Fenton sent in a long pass that deflected off a Michigan defender's stick, allowing Keener to take one touch and loft the ball perfectly over the charging keeper.

The Spartans made it 2-0 when Madison O'Neill sent a through-ball to Sophie Macadré who found the back of the net. MSU was outshot 10-2 in the opening frame, but managed to score on each of its chances, while Katie Miller made three saves in net and allowed just one goal to preserve the halftime lead.

After the break, Michigan State struck first yet again to open up a 3-1 advantage. MSU earned a penalty corner in the 49th minute and following the initial play, sophomore Maddie Vann came up with a rebound in front and swatted the ball in.

Less than three minutes later, the Spartans were awarded another penalty corner. Fenton sent in a shot that was redirected in front by Kristin Matula and sent to the back of the cage to give MSU a 4-1 lead.

Fenton capped off the Spartan scoring in the 57th minute, giving her both a goal and an assist on the afternoon and opening up a 5-1 lead.

"It was great to see some freshman step on the field for the first time," said Knull. "I saw some great leadership from our upperclassmen and I am really happy with how we played today."

Michigan scored two quick goals in the 60th and 62nd minute to cut into the deficit, but the defense would stop the Wolverines there and hold strong for the remainder of the contest.

"We talked about it in our postgame that we let up there for a bit," said Knull. "We had a timeout and we talked about our adjustments and we made them quickly and gained control again. This early in the season, you are going to have highs and lows and we want to keep our lows to a minimum and I think the team bounced back from that, so I am pretty proud of them for that."

The Spartans continue exhibition play on Monday when they take on the University of Toronto at Ralph Young Field at 4 p.m.

"Every time we step on the field, we have to step to the next level," said Knull. "We had some great positives today and some things to work on, but when we step out on the field tomorrow for practice we have to step to the next level because Toronto is going to be ready for us Monday."

The regular-season opener is set for Friday, Aug. 26th at Kent State.