Michigan State University
Boston
Women’s Soccer Travels to BU for First Road Game of Season
8/31/2019 1:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer
The Spartans and Terriers will face off under the lights on Sunday night.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's soccer takes to the road for the first time this season, with a matchup at Boston University on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. The Spartans begin the 2019 season with a 3-0-0 record and remain unbeaten at DeMartin Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State shutout Eastern Michigan, 2-0, on Thursday night under the lights at DeMartin Stadium. The game was halted with 11:14 remaining in the second-half due to a lightning in the area. With inclement weather in the surrounding area, the game was concluded with Michigan State leading 2-0.
Sophomore forward Camryn Evans scored her first goal of the season on a penalty kick attempt to put the Spartans on the board first. Evans was fouled in the box by Eastern Michigan's Alia Frederick in the 56th minute. Her bullet PK shot attempt went high in the left corner past goalkeeper Mabel Dunn.
Freshman forward Sydney Kloosterman increased MSU's lead in the 76th minute off a helper from senior midfielder Sadie Misiewicz, who carried the ball through traffic before passing it off to a waiting Kloosterman at the top of the box. Kloosterman's shot sailed past Dunn's hand, hitting the crossbar before going in.
Redshirt-freshman Lauren Kozal remained strong in net, earning her first career shutout, to go along with her first three career wins. Kozal had three saves to blank the Eagles and denied their pressured attack in the second half.
WAHLBERG'S RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE
Wahlberg was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference on Tuesday. The South Elgin, Illinois native achieved the rare haul on a record-setting day, scoring four goals in the first-half against Marshall.
Her four goals set a record for the most goals in a first-half at DeMartin Stadium, while the five total Spartan goals ties a record for most goals in a game and the most goals scored at DeMartin Stadium.
The forward also tied the Big Ten record for most goals in a game, which only 12 other Big Ten players have achieved, including former Spartan Lauren Hill.
Wahlberg is the first Spartan to record four goals in a game since Hill scored four goals in the first-half versus Western Michigan during the 2006 season, a 4-2 Spartan victory.
This is the 15th time a Michigan State women's soccer player has won Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week since the conference split offensive and defensive weekly honors in 2001. The last Spartan to earn Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week was Sadie Misiewicz on Aug. 21, 2018.
MICHIGAN STATE NOTES
The Spartans have had six different goal-scorers through the first three matches, with Camryn Evans, Danielle Stephan, Bella Jodzis, Michaela Kovacs, Sydney Kloosterman and Gia Wahlberg all tallying goals on the score-sheet. Last season, the team only had six goal-scorers through 18 games.
The eight goals scored in the opening weekend against Utah Valley (3-1) and Marshall (5-1) are the most goals the Spartans have scored in the opening weekend of the season since 2008; MSU debuted with a 5-1 win at Oakland and a 3-0 win at DePaul to start a season that ended with a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
MSU leads opponents in shots on goal (26-10), assists (10-1) and total goals (10-2) through two games.
FRESHMAN TO ATTEND U.S. U-20 WNT TRAINING CAMP
The Spartans will be without freshman defender Bria Schrotenboer in the next two match as she was selected to the U.S. Under-20 National Team training camp roster. The Holland, Michigan, native, has been training from Aug. 24-Sept. 1 in Chula Vista, California.
Schrotenboer was one of two Spartans to start in the season-opener vs. Utah Valley and played all 90 minutes on the backline.
PRESEASON HONORS
Three players were named to the Big Ten Women's Soccer Preseason Honors list. Sophomore forward Camryn Evans, senior defender Michaela Kovacs and freshman defender Bria Schrotenboer represent the Spartans in the preseason honors list.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS
This will be only the second meeting between Michigan State and Boston University, with the first in the books last season. In the first meeting, the Spartans shutout the Terriers, 2-0, on Aug. 19 at DeMartin Stadium. Returning players midfielder Sadie Misiewicz and forward Alexandra Thomas recorded the two first-half goals for MSU.
BU is searching for their first win and first goal this season, as they begin the season at 0-2-1. The team tied Denver in the home-opener, before falling to Colorado, 2-0. The Terriers are coming off a 3-0 loss at Boston College on Aug. 29.
Junior Anna Heilferty was named to the 2019 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch list after leading the Terriers in goals (6), assists (6) and points (18) last season. She garnered All-Patriot League first Team and Patriot League Tournament MVP accolades as a sophomore.
SAXTON SAYS
"I think it's always cool for the team to get on the road together, and we'll go to a major city and fly out there. Just to have this experience with the team together and add the freshman to that will be good for the team in terms of bringing everybody closer together with one focus. The level is definitely going to go way up. Boston University was an NCAA team last year. We were fortunate enough to beat them at home, 2-0, last year but they play on a small turf field, it will be under the lights; it will be a big stage. I expect us to rise to the occasion and I'm looking forward to it."
