Michigan State University Athletics
Friday, February 26
Virginia Beach, Va.
2:30 p.m.
Michigan State University
vs
University of Maryland
Field Hockey Opens 2021 against Maryland in B1G at the Beach
2/25/2021 2:42:00 PM | Field Hockey
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's field hockey team opens the 2020-21 season on Friday, Feb. 26, playing Maryland in B1G at the Beach in Virginia Beach, Va. The Spartans will take on the Terrapins at 2:30 p.m. and fans can watch on BTN Plus with a BTN Plus subscription.
The game against Maryland is the first of two games this weekend at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex as all Big Ten Conference teams will play a pair of games in Virginia Beach to open the season.
MSU plays Northwestern on Saturday, Feb. 27, also at 2:30 p.m.
When the Spartans take the field on Friday, it will be their first game in more than 400 days, as the COVID 19 Pandemic forced the normal Fall competition season to be pushed to the Spring.
"What we're looking forward to most is getting out and competing against someone else," 10th-year Head Coach Helen Knull said. "It has been 481 days since we last played a game. As athletes, you live for competition and I know the team can't wait to put on that Green & White uniform and represent Michigan State."
The Spartans, coming off a 7-11 overall record and an 0-8 B1G mark in 2019, welcome back 15 letterwinners, including four of the top five scorers from last year, and welcome six newcomers who should make an impact.
"We've got some seniors who provide great leadership and have a ton of experience in Cara (Bonshak), Meredith (Ross), Lia (Sinisi) and Jillian (Mohan)," Knull said. "Our freshmen class is going to provide depth for us in many lines. They provide a lot of flexibility for us and give us options in different positions, some goals and some solid defense."
Senior forward Lia Sinisi (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) is MSU's leading returning scorer, with seven goals last season, while sophomore defender Nienke Bloemsaat (Oosterhout, The Netherlands/Sini-Delbert Gymnasium) was third on the team with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Senior forward Meredith Ross (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) was fourth on the team last year with four goals and one assist (nine points), while senior midfielder Cara Bonshak (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall), a captain in 2019, led the team with seven assists.
Junior goalie Jade Arundell (County Kildare, Ireland/The Kings Hospital) started all 18 games last year and finished the season with 142 saves. She led the Big Ten in saves and save per game (7.9), which ranked No. 6 in the country.
Bonshak, Ross and sophomore midfielder Merel Hanssen (Maastricht, The Netherlands/Elzendaal College Boxmeer) were all selected t to the Preseason All-Big Ten team.
For Knull and her team, the Spartans are just excited to get the chance to get out and start their season.
"It's been challenging because we've had to learn to be flexible," Knull said. "We've been working on this for 15 months now. We have told our team to be where your feet are, control what we can today and be prepared for anything.
"We're excited to travel together, spend time together and to see and compete against our Big Ten peers. The freshmen have been waiting for this opportunity since they committed to MSU and it's great to finally have it here."
The game against Maryland is the first of two games this weekend at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex as all Big Ten Conference teams will play a pair of games in Virginia Beach to open the season.
MSU plays Northwestern on Saturday, Feb. 27, also at 2:30 p.m.
When the Spartans take the field on Friday, it will be their first game in more than 400 days, as the COVID 19 Pandemic forced the normal Fall competition season to be pushed to the Spring.
"What we're looking forward to most is getting out and competing against someone else," 10th-year Head Coach Helen Knull said. "It has been 481 days since we last played a game. As athletes, you live for competition and I know the team can't wait to put on that Green & White uniform and represent Michigan State."
The Spartans, coming off a 7-11 overall record and an 0-8 B1G mark in 2019, welcome back 15 letterwinners, including four of the top five scorers from last year, and welcome six newcomers who should make an impact.
"We've got some seniors who provide great leadership and have a ton of experience in Cara (Bonshak), Meredith (Ross), Lia (Sinisi) and Jillian (Mohan)," Knull said. "Our freshmen class is going to provide depth for us in many lines. They provide a lot of flexibility for us and give us options in different positions, some goals and some solid defense."
Senior forward Lia Sinisi (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) is MSU's leading returning scorer, with seven goals last season, while sophomore defender Nienke Bloemsaat (Oosterhout, The Netherlands/Sini-Delbert Gymnasium) was third on the team with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Senior forward Meredith Ross (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) was fourth on the team last year with four goals and one assist (nine points), while senior midfielder Cara Bonshak (Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall), a captain in 2019, led the team with seven assists.
Junior goalie Jade Arundell (County Kildare, Ireland/The Kings Hospital) started all 18 games last year and finished the season with 142 saves. She led the Big Ten in saves and save per game (7.9), which ranked No. 6 in the country.
Bonshak, Ross and sophomore midfielder Merel Hanssen (Maastricht, The Netherlands/Elzendaal College Boxmeer) were all selected t to the Preseason All-Big Ten team.
For Knull and her team, the Spartans are just excited to get the chance to get out and start their season.
"It's been challenging because we've had to learn to be flexible," Knull said. "We've been working on this for 15 months now. We have told our team to be where your feet are, control what we can today and be prepared for anything.
"We're excited to travel together, spend time together and to see and compete against our Big Ten peers. The freshmen have been waiting for this opportunity since they committed to MSU and it's great to finally have it here."
Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
/ Field Hockey
Defender
/ Field Hockey
Midfield
/ Field Hockey
Midfield
/ Field Hockey
Forward
/ Field Hockey
Forward
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