The No. 5 MSU field hockey team is continuing to pile on the wins, and head coach Michele Madison is reaching milestones as a result.
Sunday’s 3-0 win over Ball State marked the squad’s 15th victory and also signaled Madison’s 100th victory on the Spartan sidelines.
Just three games ago, Madison celebrated her 150th career coaching victory with a 5-1 win over Indiana.
Sophomore back Judith van Haeringen said the game’s significance, coupled with the crowd of families and alumni in the stands, fired the team up.
“It’s always fun to play in a game like this.” van Haeringen said. “Our families are here and it’s the last weekend home game and everyone was just really excited to play and (we) tried our best.”
And the Cardinals (7-6 overall) were no match for MSU at its best.
The Spartans (15-2, 3-1 Big Ten) played a passing game the first half and spread the field, finding their first tally on a penalty corner. With no time remaining before the half, MSU lined up for the corner and van Haeringen converted to give the Spartans the only goal they would need.
“They found the passing game and got the job done, and I think that was the most important,” Madison said. “It wasn’t easy though. Ball State was aggressive and they really took it to us.”
Senior forward Julia Adams provided an insurance goal for MSU midway through the second half, firing one past Cardinal goalkeeper Susan McDowell amidst a flurry of activity in front of the cage.
With 2:16 left in the match, freshman forward Michelle Huynh-Ba put a stamp on the game by adding a tally of her own to make the final score 3-0.
Freshman goalkeeper Christina Kirkaldy earned her fourth shutout of the year with the win, stopping all six shots.
On Saturday, MSU fought hard and emerged with a 2-1 victory over No. 11 Iowa (8-5, 1-2).
Huynh-Ba put MSU on the board 17:29 into the game. Her strike came off a pass from sophomore midfielder Sophie Rosmalen, and was her eighth of the season.
The first half ended in a 1-1 standoff after Iowa forward Pattie Gillern scored on a penalty corner with just seconds left on the clock.
Adams would break the tie at 47:48, striking on a rebound from a penalty corner.
Adams’ goal proved to be the game-winner as Kirkaldy refused to let a Hawkeye shot pass for the remainder of the match.
MSU will wrap up its home play with an afternoon game Wednesday against the No. 13 Kent State Golden Flashes (9-5). The match is scheduled for 4 p.m.
