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Spartans end season on strong note with 1-0 win

Hill scores key goal against No. 11 Buckeyes

November 6, 2009

Junior midfielder Kelsey Tait fights for the ball in MSU’s 1-0 win against Ohio State on Friday at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field. Nick Miller/The State News

Photo by Nick Miller | The State News

A lot was on the line Friday at DeMartin Stadium at Old College Field.

The MSU women’s soccer team was looking to solidify a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a win while No. 11 Ohio State would’ve clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title.

What transpired was a team effort by the Spartans, holding off an early Buckeyes surge and getting a goal early in the second half from senior forward Lauren Hill to upset Ohio State 1-0.

The Spartans move to 11-4-4 overall and head coach Tom Saxton believes his team has done enough to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be Monday at 8 p.m.

“I think we definitely should be in,” Saxton said. “You never know in these things, but we’ve got very significant wins, we’ve got a good winning percentage and a good strength of schedule. Ohio State was the 12th RPI team in the country, we beat the 11th team which was Penn State. So, to me, there should be no doubt about it.”

With so much on the line, Saxton said the coaching staff realized the team needed to come in loose and confident.

“Our pregame was unique today in that we were telling jokes and laughing in the locker room as opposed to getting into any intense, tactical discussion and I think it worked,” Saxton said.

The Buckeyes (14-3-2 overall, 7-2-1 Big Ten) came out on fire early, gaining corner kick after corner kick, tallying six shots and six corners in the first half. However, MSU’s defense was able to hold firm.

“I think they had four (corner kicks) by the 10 minute mark and that gets a little scary because I really thought with them playing for a share of the Big Ten title that we had to get through that first 20 minutes without a mistake and thank goodness we did,” Saxton said.

The intensity really picked up in the second half. The teams combined for 17 fouls and sophomore midfielder Hannah Peterson and Ohio State midfielder Lauren Steuer got into it on multiple occasions, but it simmered when both were issued yellow cards.

“I try to just keep my cool and everything but sometimes I get a little too feisty and I have to calm myself down,” Peterson said. “But I like to keep my stand on the field and nobody is going to push me around out there.”

MSU scored the lone goal of the game on what Saxton called “one of the best you’ll see” and a “world-class goal.”

Ohio State held possession just outside its 18-yard box when Peterson came sprinting in from the right side, putting pressure on the defense. The defender panicked and lost the ball to junior forward Cara Freeman, who played the ball to Hill, who played the ball off her chest, spun and knocked it into the left corner.

“When the ball came in, I just knew I had to get it down somehow to my feet and I chested it to myself and just ripped a shot,” Hill said. “It was a solid hit, I knew when it left my foot it was going in.”

The goal was Hill’s 38th career tally, putting her one behind the all-time program mark set by Michelle Wise from 1986-89. The goal was Hill’s 13th career game-winner, which sets the program mark.

“What a way to cap off her career here at DeMartin Stadium,” Saxton said.

Ohio State’s pressure picked back up late in the game. They hit the post with just under 20 minutes to play and missed a wide-open opportunity on a corner kick with just more than 10 minutes to play, but the Spartans fought off the advance and sealed the game.

“The intensity we played with to kill the game off in the last few minutes was outstanding,” Saxton said.

With the win, the Spartans have only lost once in 21 games in two seasons at DeMartin Stadium.

“We were not about to lose on our field and let them get the win,” Peterson said.

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