With the season coming to a close, the No. 20 MSU field hockey team has two pivotal games coming up this weekend against No. 8 Northwestern and Central Michigan.
The Spartans (9-7 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) kick off their weekend as they travel to Evanston, Ill., to face the Wildcats (14-2, 3-1). Northwestern will be carrying a six-game win streak as it welcomes MSU, and the Spartans are aware of the challenge that faces them.
“The team is aware of the strengths that Northwestern has, but just like every other team in the Big Ten, they’ve got strengths and weaknesses,” head coach Helen Knull said. “We just know that we have to come out and play our best.”
Entering the game on Friday, the Spartans undoubtedly will carry an underdog label into Northwestern, but that is not only something the Spartans are used to, it is also a label that MSU cherishes.
“We embrace being underdogs,” junior goaltender Molly Cassidy said. “We like going into games looking to surprise people.”
Cassidy will have her hands full on Friday, as she and the defense will have to most likely shut down Northwestern senior forward Chelsea Armstrong to give themselves a chance for victory. Armstrong, who is the all-time leading scorer for Northwestern, is second in the nation in goals per game, average 1.5 in every contest.
Although the Wildcats do boast an impressive lineup, Knull believes that the Spartans have what it takes to stun the Wildcats and move a game closer to first place in the Big Ten.
“When we are playing Spartan hockey, and what I mean by that is two-touch passing and getting in the circle in the right position, and defensively we are (attacking) the ball first, we can beat anyone,” Knull said.
After facing the Wildcats in a crucial Big Ten game, the Spartans head back to Michigan to square off against Central Michigan (6-8, 2-1 MAC) on Sunday. Although their game against the Chippewas is a nonconference game in the middle of a heated Big Ten race, the Spartans assure that they will be as motivated for this game as they would for any other.
“(We will stay motivated by) taking it one game at a time and bringing all of our effort into playing every single game,” sophomore midfielder Becky Stiles said.
The Spartans will look to sophomore forward Abby Barker, who tops the team with her 14 goals, to lead the team on offense this weekend. Cassidy, the former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, will be looked at to give another solid performance this weekend.
The Spartans kick off their weekend against Northwestern at 4 p.m. on Friday at Lakeside Field and then travel to Mount Pleasant to face the Chippewas at 1 p.m. on Sunday at CMU Field Hockey Complex.
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