All looked well for the No. 15 MSU field hockey team at the start, but the numbers didn’t lie as the Spartans fell to No. 19 Duke, 4-2.
The Spartans (5-5 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) had the early advantage by leading 2-1 after the first half, but the Blue Devils’ offensive attack was too much for MSU to handle in the end.
The stat of the game was Duke’s 25 shots, dwarfing the Spartans shot total of six. Junior goaltender Molly Cassidy tallied eight saves for the Spartans, despite allowing the most goals scored this season.
Highlights from the Spartans’ offense came from sophomore forward Heather Howie scoring the first goal four minutes into the game, and sophomore forward Abby Barker breaking the 1-1 tie with a goal in the 23rd minute of the game.
This is the second loss in a row for the Spartans, falling to two ranked teams this weekend — the Spartans lost to No. 13 Iowa on Friday at Ralph Young Field.
MSU comes home for their next game at 3 p.m. on Sept. 28 to square off against No. 24 Indiana.
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