Field Hockey Set for Pair Weekend Matchups
9/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State field hockey team wraps up its seven-game homestand this weekend with games against Miami (Ohio) and Ohio State. The Spartans will take on the RedHawks on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Ralph Young Field, then welcomes the Buckeyes for a conference matchup on Sunday at 2 p.m. with the game airing on BTN Plus. Fans can watch online here.
MSU enters the weekend with a 4-3 record and 0-1 mark in Big Ten play. The Spartans are 3-2 so far during the current home stint, with both losses coming to then-No. 8 Louisville (9/11) and No. 8 Michigan (9/16).
Offensive Attack
Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 4.14 goals per game while holding opponents to 1.67 per game. The Spartans average 6.75 goals per game in victories, as opposed to just 0.6 goals per game in losses.
Following a loss to Kent State to start the season, the Spartans rattled off a four-game winning streak in which they outscored opponents 27-6.
After scoring 38 goals all of last season in 19 games, the Spartans have already found the back of the net 29 times in just seven games in 2016.
Six Spartans have tallied multiple goals this season while nine different players have registered assists. Megan Fenton has the second-most goals on the team with seven, while Sophie Macadré and Kristin Matula each have four. Macadré is also second on the team with five assists and is tied for the Big Ten lead with two game-winning goals.
Can't Stop Kendal
Midfielder Kendal Anderson leads the Spartans in all offensive categories and is second in the Big Ten in both points (25) and goals (9), while her seven assists are tied for the second most in the conference. The redshirt junior became the 20th Spartan in school history to record a hat trick when she notched three goals in the first half vs. Central Michigan (9/1).
Senior Megan Fenton tallied a hat trick a week later, scoring four goals in the first half vs. Columbia (9/9). The four goals are tied for the eighth- most in a game in school history. Anderson picked up three assists in the same contest, which is tied for the fourth- most for a single game in the MSU record book. Anderson has scored at least one goal in six of the Spartans' first seven games and has multiple goals in two contests. She has also tallied assists in four of seven games. Her season-high in points came against Central Michigan, when she tallied seven points on three goals and one assist.
Anderson Earns National Player of the Week Honors
Kendal Anderson was named Longstreth/NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6. Anderson tallied 10 points on the weekend in which she led MSU to wins over Central Michigan (9/1) and Quinnipiac (9/5).
Longstreth/NFHCA are handing out national weekly awards for the first time this season, making Anderson the first Spartan honoree.
Scouting Report
Miami
Miami enters the weekend 3-5 on the year and will play at Central Michigan on Friday before coming to East Lansing. Sophomore midfielder Paula Portugal leads the team with 10 goals and two assists on the season, while senior forward Geagy Pritchard has added six goals and one assists. Alysa Xavier is the likely keeper in the net and she allows 2.04 goals per game and owns a .702 save percentage.
The Spartans own a 14-5-1 advantage in the all-time series, with the last meeting coming in 2013 when the two teams squared off in East Lansing in the play-in Game of the NCAA Tournament. MSU came away with a 3-0 victory and went on to defeat No. 2 Syracuse before falling to Connecticut in the Elite Eight.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes enter the weekend with a 3-5 overall record and are off to an 0-1 start in conference play after falling to Northwestern in the Big Ten opener. Ohio State has won three of its last five games and will take on Michigan on Friday night in Ann Arbor before heading to East Lansing.
Maddy Humphrey leads the team with seven goals and two assists and has recorded at least a point in seven of eight games so far this season. Junior goalie Liz Tamburro has made 41 saves through eight games, which is the most in the Big Ten, while her 5.12 saves per game is also top in the conference. Ohio State leads the all-time series 36-21-3, but the Spartans are 5-2 against the Buckeyes under Helen Knull. It has been a series of close games, as three of those Spartan victories came in overtime, including one in a shootout, while all seven contests have been decided by one goal.
Strength of Schedule
The Spartans' 19-game regular season schedule features 12 home games at Ralph Young Field, six road games and one neutral site game. MSU has 11 non-conference games to go along with an eight-game Big Ten slate. The Spartans face a competitive schedule in 2016, as nine opponents finished in the top 30 RPI last season, including five 2015 NCAA Tournament qualifiers (Kent State, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Stanford).
This week's NFHCA Coaches Poll features seven teams that appear on Michigan State's schedule. The Spartans have already played Louisville (No. 7) and Michigan (No. 8), while Penn State (No. 4), Maryland (No. 6), Northwestern (No. 11), Iowa (No. 15) and Stanford (No. 18) are still remaining on the schedule.
Spartan Roster Breakdown
MSU is led by seven seniors, and returns eight players who saw action in all 19 games last season. Junior forward Sophie Macadré led the team in goals, assists and points, finishing with a scoring line of 7-5-19 in 2015. Senior Megan Fenton was second on the team with six goals, while classmate Kristin Matula finished third on the team with 14 points. Redshirt senior Sierra Patton and junior Katie Miller both return as goalkeepers with starting experience, as the two split time in net last season.
Up Next
The Spartans hit the road for the first time in the month of September when they head to Penn State for a Friday night matchup at 5 p.m. ET. MSU then returns hom to take on Ball State on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Ralph Young Field.
