Last year, the MSU field hockey team lost to Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, ending the team’s season.

This year, the team lost to Iowa in the second round, the Spartans’ first game of the tournament.

But this time the game wasn’t a season-ender.

The team received its first invitation to the NCAA Tournament, extending its season at least one more weekend.

MSU opens the first round against Kent State at 2 p.m. Saturday in Ann Arbor.

MSU took the regular season contest against the Golden Flashes 3-2 on Oct. 14.

Senior forward Bridget Cooper led the Spartans with two goals and freshman midfielder Annebet Beerman contributed the first goal of the game plus one assist.

But head coach Michele Madison said Kent State will still be tough.

“Kent State’s very competitive,” Madison said.

“They’ve got some great players like (midfielder Arlette) van Cleeff and (defenseman Helen) Jerden. Their goalie’s strong and our opportunities were equal, it was pretty even last time we just got ahead on the scoreboard.”

Kent State averaged 2.7 goals per game in the regular season, led by van Cleeff’s 21 goals in 20 games, but the Spartans said they’re not intimidated by those numbers.

“We want to prove that it wasn’t just a one time deal,” Cooper said. “I’m not saying that anyone says we got lucky or anything, but we deserved to win then and we deserve to win now.”

Assuming the Spartans advance to the second round, either North Carolina or Michigan await them at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

“UNC is the No. 1 seed in the bracket and they play Michigan,” senior goalkeeper Mara Mabley said.

“I think we could take either team.”

U-M was the lone Big Ten team to beat the Spartans in the regular season and the team still remembers the 2-1 overtime loss.

“Everyone feels like they want to beat them