Two B1G Road Contests on Deck for Field Hockey

Michigan State (7-3, 0-3 B1G) at Indiana (7-7, 1-4 B1G)
Date: Friday, Oct. 15
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: IU Field Hockey Complex (Bloomington, Ind.)
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Watch: B1G+
Game Notes: Michigan State | Indiana

Michigan State at No. 6 Northwestern (10-4, 1-3 B1G)
Date: Sunday, Oct. 17
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Lakeside Field (Evanston, Ill.)
Live Stats: SIDEARM Stats
Watch: B1G+
Game Notes: Michigan State | Northwestern

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Entering the final stretch of regular season action, the Michigan State field hockey team is set to embark on a two-game road trip this weekend for a pair of Big Ten Conference matchups.

The Spartans begin the weekend on Friday at Indiana, with that meeting slated for 3 p.m. in Bloomington. MSU then makes the trek to Evanston, Ill., for a 1 p.m. showdown with No. 6 Northwestern on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT
After being defeated at home last Friday, 5-0, by No. 1 Iowa, the Spartans responded with a road win at Miami on Sunday which featured three first-half goals and a late goal from senior Maddie McDonough to secure the 4-3 victory. In a game that saw junior Merel Hanssen rack up four points, McDonough's goal in the 57th minute made it 4-2 MSU and proved to be the game-winner when Miami scored 16 seconds later. The win ended Michigan State's non-conference slate with a perfect 7-0 record.

BEST CONFERENCE IN THE NATION?
In arguably the best field hockey conference in the country, MSU will begin its final stretch of Big Ten games with Friday's contest at Indiana, with the conference placing seven teams in the NFHCA Top-25 poll this week, including four in the top-5. The league also boasts all nine teams having a .500 overall record or better entering the weekend, with both Iowa and Michigan currently sitting undefeated this season.

MEREL HANSSEN'S BREAKOUT CAMPAIGN
An influx of new MSU midfielders this season meant that Hanssen has been able to play up on the Spartan attack more, and which has translated to the Dutch product becoming the offensive lynchpin for Michigan State in 2021. The junior leads the Spartans in all three offensive categories (17p, 6g, 5a), and has racked up a pair of performances with four-plus points, including MSU's most recent win over Miami (Ohio) where she had a goal and a career-best two assists.

DEPTH ALL AROUND
Of the 25 rostered players for the Spartans, all 25 have seen action this season while 21 have played in seven-or-more games, including both goalies. On the scoresheet, 14 players have recorded at least one point this season, with 13 of those Spartans scoring a goal this season and 11 players scoring multiple goals. The 11 multi-goal scorers this season are the most since the 2007 team had 11 players with multiple tallies.

NCAA LEADERS
Entering Friday, MSU ranks in the top-10 nationally in defensive saves, goals per game, points per game and shutouts per game. The team's six defensive saves are eighth in the nation and top among the Big Ten schools, while the 0.40 shutouts per game is 10th in the country and second in the league. Offensively, the Spartans' 3.30 goals per game sits eighth in Division I, and MSU's 8.80 points per game ranks ninth among national leaders. Additionally, a team average of 5.90 saves per game ranks first in the Big Ten and 23rd in the NCAA. Individually, Hanssen ranks 23rd in the nation with 1.70 points per game, and senior Monique Jardell's .763 save percentage is 21st among NCAA goalkeepers.

SCOUTING INDIANA
The Hoosiers won four of their first five games to start the season, including a 1-0 win over then-ranked Miami on Sept. 3. Indiana's last three games have all been close against ranked foes, as a 1-0 double-overtime loss to then-No. 6 Rutgers was followed by a 3-1 win over then-No. 16 Ohio State last Friday and a 2-1 overtime loss to No. 24 Kent State on Sunday. Kira Curland has been the top scorer for the Hoosiers with five goals, while Yip van Wonderen has a team-best five assists in addition to one game-winning goal. Arabella Loveridge has been the workhorse in net, making 39 saves across 13 games while posting four shutouts.

MSU-IU SERIES HISTORY
In the all-time series, the Spartans hold a 25-7 edge over the Hoosiers, but the series has been a bit more even recently, as MSU has won six of the last ten meetings. The last contest between the two came in the first round of last season's Big Ten Tournament, where then-sophomore Celina Riccardo's two goals propelled MSU to a 4-2 win.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
The No. 6-ranked Wildcats opened the campaign by facing ranked opponents in each of its first seven games, winning all but one (a 2-1 loss to then-No. 7 Boston College on Sept. 5). Northwestern has cooled off a bit with losses in three of its last five, including back-to-back 2-1 overtimes defeats to Penn State and Michigan. Bente Baekers leads all B1G players with 0.67 assists per game and 34 points, while the team holds the second-best assists per game average in the nation (3.29). Annabel Skubisz has been the primary goalkeeper with 40 saves and eight wins in 12 starts, but Jamie Marold has also earned two victories across seven appearances.

MSU-NU SERIES HISTORY
Northwestern has the edge in 67 all-time meetings, 43-24, with a 22-9 advantage over MSU in games played in Evanston. The two sides faced off once last season in Virginia Beach, as the Feb. 27 contest ended in a 3-1 NU win despite then-junior Isa van der Weij scoring the game's opening goal in the fourth minute.

NEXT UP
The Green and White return to East Lansing for two league matchups next week, hosting Maryland on Oct. 22 and Penn State on Oct. 24. Friday's game will be Michigan State's annual Pink Game, while Sunday will be Senior Day. The Sunday contest with the Nittany Lions will also be aired live on the B1G Network at 2 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Merel Hanssen

Monique Jardell

Maddie McDonough

Celina Riccardo

Isa van der Weij