Rough and tough, bang ‘em up soccer.
The MSU women’s soccer team wouldn’t have it any other way as they proved to be more physical Sunday afternoon in a 4-0 win over Iowa at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field.
MSU sits atop Big Ten standings after 2 league wins
Lauren Sinacola, a junior midfielder, takes a corner kick during Sunday’s game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field.
The victory puts the Spartans (10-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) atop the Big Ten standings, deadlocked with Minnesota for first place — who MSU defeated Friday to snap the Gophers’ undefeated record.
MSU and Iowa combined for 16 fouls in the contest, attempting to push, claw and shove their way into better field position.
“They’re a strong, athletic team and they work hard,” MSU head coach Tom Saxton said. “I think we get the brunt of (those fouls done to us). We’ve got crafty players like (Lauren Sinacola) who dribbles a lot and cuts out on you and the defender says, ‘Hey if I can’t get the ball then I’m going to get the man. We’ll see that a lot this year. We’ll give it back too of course, but I think we get the brunt of that a lot.”
MSU, two minutes in, used a heavy amount of its arsenal against the Hawkeyes (5-5-1, 0-1-1) inside the 18-yard box as four different shots on net either got deflected or hit a goal post.
But sophomore forward Cara Freeman put smoke behind the ball as she fired the final shot freezing Iowa goalkeeper Kali Feiereisel in her cleats — finding the back of the net for her eighth goal of the season.
“I couldn’t believe it hit almost every post,” Freeman said. “I think that kind of thing is being in the right place at the right time. If it hits two posts, one is eventually going to go in.”
At the 36:16 mark, sophomore midfielder Kelsey Tait aggravated her left ankle sending her to the grass before leaving the game. She would not return.
Saxton said she had a sore ankle and could have returned but didn’t want to risk it because the team is thin at the midfield position since the loss of senior midfielder Kristi Timar from Friday’s contest where she hurt her leg.
Timar had not received results on her leg as of Sunday afternoon, but she was wearing a large brace on the sideline at Sunday’s game.
“When she was out there, she was running our midfield, really running our team,” freshman forward Laura Heyboer said. “She’s got so much intensity and does all the dirty work for us, like win all the balls in the midfield and get in on all those tackles. She’s still here, she’s on the sideline cheering us on. She pulled me aside at halftime and gave me some tips. She’s still a part of this team and I’m going to keep taking everything I can from her.”
The Hawkeyes saw a golden opportunity slip away with 25 minutes to play when an effective cross pass skidded across the goalie box and out of senior goalkeeper Lindsey Wrege’s reach. Whistles blew as Iowa jumped offside just before the ball could be pursued further.
That’s just how it went all afternoon for Iowa — always a few steps behind the speedy, efficient Spartans.
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Heyboer capitalized on a costly Hawkeyes mistake in the 29th minute as Feiereisel failed to clear a ball that the Spartans’ leading scorer stopped, settled and put into the net to go up two goals.
And Heyboer made the Hawkeyes pay again 3:36 into the second half when Iowa’s Kelsey Shaw tripped her in the goalie box — giving Heyboer her second penalty kick of the season.
Just like in her first game as a Spartan, she buried the shot, racking up her 12th goal of the year to give MSU a 3-0 lead.
Heyboer now has 31 points this season and has averaged more than a goal per contest in MSU’s 11 games.
The Spartans poured it on one last time adding a fourth goal from freshman midfielder Mikki Dennis, assisted by sophomore defender Courtney Shegos.
MSU has outscored its opponents 33-5 this season — averaging three goals per contest.
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“We’re getting so much better at the little things,” Heyboer said. “Making sure we step in front of the ball and make our runs at the right time and play the right ball. We are doing a great job connecting our passes right now. Our chemistry is doing well.”
On Friday, MSU took care of business in its Big Ten opener against Minnesota, picking up a 2-0 win at DeMartin.
Junior forward Lauren Hill scored her ninth goal of the season on a Heyboer assist before the freshman got into the scoring mix herself picking up her 10th on the year.
MSU hits the road for two conference road games against Illinois on Friday and Purdue on Oct. 5.
