The MSU field hockey team is not satisfied with last year's trip to the Final Four - this year, they aim to take it all.
The 2002 season was an exciting one for MSU, as the squad set a school record for most wins in a season (23), went undefeated on its home turf and captured its first Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament Championship with a thrilling 3-0 win over arch rival Michigan, a team they hadn't defeated since 1997. The Spartans wrapped up their season with a 3-0 loss to eventual champion Wake Forest in the NCAA Final Four.
Even after suffering the loss of three major minute-grabbers to graduation and watching the team's defensive player of the year, Judith van Haeringen, return home to the Netherlands, junior forward Michelle Carstens said the best is yet to come.
"It is going to take a lot of focus, determination, team work and re-evaluations to achieve this goal," Carstens said. "But if we take each practice and game one at a time and stay mentally and physically prepared, we can achieve our goal."
And that goal is nothing short of a national championship game.
MSU again boasts a lineup stacked with talent, returning two Division I All-Americans, junior midfielder Annebet Beerman and senior midfielder Sophie Rosmalen.
Beerman led the team in both goals scored (21) and points (50) last season, while Rosmalen was a unanimous pick for the All-Big Ten first team for her expert ball control in the midfield.
Add senior midfielder and back Alexandra Kyser, who earned a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament Team for her outstanding defensive effort, and Carstens, whose 14 goals are second only to Beerman, and the field hockey team has much to look forward to.
"I'm so excited for this season to start," sophomore midfielder Maggie Giddens said. "Being a team that made the finals, every game the other team is out to get us even more.
"That's a great way to compete, and it makes it really exciting, hard and fun."
Adding to the mix is a talented incoming group of four freshmen and a junior transfer, who are looking to challenge for playing time and shoulder the burden left by van Haeringen.
Carstens said the fresh faces have already made themselves part of the family.
"I am definitely excited to start playing with the team again," she said. "Our team has a very special chemistry and bond that is one of our keys to success."
Just how far the squad will go in the postseason tournament might be gauged on the Spartans' strength of schedule. Nine of MSU's 17 opponents were ranked nationally last season, including 2003 National Champion Wake Forest.
"I think any time you can play the defending National Champions it's a bonus," head coach Michele Madison said. "They were the best in the country last year and I thought we have a lot to learn from the game we played, it can only help us to grow."
MSU kicks off its season with an Aug. 30 match at Kent State.
